Whitley Village School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 September 2024

Pupils love attending their small, friendly village school. They learn and have fun every day. Pupils feel a strong sense of belonging. They feel that they are part of a caring family where adults know them well and always have their best interests at heart. Older pupils look after younger pupils. Pupils thrive within this nurturing atmosphere, from when they start school in the early years foundation stage. The school's vision is to 'produce adults who change the world'. Pupils rise to this expectation by doing their best in all aspects of school life. They work hard in their lessons and achieve well as a result. Pupils participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, such as fencing and Scottish dancing. Pupils are encouraged to take part in competitive sports and other creative events, whether they be skilled or less confident. The school fosters pupils' aspirations for their futures by inviting visitors to talk about their career pathways. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They always embody the school rules and show high levels of respect towards each other and to adults in school. They take responsibility for their own behaviour, including during unstructured times such as playtime. The atmosphere in school is calm and positive.

What the school should improve

• In a minority of subjects, some staff do not select activities that support pupils to learn the intended curriculum sufficiently well. On occasion, this hinders how well pupils build on what they already know to make sense of new learning. The school should ensure that staff are equipped to design activities which support pupils to acquire new learning and deepen existing knowledge so that pupils know and remember more across the curriculum.

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