Churchfield Church School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 March 2026

The school has been through a significant period of instability in recent years, including several changes of headteacher. This has been unsettling for pupils and their families. Now that leadership has stabilised, pupils throughout the school are benefiting from consistency and high expectations. Behaviour has improved substantially. Bullying is much less common and usually resolved quickly. Pupils are safe and happy in school. They have trusting relationships with staff. Leaders are determined that all pupils will succeed. They go to great lengths to provide the help and support pupils need to overcome barriers to attending school regularly. Nevertheless, some pupils still do not attend school often enough to benefit from the much-improved experience. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are in receipt of a better experience of school. However, there is more to be done. Teachers need more help to make the right choices about how best to meet pupils' needs in the classroom. The quality of teaching is improving. Pupils enjoy learning and are starting to achieve better than previously. There is still a way to go as many pupils have significant gaps in their basic knowledge. Teachers, including in the early years, do not always ensure that pupils catch up quickly. Leaders are supporting teachers to do this better. Nevertheless, some pupils are not prepared well enough for their next steps. Pupils enjoy trips, clubs and activities that broaden their horizons. They experience leadership as librarians, prefects or play leaders. However, they lack some crucial knowledge about life in modern Britain, such as how people and families differ and knowledge about different faiths.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that staff assess the specific gaps in pupils' knowledge and use this information to adapt lessons effectively in order to meet pupils' needs consistently and overcome barriers to learning and their wellbeing.
• Leaders should further develop the consistency of the effective teaching practice that has been established so that more pupils go on to achieve as well as they should in national tests and examinations.
• Leaders should continue to build on the school's work to promote high rates of attendance to ensure it has the intended impact, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Leaders should ensure that staff in the early years know what words children must learn and that these words are taught by all staff and learned by all children.
• Leaders should embed the school's personal development programme so that pupils develop a better understanding of, and respect for, difference and the law, fundamental British values and religious diversity in modern Britain.

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