Horsley Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Horsley Primary School is a warm and friendly place to be. Adults forge positive and supportive relationships with pupils.

Pupils feel safe and well cared for.

Leaders and teachers are ambitious for pupils to reach their full potential. They provide a rich and demanding curriculum.

Pupils thoroughly enjoy the many additional opportunities on offer, such as art, sport and music. Pupils work hard because they want to do their best. They know that they learn from mistakes and do not give up, even when learning is more challenging.

Pupils are very sociable and polite. They take responsibility for their actions and behave exceptionally well. Pupils confir...m that bullying and poor behaviour are extremely rare.

They say there is always someone to talk to if they have a problem.

Pupils make a valuable contribution to school life. For example, munch monitors help out at lunchtime and sports leaders coach their peers.

Year 6 pupils 'buddy' Reception children to help them settle into school.

The overwhelming majority of parents are delighted with the school. They make comments such as, 'this is a fantastic school with enthusiastic teachers' and 'the school genuinely feels like a family'.

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

The school is well led and managed. The headteacher has established a strong team of staff. They work hard to provide a high-quality education for all pupils.

Staff value the support that the headteacher and other colleagues provide. This enables them to fulfil their duties effectively. Governors are committed and hard working.

They regularly visit the school to assure themselves of its effectiveness.

Teachers plan appropriate sequences of lessons in most subjects. They routinely assess pupils' learning to check how well they are doing.

Pupils are extremely eager to do well. They listen carefully and respectfully to staff and their peers' ideas and are wholeheartedly committed to their work. This has a positive impact on their progress and achievement.

Leaders have improved the teaching of writing. Pupils take great pride in their work. Writing is of good quality and well presented.

Leaders are taking effective action to strengthen pupils' progress in maths. As a result, pupils can apply the skills they have learned in mathematics to solve problems. They are learning to give reasons to justify their answers.

The art work produced by pupils is of high quality. Teaching helps pupils to develop their knowledge and skills in printing, sculpture and painting. The school makes good use of parents' expertise to support pupils' learning.

Pupils study the work of different artists, such as Caravaggio and Andy Warhol. They learn how to produce work in a similar style. Pupils are fascinated to experiment with different techniques when they create sgraffito designs for Greek pots.

The broad and stimulating curriculum ignites pupils' interests and prepares them well for life in modern society. Pupils learn about different faiths, such as Hinduism and Judaism. Pupils enjoy the additional opportunities to learn a broader range of skills in forest school.

Leaders and teachers work closely with families to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Well-trained staff provide additional teaching and effective pastoral support to help pupils to catch up. Pupils value this and say it helps them with their learning.

Pupils love reading. They are gaining the skills to become fluent, confident readers. Pupils enjoy listening to stories and choosing books from the school's interesting selection.

Additional teaching helps pupils who need to catch up reinforce what they are learning. However, some pupils' books do not match the sounds that they are learning. This restricts how well they can develop their reading skills.

In some subjects, such as history and geography, curriculum plans are less well-developed than in other subjects. Leaders are in the process of improving these, to help pupils embed secure knowledge and develop a broader range of skills.

In the early years, children love listening to rhymes and stories, such as 'Humpty Dumpty' and 'Stick Man'.

Children recite the sounds displayed on the 'washing line'. They read signs and labels in the classroom to practise their reading skills. Children develop their imagination when they pretend to make hot chocolate and add cotton wool marshmallows.

Children like to explore and find things out. For example, they can find numbers hidden in various locations. Children can carefully count objects to check if they match a given number.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know pupils well and prioritise their well-being and safety. They work closely with pupils and their families to provide support.

Leaders make the necessary checks to ensure that staff are safe to work with children. They provide all staff with safeguarding training. Staff swiftly refer and thoroughly record all concerns.

Leaders make timely referrals to external agencies when necessary. However, leaders should record their follow-up actions more stringently.

Pupils have additional curriculum opportunities to learn how to stay safe.

For example, when the police visit the school and when pupils visit SkillZONE.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Pupils read regularly. However, some pupils' books do not match the sounds that they are learning.

This hinders how well they are supported to improve their reading. Leaders must provide pupils with reading books that routinely enable pupils to practise and consolidate the sounds that they are learning. .

Leaders have created a curriculum that clearly outlines the knowledge and skills that pupils need to develop in most subjects. However, in some subjects, such as history and geography, curriculum planning is in the early stages of development. Leaders need to further develop plans and teaching in these subjects, so that pupils routinely build the appropriate depth of knowledge and skills over time.