Litcham School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 December 2022

Pupils thrive at Litcham School. They feel happy to be themselves. They are welcoming to newcomers. Any unkind or inappropriate language is dealt with so thoroughly by leaders that it rarely happens again. Pupils help lead the school's work in increasing awareness of different ways of life, for example from the successful 'Pride' club. Pupils have lots of opportunities to work with others of different ages. For example, secondary pupils mentor primary peers in mathematics and English. Pupils help each other resolve conflicts through the 'PALS' scheme. The primary pupils benefit from accessing specialist resources on the secondary site. Pupils enjoy attending a wide range of lunchtime clubs, such as drama and an orchestra. Pupils experience a well-thought-out curriculum. It is delivered highly consistently from class to class, ensuring that all pupils make progress in knowing and remembering more. Pupils achieve particularly well in mathematics and science. They also learn to read quickly. Where there is rare bullying, it is resolved quickly. Pupils feel safe. Pupils' behaviour is generally sensible. If pupils are distracted in class, teachers get them to quickly concentrate again. Leaders are ambitious for pupils' academic outcomes and behaviour; pupils respond to this well and work hard.

What the school should improve

• A significant proportion of pupils' writing is not of a high enough quality to reflect their understanding of the curriculum. There are a variety of reasons for this. Some pupils have poor handwriting, some lack stamina for writing, many have weak spelling. Teachers do not all have the knowledge of how to support pupils to improve their writing within their phase or subject. Leaders need to ensure that teachers across all phases, and all subjects, understand how to support pupils to improve their writing.

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