The Weald CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is proud to be part of this vibrant, harmonious community. Pupils are settled and happy.

They flourish because adults take great care of them. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. As one parent said: 'All of the staff genuinely care about the children and go the extra mile to help them.'



Pupils are kind and considerate. The school's values of love, responsibility, respect, trust and forgiveness are an integral part of daily life. Pupils behave well and bullying is uncommon.

They know that staff will help them solve any worries they may have. Consequently, pupils feel safe.

Leaders' high expectations shin...e through all aspects of the school's work.

There are no limits placed on what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can accomplish. Leaders ensure that all pupils have the 'space to learn and grow'.

Pupils are expected to conduct themselves well and they rise to this challenge.

There is a purposeful buzz of learning around school. Pupils work well together and are keen to share their ideas. There is a strong emphasis placed on encouraging pupils to question, debate and reflect on the world around them.

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

Leaders, trustees and governors have high aspirations for all pupils. Leaders have made significant improvements to the curriculum to ensure that it is interesting and engaging. They have made careful decisions about what pupils should learn, and the order in which they should learn it.

Most subject leaders know how well pupils are achieving across all year groups. However, this is not consistent across all subjects in the school's curriculum. This is because some subject leaders are in the earlier stages of their development.

A robust programme of training is under way to address this.

From the moment pupils join the school, they are immersed in reading. The curriculum includes an exciting range of diverse and challenging texts.

Pupils learn about an array of different authors and genres. This inspires pupils to read widely and enables them to develop their vocabulary and comprehension. Staff ensure that the small number of pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read receive well-targeted support.

Reading books match the sounds that pupils know. Pupils become confident, fluent readers.

Leaders provide effective training for staff.

This means that, over time, the teaching of the curriculum is becoming increasingly expert. Many teachers use their strong subject knowledge to present information clearly. They skilfully check how well pupils have understood what they have learned before moving them on to new ideas.

Nevertheless, in a small number of subjects, the quality of curriculum delivery is still variable. In these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.Leaders are addressing this.

Pupils' personal development is at the heart of the curriculum. They learn how to be credible and active citizens. For instance, pupils take on responsibilities such as being members of the 'tech team', 'playground buddies' and as school councillors.

They participate in local events, including visiting residents at a retirement complex and raising money for causes they support. Pupils value the importance of mutual respect and individual liberty. As one said, 'It doesn't matter who your family is made up of, what counts is that you love and trust each other.'



Pupils are keen to learn. They concentrate well and have positive attitudes towards their learning. This means that pupils' learning is rarely disrupted.

Leaders ensure that pupils' individual needs are identified appropriately. Well-trained staff make sure that pupils with SEND get the tailored support they need to learn well.

Trustees and local governors have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and priorities for improvement.

They challenge and hold leaders to account effectively. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the specialist training and support they receive from leaders. They appreciate the steps leaders take to look after their well-being and ensure that staff workload is well balanced.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders are tenacious in their work to keep pupils safe from harm. Effective and regular training enables staff to identify pupils who may be at risk and report any worries promptly.

Leaders keep detailed records of concerns and take swift action, involving external agencies when appropriate. This ensures that pupils and their families get the help they need. Arrangements to recruit staff are robust.

The correct checks are carried out on adults working at the school. Pupils are taught how to identify risks, so they are more able to keep themselves safe. This includes keeping safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subject leaders do not have a clear enough oversight of how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum. Leaders are addressing this. They should continue to implement the programme of professional development to ensure that subject leadership is consistently strong across all subjects.

• In a small number of subjects, teachers' implementation of the curriculum is variable. This sometimes limits how well pupils develop their knowledge and understanding. Leaders need to continue to develop staff's pedagogy so that they understand how pupils learn across the different subjects in the curriculum.