Sheldwich Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Pupils at Sheldwich are great ambassadors for their outstanding school.

They thoroughly enjoy school as shown by their high attendance and excellent attitudes to learning. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are polite, considerate and caring.

They feel extremely safe at school and make an excellent contribution to all aspects of school life. Achievement is outstanding. Pupils make excellent progress from their starting points and by the time they leave at the end of Year 6, they reach standards that are significantly above those reached by most pupils nationally.

Teaching is highly effective and provides pupils with ...memorable learning experiences. The headteacher is an outstanding leader with high expectations of pupils and staff and a determination that nothing less than the best is good enough. Leadership and management at all levels, including the work of the governing body, are excellent.

Leaders check on the quality of teaching regularly and thoroughly and quickly identify and support any teaching that does not meet their high expectations. Leaders rigorously check all aspects of the school's work and identify the right priorities for further improvement, for example further development of the outside area for children in the Reception class.

Information about this school

Sheldwich Primary became an academy school on 1 September 2011.

When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall. It is an average-sized primary school. Pupils attend from a wide area.

Only 20 pupils live within a mile of the school. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is below average.

The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average. The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding (the pupil premium) because they are known to be eligible for free school meals or are looked after children is lower than found nationally. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.