Little Chalfont Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

This is an outstanding school. Pupils, parents and carers hold it in high regard.

One parent wrote, 'We are very happy with the school and are pleased that our child is becoming a confident and rounded individual.' Another added, 'Little Chalfont is a great little school. The children's eyes are opened to life outside the school environment.'

Pupils are very eager to learn, thoroughly enjoy attending and behave exceptionally well. Excellent leadership and management have resulted in an extremely positive ethos where all pupils are highly valued. Leaders and managers share an ambitious vision for the school and are fully committed to bringing improvement across all outcomes for pupils.
...r/>As a result, pupils' motivation is high and all groups are achieving exceptionally well. Systems for monitoring teaching and learning are robust and effective. This was an area for development at the last inspection report.

The governing body supports the school very effectively and is fully involved in strategic management and the cycle of self-review. Accurate and detailed self-evaluation of the school's performance enables the high standards to be maintained. The school's challenging targets are fully reflected in the improvement plan to accelerate and sustain the achievement for all groups of pupils.

As a result of these positive features, the school has an excellent capacity for sustained improvement. Attainment is high by the end of Year 6 and has been for a number of years. A detailed analysis of the performance data for different groups of pupils and a scrutiny of their work show they make outstanding progress from their starting points at the school and achieve exceptionally well.

Pupils who have moderate and other learning difficulties and/or disabilities are making outstanding progress against their targets. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are making good progress and a good number are doing better than this. Children are especially successful in personal, social and emotional development, and developing communication, language and number skills.

However, the dedicated outdoor learning area is not as stimulating as the indoor learning environment in supporting all areas of children's learning. Teaching and learning are outstanding overall. Teachers are excellent at challenging thinking and providing pupils with opportunities to work independently or in small groups to solve problems and explore their own ideas.

This has been particularly successful in mathematics where a recent small dip in progress has been very successfully addressed. Effective questioning is used extremely well to gauge pupils' understanding, to consolidate previous learning and clarify any confusion. Older pupils are fully involved in assessing how well they are doing and setting achievement targets in partnership with their teachers.

Pupils find this is very helpful and informative. The innovative and imaginatively planned curriculum contributes extremely well to pupils' excellent learning and enjoyment. It is very well balanced and there are many effective links between the different areas of learning so that skills learned in numeracy, literacy, and information and communication technology (ICT) are developed very well in other lessons.

A wide range of interventions meets the needs of all ability groups so they can sustain their rapid progress. An excellent range of extra-curricular clubs and activities add very much to the pupils' enjoyment of school. Pupils are extremely well cared for and feel exceptionally safe and secure.

Their very positive attitudes to each other, their learning and their determination to succeed are reflected in high levels of attendance. An outstanding range of partnerships with parents and carers, other schools and the wider community makes an excellent contribution to pupils' outstanding achievement and the outstanding care and support they receive. There are, for example, around 60 parents and carers who regularly help and support children in school.

The school's strong emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles, recognised in its national awards, ensures that pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay fit and healthy. Pupils show excellent concern for the needs of others and make a major contribution to the local and wider community. They are enthusiastic recyclers and have raised considerable sums of money to help children globally, for example during the recent natural disasters in Haiti, Sri Lanka and Japan.

Information about the school

This is an average-sized primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage with a small number from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. A very few are at the early stages of learning English.

The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities varies from year to year but is usually lower than the national average. Their range of needs includes specific learning difficulties and behavioural, language and emotional difficulties. Two have statements of special educational needs.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below the national average. The school has achieved a number of external accreditations including the Healthy Schools Award, Sports Activemark and the ECO School Bronze and Silver Awards. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Reception class.

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