North Downs Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Since the last inspection, leaders have been very successful in improving the quality of teaching. Pupils are now making consistently good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

Strong leaders have galvanised the three sites so that there is a shared vision and high level of commitment of staff. Everyone is pulling in the same direction and there is a collective desire to improve even further. Teachers know pupils well and so are able to plan work that interests them.

Teachers' questioning is good and pupils respond thoughtfully and listen to each other's answers. This enables them to learn from each other as well as their teacher...s and deepens their learning as a result. Systems to check on the progress of pupils and the quality of teaching are rigorous.

Teachers know what is expected of them and this is improving teaching and resulting in pupils making faster progress. Pupils' behaviour in and out of lessons is good. Pupils work hard and show a strong desire to learn.

They are very well mannered and extremely polite. Procedures to ensure that pupils are safe on the three sites are outstanding. Governors have an excellent understanding of the school and visit regularly to check on progress on the school's development priorities.

This enables them to challenge effectively and make a good contribution to plans for the future. It is not yet an outstanding school because: There are too few opportunities for pupils to apply their skills of reading, writing and mathematics in a wide range of subjects and contexts. Teachers' marking does not give pupils precise enough guidance as to how they can improve their work in mathematics.

The school has not been successful in communicating with some parents and carers about how well their children are doing and about how and why decisions are made.

Information about this school

This is a larger than average-sized primary school. The school is split over three sites in three villages: Brockham, Betchworth and Leigh.

In Betchworth there is one Reception class and in Leigh one Year 1 class and one Year 2 class. Brockham has the full age range from Reception to Year 6. An external provider manages the on-site nursery on the Betchworth site and this is subject to a separate inspection.

One in 14 pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding which supports pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority), which is below average. In Year 6 in 2013 there were three eligible pupils. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average.

The proportion on school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average. Only a very small proportion of pupils belong to ethnic groups other than White British with only a small number of these pupils not having English as their first language. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

The school runs a breakfast club. Since the amalgamation of two schools in September 2010 the school has undergone considerable upheaval including having four headteachers in that time. Since the last inspection in October 2012, the school has had the same headteacher, senior leadership team and Chair of the Governing Body.