Ofsted and DfE
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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023
| Overall effectiveness | Good |
| The quality of education | Good |
| Behaviour and attitudes | Outstanding |
| Personal development | Outstanding |
| Leadership and management | Good |
| Early years provision | Outstanding |
| Previous inspection grade | Requires improvement |
The headteacher of this school is Mark Dipple. This school is part of Lingfield Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Nick Blackburn, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stuart Crowther.
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils at this school are very happy. They greet visitors with warm welcomes and broad smiles. Pupils are very proud of their school and its community. Staff and pupils embody the school’s virtues of ‘kindness, respect, resilience, honesty, independence and courage’. Pupils feel safe in school. Well-trained, knowledgeable and devoted staff ensure that this is the case. Parents agree.
The school has high expectations for all. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language.
Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are exceptional. These are supported by the school’s high-quality curriculum for personal development. Pupils show genuine empathy and understanding of others. There are high levels of respect shown by staff and pupils alike. The celebration of diversity and equality radiates throughout the school. One pupil told an inspector: ‘We come from lots of different countries, but we’re all the same.’ Bullying is rare. Pupils and parents agree that staff would deal with it effectively if it were to happen.
Pupils and parents feel part of the Corporation Road community. A parent reflected the views of others, when they said: ‘I consider this school to be my family and the family of my children.’
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders in the school and trust have worked hard to develop and tailor a curriculum that meets the needs of pupils. All pupils, including those with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language, become confident learners. Pupils entering the school with little or no English make swift progress. Tailored support helps to remove any barriers to their achievement. In core curriculum subjects, some pupils are not always given sufficient opportunities to deepen their knowledge. They do not, therefore, achieve as highly as they might. In some subjects, the content choices and approaches do not always match the learning that the school wants pupils to experience.
Staff in Nursery and Reception provide children with high-quality experiences to explore and develop language. Phonics is taught consistently well. Children quickly learn the sounds that they need to know. Adults help children to become confident and fluent readers. Staff within early years plan exciting and engaging tasks for children, which allows them to build their learning from low starting points. Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning. In key stage 1 and 2, if pupils fall behind with reading, they are given the right support to help them to catch up. The
school ensures that reading has a high priority. All pupils have access to a wide range of quality books. Pupils enjoy many opportunities for reading within the school day. They talk with real enthusiasm about the books that they are reading in class.
The school’s exceptional personal development curriculum enables pupils to become well-rounded individuals. Pupils talk with deep understanding about issues such as mental health and discrimination. The curriculum helps to broaden pupils’ understanding of different faiths and cultures. Pupils understand the importance of equality and respect. They live this out in their relationships with each other.
Pupils enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and residential trips. Leaders check participation to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to attend. The school removes any barriers to participation. There are many opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities. Some pupils support their school as head boy or girl. Others help their peers as school councillors, digital leaders or pupil interpreters. Pupils in Year 2 plan and run the school fair to help them to learn about enterprise. These opportunities are preparing pupils to be citizens of the future.
Governors and trustees have a very good understanding of the school and the community it serves. They check that their actions have a positive impact for all pupils. Governors have a clear understanding of their responsibilities delegated by the trust. Leaders take swift and effective action to promote attendance and punctuality. All groups of pupils attend well. Where this is not the case, the school does all it can to ensure good attendance. The school carefully considers the workload and well-being of all staff. Staff appreciate the support that they receive. They are proud to work in this very inclusive school.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
What does the school need to do to improve?
- In core subjects, the curriculum is not as ambitious as it might be. Some pupils are not always given sufficient opportunities to deepen their knowledge and achieve as well as they might. The school should ensure that all pupils are provided with opportunities that help them to deepen their knowledge and achieve as well as possible.
- In some curriculum subjects, content choices and approaches do not always match the intended learning. This means that pupils do not always experience the learning that leaders want. The school should ensure that the content and approaches used more closely match the intended learning.
How can I feed back my views?
You can use Ofsted Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school, or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.
