Church Langley Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 January 2024

The school is a friendly and welcoming community. Pupils speak proudly about their learning. They like talking to visitors and explaining their work. In all year groups, pupils enjoy the stories they share with their teachers. Behaviour is good. Pupils understand and apply the 'golden rules' they are taught. As a result, classrooms are calm and interesting places to learn. The positive relationships between teachers and pupils are a strong feature of daily life in the school. Therefore, pupils are safe and happy. Pupils achieve well overall, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, they do not make as much progress with their writing as they do in reading and mathematics. Pupils look out for each other. Older pupils support younger children sensitively in roles such as play leaders and reading ambassadors. Some ambassadors promote healthy lifestyles and exercise at break and lunchtimes. Trips, for example, to the National Gallery, bring pupils' learning to life. Visitors from the Royal Opera House recently introduced pupils to new ideas in dance and music. The wide range of after-school clubs is popular and well attended. The 'This girl can' club is especially proud of the group's rugby and football skills.

What the school should improve

• Curriculum changes to improve pupils' writing are still at an early stage. These changes, for example, to improve the consistency of expectations in the presentation of work, pupils' spelling and the focus on vocabulary across subjects are still embedding. As a result, pupils do not always make as much progress in their writing as they do in reading and mathematics. The school should expedite the implementation of changes to how writing is taught across the curriculum, so that all pupils achieve consistently well.
• In a few subjects, curriculum leaders are new. They are still honing their skills to evaluate what is working well and what needs to change in their areas of responsibility. That is why, in some cases, there is a mismatch between the activities set and the intended learning content. This occasionally slows pupils' progress. The school should ensure that new leaders have any additional training they need to help them to pinpoint any necessary improvements, so that the quality of provision continues to improve.

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