Naphill and Walters Ash School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and well cared for in this inclusive school. As one pupil put it, 'This is a school where it's easy to fit in.' Many pupils come from military backgrounds and must cope with change when moving schools or when loved ones are posted further afield.

They, and their civilian friends, are taught strategies for coping with disappointment and loss, becoming emotionally intelligent and resilient. Pupils here know how to look after themselves and be good friends to others.

Leaders have high expectations and, as a result, pupils make good progress in their learning across all curriculum areas during their time here.

New joiners are supported well and ca...tch up quickly. Behaviour rules set clear boundaries, ultimately teaching pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour. They are explained to newcomers by well-trained staff and new pupils soon rise to leaders' expectations.

The '5Rs' underpin leaders' aspirations for pupils' behaviour and learning. Staff nurture them to become responsible, resourceful, reflective, resilient and learn to reason. These attributes teach pupils to respectfully challenge the status quo, developing a strong sense of justice and the confidence to think for themselves.

Parents comment that this is a school 'focused on developing kind, responsible children in life'.

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

Reading is taught expertly in this school. Leaders are unswerving in their determination that all pupils, no matter what barriers they face, will learn to read and grow to enjoy it.

This ambition is realised. As soon as children start in Reception, they begin phonics lessons. Teachers pick up on any pupils not keeping up, giving practice there and then, so none fall behind.

All staff are adept at identifying pupils' gaps in phonic knowledge, which means new arrivals to the school quickly get help. Pupils regularly practise reading, using books which match the sounds they are learning. Teachers read to classes every day, familiarising them with stories, information texts and poems.

Pupils are reading confidently in every curriculum area. Pupils whose start to learning phonics was disrupted due to COVID-19 are catching up quickly as a result of highly effective support.

Leaders have developed a broad and ambitious curriculum, in keeping with the aims of the national curriculum.

It is designed so that pupils' knowledge and understanding of subjects build over time. Leaders have woven the '5Rs' through each subject. They speak about resilience when learning new art techniques and resourcefulness when solving mathematics problems and regularly encourage pupils to reflect on all areas of their learning.

Leaders have planned the detail of the curriculum in most subjects, so teachers know exactly what they must teach in each year group, enabling pupils' learning to build on secure foundations. However, this is still a work in progress in Reception and a small number of subjects, such as art, design technology and geography, which leaders are in the process of further refining.Subject leaders are knowledgeable and focus training on curriculum priorities.

For example, in a recent whole school art celebration day, leaders showed staff how to interpret the painting of 'Tobias and the Angel' by Andrea del Verrocchio in a variety of mediums. As a result, pupils learned painting, sculpting and drawing techniques, expressing aspects of the picture and the story behind it. This attention to developing teachers' strong subject knowledge enables them to adapt the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as other pupils and are fully integrated into all aspects of school life.

Teachers give plenty of opportunities for pupils to recap the curriculum and repeat new learning. This means that pupils commit the curriculum to long-term memory, and many pupils who remain in the school from Reception class until Year 6 attain highly.

New pupils joining the school hear what was taught previously and catch up with their peers. Teachers regularly check what pupils understand in lessons and quickly correct any misconceptions. They assess what pupils can recall periodically and use this information to adapt the curriculum accordingly.

Pupils have many opportunities to develop through personal, social and health education. They learn about the health benefits of eating healthily and exercising. In assemblies and discussions, pupils share their cultures and faiths.

Leaders ensure all pupils benefit from the wide range of after-school clubs and visits linked with the curriculum.

Governors fulfil their statutory duties well. They work strategically with senior leaders, so resources are focused wisely to the benefit of all pupils.

They plan necessary changes to school organisation and the curriculum meticulously, so leaders' ambitious vision is upheld.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders create a strong culture of safeguarding.

They ensure staff have the training they need to recognise and report concerns. Leaders act on any reported concerns in a timely way. They are not afraid to challenge external agencies if the help pupils need is not forthcoming.

Leaders know pupils well and make sure they are supported through difficult situations that could add pressure to family life.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe on the internet and in relationships. Governors understand their statutory safeguarding duties well, checking regularly that safeguarding is carried out effectively.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum thinking in some foundation subjects and areas of learning in the early years is not precise enough. Teachers do not know exactly what pupils must understand and remember in readiness for the next year group or key stage. Leaders should continue their work to clarify the key knowledge that must be taught from early years to Year 6.

Also at this postcode