The Lindfield School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

Pupils are proud to attend this school. Staff make sure every pupil feels valued within the school community. Pupils sometimes arrive at the school with low levels of confidence and self-esteem. The school's work to support and integrate these pupils into school life is very effective. Parents and carers are often astounded that, by the end of their first term, their children have not only happily settled, but also taken on a leading role in one of the school's regular theatre or musical productions. The school has high expectations for pupils. All pupils follow a broad and ambitious academic curriculum. The school carefully tracks each pupils' progress against their individual targets, and through the school's curriculum. Any pupils who are underachieving are quickly identified and the school provides effective support. Consequently, pupils achieve very well. Pupils live up to the school's clear expectations for behaviour. Pupils learn about their rights, and the rights of others. This helps pupils to understand the ways in which they can contribute positively to the school community and to the wider world. Staff effectively support pupils to develop their independence. Pupils take on a range of leadership roles and additional responsibilities within the school with great confidence and enthusiasm.

What the school should improve

• The attendance of a small number of pupils has remained too low over time. These pupils do not benefit fully from the strong quality of education that the school provides. The school should further refine their attendance analysis and attendance strategy so that underlying causes of absence are quickly and precisely identified and integrated into the school's approach to supporting attendance.

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