Funtington Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 October 2024

Pupils at Funtington flourish personally. The exceptional personal development programme brings out pupils' wonderful character attributes. The school acts as one family. Pupils see the good in others and are very accepting of those who may be different. The school's highly inclusive approach carefully supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access all the school has to offer. The school expects pupils to do their best. Pupils eagerly respond to this and love learning new things. The 'Funtington Footprints' guide their learning and behaviours. Caring pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. Children in the early years settle in confidently and follow routines quickly. Pupils know they are safe here. Pupils have rich experiences that broaden their awareness of life beyond their small school. This includes thoughtfully planned trips, including overnight stays. Pupils develop healthy lifestyles and know how important it is to be physically active. The school also ensures that every pupil can swim. The school offers everyone a chance to join in music and sports activities. The school's productions excite pupils to share their talents. Pupils are actively involved in the community, for example, fundraising and supporting the elderly who may live alone.

What the school should improve

• The school's assessment checks are not always identifying the right knowledge gaps that pupils might have. This then impacts negatively upon the progress that some pupils make through the planned curriculum and in how highly they achieve. The school should further train all staff to check how securely pupils are knowing more and remembering more of the curriculum.
• Some work set for pupils does not help them to learn key essential knowledge. At times, there are also underdeveloped opportunities for pupils to write across the curriculum. This means that some pupils, including those with SEND, do not achieve as strongly as they could. The school should continue to support staff in planning high- quality activities to ensure pupils acquire deep knowledge of the curriculum.

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