Mayfield Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 March 2025

The core values of perseverance, compassion, respect and responsibility underpin the ethos of this welcoming and inclusive school. Pupils take care of one another. They talk confidently with visitors to explain what makes their school special. Parents echo these sentiments, with one describing it as a 'beacon' in the local community. Pupils are keen to live up to the high expectations that staff have for what they can achieve. They engage in lessons readily and are excited to get going on their learning. As a result, most pupils achieve well. Pupils behave especially well. They are polite and courteous and treat one another and staff with respect. Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities such as being play leaders, members of the school council and library monitors. They know that they play a key role in making their school a place where all can thrive. Members of the school council are proud to hold this status, not least because of the distinct contributions they make to making their school better. For example, the council established a 'calm zone' on the playground where pupils can engage in peaceful activities, such as drawing, and board games. 'Worry monsters' now appear in each classroom to support pupils to voice any concerns they may have.

What the school should improve

• The checks made on pupils' understanding in some lessons are not consistently as precise as they could be. This means that staff sometimes do not pick up on subject specific misconceptions quickly enough or lesson activities are not adapted in some subjects to have the intended impact on what pupils know and understand. The school needs to develop its assessment practices, so that staff can identify what pupils know and where they need to adapt their input accordingly, to support pupils in doing well.
• While leaders are identifying and taking appropriate steps to continue to improve their school, the oversight of the impact of some of this work is not as sharp as it could be. As a result, leaders do not have a consistently clear picture of how effectively some of their more recent initiatives are impacting on their school. The school should ensure that careful, timely checks are made, so they can be assured that their actions are having the impact they intend.

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