St Thomas' Leesfield CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 February 2023

Pupils in this welcoming school feel well cared for and happy. They said that their teachers are kind and help them to do their best. Pupils' positive relationships with their teachers help them to feel safe. If bullying happens, leaders deal with it swiftly and effectively. Leaders have set high standards for how pupils, and children in the early years, should behave. Leaders call these their 'always expectations'. Every pupil has an 'always badge' that they wear when they are meeting these high standards. Pupils wear these badges with pride. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. This helps them to meet leaders' high academic expectations. Pupils enjoy celebrating their achievements through the weekly assemblies, which their parents and carers are invited to. Leaders and staff motivate pupils to keep trying their best. Pupils are prepared well for the next stage of their education. Leaders have thought carefully about how to help pupils develop the skills that they need to be successful outside of school. For example, leaders have created the Leesfield life skills programme which challenges pupils to master a range of age-appropriate skills each year. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about rising to these challenges.

What the school should improve

• In a few foundation subjects, some teachers do not carefully check how well pupils have learned the knowledge in the curriculum. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their learning without teachers knowing. Leaders should ensure that teachers are well equipped to check that pupils' prior knowledge is secure before moving on to new learning.

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