St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 January 2025

Pupils speak with maturity and fondness about their school, which they describe as 'small, fun and peaceful'. They take pride in looking after each other. Older pupils take on responsibility for being role models to younger ones. Everyone gets along together well. The school is a happy and harmonious place, where pupils feel valued, safe and cared for. Children settle easily into school in Reception. They learn to work and play with the older pupils in their class quickly. Occasionally, though, the youngest children experience fewer opportunities for wider learning because the physical environment is not yet fully developed to promote all aspects of the early years curriculum as well as it could be. Expectations of achievement have risen. This means that pupils increasingly attain well and are suitably prepared for the next stages of their education. Pupils generally behave well and work hard. Any incidents of poor behaviour are resolved quickly by staff. Parents and carers are very supportive of the school. They like the strong sense of community and high levels of nurture provided for their children. Parents value the additional opportunities on offer. These include clubs and activities such as creative writing, mindfulness and outdoor learning in the woods. These help pupils to grow in confidence and thrive.

What the school should improve

• There remains some inconsistency in expectations of what pupils already know and can do. When this happens, pupils do not attain as well as they could. The school should continue to support all staff in developing their pedagogy and knowledge of prior learning so that pupils systematically build the knowledge that is set out in the curriculum to a high standard.
• The school does not have consistent systems in place to monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum. This means that they cannot fully evaluate the impact of the curriculum. The school should continue to support and develop subject leadership in a way that ensures that everyone knows what is working well and what needs further development.
• Some aspects of the physical environment, for example the outside space, are not fully developed in early years. This means that children's opportunities to develop playing and active learning are not as fully supported as they could be. The school should ensure that the physical environment offers children in the early years a full range of opportunities for effective learning.

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