Framfield Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 December 2024

Pupils are happy and feel safe at this welcoming village school. They know that staff will deal with any concerns they may have. Pupils enjoy school and are keen to learn. However, staff are not consistent in their application of the school's new behaviour policy. This means that pupils are not being supported to live up to these new expectations. As a result, learning is sometimes disrupted and learning time is not used effectively. Pupils do not achieve well enough. The school has begun to address this through improvements to the curriculum. However, teachers do not always explain learning clearly enough or have high enough expectations of what some pupils can achieve. This means, that in a number of subjects pupils do not learn as well as they should. In contrast, children in the early years do learn the important skills and knowledge they need. The school offers high-quality support for pupils' mental health and well-being. Pupils learn strategies to manage their emotions effectively. They express their feelings confidently and appropriately. For pupils who require additional help the school has developed a range of therapeutic support. This includes play therapy and time with Douglas, the school therapy dog. Pupils say this helps them to concentrate and to learn well.

What the school should improve

• Staff do not have secure enough subject knowledge. This means they do not explain learning clearly enough or check pupils' understanding accurately. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school must ensure the curriculum is delivered effectively so that pupils learn well and achieve highly.
• The school curriculum is not designed well enough in a number of subjects. Therefore, pupils do not learn important skills and knowledge over time. The school must ensure that the school's curriculum is well sequenced and ambitious in all subjects.
• Staff do not always apply the school's behaviour approach consistently. This means that routines are not well established. As a result, disruptions to learning and lost learning time occur in some areas of the school. The school should make sure that all staff are supported to apply the behaviour principles and expectations consistently.
• The teaching of phonics is not consistent. As a result, pupils do not learn to read fluently quickly enough. The school must ensure phonics is consistently implemented so that pupils are supported to become confident, fluent readers.
• Leadership is not strong enough in some subjects. As a result, there are inconsistencies in the delivery of the curriculum that hinder pupils in learning important skills and knowledge. The school should ensure leaders receive support to provide staff with the necessary guidance to teach the curriculum confidently and effectively.

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