Highfield South Farnham School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Highfield South Farnham School continues to be an outstanding school.

The headteacher of this school is Gregory West. This school is part of South Farnham Educational Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sir Andrew Carter, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Linda Ross.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has exceptionally high expectations for pupils' achievement, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This leads to all pupils achieving significantly well across the curriculum, including in end of key stage assessme...nts. They are prepared remarkably well for their next phase of learning.

Pupils speak with pride and enthusiasm about their learning. They develop into confident and articulate individuals.

Pupils are extremely proud to attend the school.

There is a culture of ambition and high aspiration that permeates the school. Pupils thrive in the caring and nurturing school community. They say that this school is a safe place.

Pupils are confident to speak with adults if they have any worries or concerns.

Pupils' behaviour is exceptional. Routines for excellent behaviour are embedded in the early years, and these high expectations remain throughout the school.

Pupils are completely immersed in their learning. They are polite and courteous to staff and each other.

Parents are highly supportive of the school.

One parent's comment was typical of many when they stated, 'I really feel Highfield put children at the centre of everything they do. We are very happy with the school.'

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

The school has designed and implemented a broad, rich and very ambitious curriculum.

It deepens pupils' body of knowledge and understanding effectively. Concepts are sequenced and taught in a logical order. Staff understand the precise knowledge that pupils should know and remember in every subject.

This enables pupils to produce high-quality work across the curriculum consistently.

Teachers deliver lessons with notable consistency. They revisit pupils' previous learning, which helps pupils to make connections and learn better.

Teachers demonstrate very secure subject knowledge. They make well-chosen choices in the way they deliver new learning, which is presented clearly. Staff support pupils' understanding of new knowledge by carefully selecting resources effectively, to deepen pupils' understanding.

In the early years, the indoor and outdoor learning spaces are high quality. This supports children to develop their skills and knowledge across all areas of learning highly effectively.

Teachers check pupils' knowledge very thoroughly.

They use this information to plan their next steps and address gaps in learning swiftly. This supports pupils to strengthen their knowledge, helping them to become highly skilled and confident. The school identifies and meets the additional needs of pupils precisely.

Through careful and bespoke adaptations, the school makes sure that pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve highly too.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum.

The teaching of phonics is clear, systematic and precisely matches pupils' needs. Staff are expert teachers of reading. They identify any pupils who are falling behind and provide the correct support promptly.

Pupils practise their phonics by reading books that contain sounds that they know. They have a real love for reading books. Staff promote language development and the understanding of texts by engaging pupils in conversations, drama activities and performing.

Pupils enjoy the many leadership roles available to them, such as being eco-leaders, sports leaders and librarians. These responsibilities enable pupils to make a highly valued impact on the school. The school provides a wealth of well-considered opportunities.

They help pupils to develop their talents and interests. These include sports and arts clubs and events.

Pupils experience a rich, well-rounded and broad education, going beyond learning in the classroom.

They learn about different careers and professions from members of the community. Pupils are familiar with different faiths, cultures and beliefs and show great respect. The school takes part in numerous community events, including a carnival, charity fundraising and performing as part of a youth choir.

The school ensures that there are no barriers to pupils acquiring wider experiences through what the school offers. The curriculum prepares pupils exceptionally well for life in modern Britain.

The support from the multi-academy trust has been influential in the school's continued success.

Trustees and members of the local governing board have a precise oversight of the school. They carry out their responsibilities with diligence and fulfil their statutory duties. This enables those responsible for governance to hold the school fully to account for the quality of education the pupils receive.

Staff appreciate the professional development opportunities they receive to refine and develop their expertise.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in January 2018.