Bletchingley Village Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 November 2024

Under new leadership, the school is raising expectations of pupils' learning. The school is ambitious for every pupil to achieve their best. This includes the substantial cohort of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These ambitions are reflected in the strong start that children make to their schooling in the early years. However, older pupils do not learn as well as they should. This is because the school has not ensured that the curriculum is taught well enough in some subjects. Pupils have a positive attitude to their learning. Staff praise them for persevering in their learning, and for trying new experiences. Children in the early years settle into school routines quickly. In the playground and in classrooms, pupils interact well with one another. They feel confident in asking staff to help them with any worries or concerns that they have. Lessons are calm and focused. Staff are consistent in how they expect pupils to behave. This helps pupils to make the most of their time for learning. Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities within school, such as becoming prefects. They look out for younger pupils and help them with lunchtime games and activities. Pupils are patient and considerate with each other, including those who attend the specially resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs.

What the school should improve

• In some areas of the curriculum, the school has not made sure that the sequence of learning addresses deficits in pupils' prior learning. As a result, pupils find it difficult to access some of the tasks set, or to integrate new learning into their wider understanding of each subject. The school should make sure that the curriculum in all subjects gives pupils the component knowledge they need to access and embed new learning.
• Teachers do not consistently check that pupils have accurately understood the intended learning from the tasks set. This leads to errors persisting in some pupils' work and gaps in their understanding. The school needs to ensure that staff are thorough in making sure that pupils understand the key knowledge set out in the curriculum.
• There is variation in how effectively leaders, including middle leaders, go about developing strong shared practice among staff. As a result, there are inconsistencies in how well staff deliver the curriculum for pupils. The school should ensure that leadership processes at all levels are embedded and focused on high-quality learning for all pupils.

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