The Horsell Village School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils love to come and learn. From the early years upwards, pupils are fully engaged in their learning. Adults know pupils as individuals.

Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils feel safe because they know there is an adult they can go to if they have a worry.

Leaders have high expectations of behaviour.

All pupils learn to follow the school motto, 'Kindness to yourself, kindness to others, kindness to the world', from the moment they start in Reception. In class, pupils behave well, listen and concentrate. There is no interruption to learning.

Pupils enjoy playtimes with their friends. They love the new pla...yground equipment. Pupils know that if there are incidents of bullying, an adult will deal with them.

All leaders are ambitious for every pupil in the school. They have put systems in place to support pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils' attitudes to learning are strong.

They know that their teachers expect them to try their best, and they do not disappoint them. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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

Leaders have high expectations.

They have designed a curriculum that engages and excites pupils. Leaders ensure that learning in every subject starts in the early years and progresses across key stage 1. Subject leaders set out clearly the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn and remember.

Teachers, therefore, know what has been taught before. They are well trained and have secure subject knowledge. Teachers present learning clearly, making sure that pupils develop a growing vocabulary in each subject.

They check pupils' understanding from lesson to lesson carefully. Mostly, they build on pupils' previous learning well. For example, in mathematics, children in Reception practise their understanding of counting in twos in an outdoor activity pairing different socks together.

In some subjects, for example phonics and mathematics, leaders have put checks in place to make sure that pupils are retaining important knowledge over time. However, there is not a consistent approach to reviewing what pupils have learned before. This means, in some subjects, pupils are not building knowledge over time as well as they might.

Reading is a top priority. Leaders know how important it is to develop in pupils a love for reading. The youngest children are read to at every opportunity.

Teachers ensure that all pupils listen to a variety of texts by reading a story every day. Pupils enjoy the outdoor reading shack and the authors who visit during Book Week. Children in the Reception classes start to learn phonics as soon as they are in school.

All staff have been trained, and are experts in early reading. Phonics teaching is strong. Leaders ensure that pupils who struggle with early reading are given the support to enable them to keep up.

However, the books pupils are reading do not match the sounds they know. For some pupils, this is slowing their ability to become fluent and confident readers.

The inclusion leader knows pupils with SEND well.

There are clear procedures in place to identify pupils with additional needs. Leaders ensure that teachers know the barriers to pupils' learning through effective training. Teachers ensure that learning is broken into manageable steps.

When necessary, high-quality support is given. Consequently, pupils with SEND learn well and cover the same curriculum as their peers.

Pupils' wider development and well-being are given prominence.

The school's very strong commitment to outdoor learning, and their forest school programme, is a central component in promoting well-being. The school's motto is an interwoven thread that runs through all aspects of school life. Pupils are taught to respect themselves, others and the world in which they live.

Leaders are committed to enabling all pupils to learn to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Through their science and personal, social and health education topics, pupils learn about their bodies and relationships. For instance, in the early years, the children learn the importance of cleaning their teeth.

Members of the school council proudly talk about the ways in which they help the school. Recently, they have been involved with the new playground and the play equipment. Year 2 pupils take their role of playtime leaders very seriously.

The well-being and professional development of staff are priorities for leaders. Staff are very appreciative. They feel well supported and valued.

The trust and governors know what the school does well and know what needs further improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding.

All adults know it is everyone's responsibility to ensure that children are safe. They know 'it could happen here'. Leaders have an ongoing programme of training which enables staff to be vigilant and report any concerns, however small they may be.

The safeguarding team is determined that every support is given to ensure the safest outcomes for every pupil. Leaders are quick to action and seek external support to ensure that children and their families receive the help and advice they need. Pupils learn how to keep safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders use a wide range of books to develop pupils' early reading skills. As a result, for some pupils, they are not able to easily decode the words they read. Leaders should make sure that pupils read books that closely match the letters and sounds they have learned.

• In some subjects, teachers are not reviewing and making links between what pupils are doing now and what they have learned in the past. Consequently, pupils are not building their knowledge as well as they could over time. Leaders need to ensure that teachers systematically ascertain what key knowledge pupils know and remember.

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