Clandon CofE Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning in this welcoming school.

They talk with enthusiasm about their work. Staff are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They support pupils to learn well.

Pupils are helped to develop resilience even when they find work challenging.

Staff have high expectations of how pupils should behave. Children in Reception swiftly learn the routines which develop their independence, such as when clearing away after lunch.

Pupils are respectful to each other and to staff. Leaders provide extra support for pupils to help them make positive behaviour decisions when required. Bullying... does happen on occasion, and leaders are quick to sort out concerns effectively.

Pupils value the kindness of everyone in the school. They appreciate how staff support and listen to them. This helps them to feel safe.

New pupils are welcomed and make friends quickly. One pupil commented that 'everyone is loving and caring'.

Leaders provide a variety of experiences.

This includes forest school, where pupils learn different skills, including how to use tools safely. Pupils attend a range of clubs such as cooking, dance and archery. They are keen to develop leadership skills by being a member of the school council.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

This is an inclusive school. The headteacher has raised the aspiration of staff so they share an ambition for every individual to learn well. Leaders are quick to identify pupils' needs and they work well with external agencies to ensure that pupils get the help they need.

Staff skilfully adapt their teaching so that the high proportion of pupils with SEND have effective support. Teachers value the support they receive from leaders to achieve this. Parents and carers appreciate the care for individual pupils.

One parent commented that her child is 'flourishing every day'.

Some children join the school with weak language skills, so staff prioritise developing them from the very start of Reception. Leaders have identified words that pupils in all year groups should learn in different subjects.

This equips pupils with the vocabulary to talk about their learning with confidence and accuracy. For example, Year 5 pupils used their knowledge from history lessons to speak eloquently about Boudicca's rebellion against the Romans.

Leaders have introduced a new programme to help pupils learn to read fluently.

Staff follow the scheme closely. Leaders provide high-quality training, which has equipped staff with expert knowledge. Pupils read books that are matched closely to the sounds they have learned and they reread texts to improve their confidence and fluency.

Struggling readers are given effective extra support to help them catch up. Pupils are inspired to love stories and reading. They enjoy their teachers routinely reading aloud a wide range of books.

This exposes pupils to texts they might not otherwise read and motivates them to read independently and often.

Leaders and staff have successfully redesigned the rest of the curriculum, including mathematics, from Reception onwards. This curriculum thinking has strengthened staff subject knowledge.

Teachers have identified and sequenced the knowledge and skills they intend pupils to learn. Staff support pupils to make connections with what they have previously been taught. However, teachers do not consistently check that pupils have learned the most important content.

Leaders plan to refine some of the curriculum thinking to help staff emphasize the essential learning and then check what pupils have learned and remembered.

A few subject leaders are new to their role. They understand the design of the curriculum but have not had the opportunity to visit lessons, look at books or talk to pupils about their learning.

Consequently, they do not know how best to ensure that pupils are learning as is intended. Leaders have identified this as an area to be addressed.

The governing body has a strong understanding of the school's strengths and areas to develop.

They complete visits to assure themselves about aspects of the school's work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, governors focused on pupils' learning in English and mathematics. They have recently broadened their attention to other subjects.

Pupils enjoy positive attitudes to learning. Occasionally, there is low-level disruption in lessons, but staff address any issues quickly. Leaders have improved attendance over time, but some pupils do not attend school regularly enough.

They recognise that there is still work to do to ensure that every pupil attends regularly.

Leaders promote personal development well. They provide valuable experiences to develop pupils' social and emotional skills.

Pupils learn what a healthy relationship is and how to be a good friend. One pupil commented: 'We always help a friend in need.'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide high-quality training so that staff are alert to the signs that may indicate that a pupil is at risk of harm. Staff understand their role in helping to keep pupils safe. They report even the smallest concerns promptly.

Leaders and staff are diligent in their approach to record-keeping to ensure that pupils and families swiftly get the help they need. This keeps pupils safe from the risk of further harm.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe.

This includes learning about managing risk and road and online safety. They say that school is a safe place to be.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some curriculum thinking in wider subjects needs further refinement.

Currently, teachers are not consistently checking that pupils have learned and remembered the essential content. Consequently, they do not always identify gaps in pupils' knowledge. Leaders should continue to develop curriculum planning from Reception to Year 6 so that teachers know what pupils will learn over time.

• Some subject leaders are new to their role. This means they have not had the opportunity yet to check how well pupils are learning. Leaders should ensure that they are equipped with the skills needed to refine curriculum thinking and check how well pupils are learning the key knowledge and skills.

• Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means they are missing out on important learning. Leaders should continue their work to support families so that these pupils' attendance improves.