Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 March 2026

Pupils happily attend this school. It is warm and welcoming. Every pupil is known and valued. Children who join school later than their peers settle in quickly and make good friends. Children in the early years get off to a flying start. They are supported to learn by highly-skilled staff. Children in the Nursery Year are supported to work alongside Reception-age children, who help and encourage them in their learning. Pupils across the school are enthusiastic about learning. They show resilience when faced with more challenging tasks. Pupils are reflective and have a good knowledge of local, national and global issues. Pupil ambassadors from across the school choose which charities the school should support. They promote these to other pupils at school and to members of the wider community. Recent charitable work has allowed pupils to understand the importance of fair trade and its impact on farmers globally. Pupils are knowledgeable about important British values and model these consistently. They are respectful of adults and each other. They are provided with opportunities to explore other faiths and cultures. They embrace these with enthusiasm. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for life in modern Britain. Pupils behave well. Pupils love the social times and enjoy a range of activities. They engage well with each other, for example when working together to make a sophisticated bug hotel. Pupils say there is no bullying, but are confident that if there was, staff would deal with it. Barriers faced by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are quickly identified. Swift action is taken to address needs. There is occasional variability in the effectiveness of support offered to enable pupils to make academic progress during lessons.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that gaps in pupils’ foundational knowledge and skills, particularly handwriting and the use of capital letters, are identified and closed.
• Leaders should strengthen how assessment is used during lessons and over time so that misconceptions can be accurately identified and gaps closed.
• Leaders should further embed the effective use of adaptations in lessons to consistently and effectively meet the needs of all learners.
• Leaders should strengthen their oversight of the curriculum to ensure it is implemented consistently across the year groups and meets the needs of all the pupils in the school.

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