Overstone Combined School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 July 2025

Pupils are happy and safe in this caring school. Staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour, which are met consistently across the school. Pupils are well supported through high-quality pastoral care. The school helps pupils to understand how to maintain positive physical and mental health so that their well-being is prioritised. Pupils enjoy the many experiences that the school provides to support their personal development. Through the 'enterprise day', pupils learn how to manage a budget while also improving their teamwork and leadership skills. Pupils learn to keep themselves safe though trips to specialist centres. Children make a strong start in the early years, where positive habits in turn-taking, sharing and listening are well established. As pupils move through the school, they continue to develop as confident communicators. Pupils enjoy exploring themes in the books they read and can justify their opinions in discussions. Pupils read accurately and fluently, which prepares them well for the next stages of their learning. However, in other subject areas, pupils have less secure foundations in their knowledge. Therefore, in some areas of their learning, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not achieve as well as they could.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes, teaching choices do not focus on the most important knowledge pupils need to learn. This means that pupils do not build their knowledge and understanding over time. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise to deliver the intended curriculum effectively, so that pupils learn securely and achieve more successfully.
• The school does not have a sufficiently clear oversight of how effectively the curriculum meets the needs of disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND. Sometimes, provision is not as well matched to pupils' needs as it should be. As a result, disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as highly as they could. Leaders at all levels should ensure that there is a clear approach to meeting the particular needs of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders should ensure that the impact of this work is understood so that necessary improvements can be acted on in a timely manner.
• The school's attendance strategy is not helping some pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, attend school as regularly as they should. As a result, valuable learning time is missed. Leaders should ensure that they take swift and robust action to improve pupils' attendance where this is insufficiently high.

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