Bentley Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 January 2026

Leaders put pupils at the centre of every decision to create a school that brings its community together. Pupils develop confidence because adults nurture them well. Staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities so they do well both in and out of the classroom. Pupils build resilience and independence through many experiences. They especially value the annual residential trips for all key stage 2 pupils. They say these trips teach them important life lessons and 'help us become adults'. Pupils are welcoming and polite. The school unites pupils from different backgrounds and cultures. This creates a strong sense of community and prepares pupils well for their next steps and for life beyond school. Pupils behave well and treat others with respect. They trust adults to deal quickly with any concerns, including bullying. Most pupils attend regularly. When pupils do not attend well, the school works closely with families and attendance typically improves. Pupils enjoy learning. Staff remove barriers to learning so pupils feel proud of what they achieve. Pupils read and use mathematics with confidence, which is shown in published outcomes across the school and at the end of Year 6. Sometimes, pupils need more precise support to improve their handwriting and spelling. As a result, some pupils do not develop their spelling and handwriting as well as they could. Pupils gain secure and detailed knowledge across most of the curriculum. They enjoy sharing what they know. For example, they speak with enthusiasm about their preferences between the art of Georgia O’Keeffe and Leonardo da Vinci. Their detailed knowledge prepares them well for the next stage of education.

What the school should improve

• Leaders need to continue to build staff understanding and skills so that teachers check pupils’ spelling and letter formation more systematically and use this information to adapt future lessons more effectively and address pupils’ misconceptions in these areas more quickly. • Leaders must continue to identify and tackle barriers to pupils’ high attendance. They need to secure rapid improvement for a small number of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)