The Horsell Village School

Inspection of The Horsell Village School Church Hill, Horsell, Woking, Surrey GU21 4QQ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected The Horsell Village School as an academy school under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection of the predecessor school. 8 and 9 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils love to come and learn. From the early years upwards, pupils are fully engaged in their learning. Adults know pupils as individuals. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils feel safe because they know there is an adult they can go to if they have a worry.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of behaviour. All pupils learn to follow the school motto, ‘Kindness to yourself, kindness to others, kindness to the world’, from the moment they start in Reception. In class, pupils behave well, listen and concentrate. There is no interruption to learning. Pupils enjoy playtimes with their friends. They love the new playground equipment. Pupils know that if there are incidents of bullying, an adult will deal with them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All leaders are ambitious for every pupil in the school. They have put systems in place to support pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils’ attitudes to learning are strong. They know that their teachers expect them to try their best, and they do not disappoint them. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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better?

Leaders have high expectations. They have designed a curriculum that engages and excites pupils. Leaders ensure that learning in every subject starts in the early years and progresses across key stage 1. Subject leaders set out clearly the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn and remember. Teachers, therefore, know what has been taught before. They are well trained and have secure subject knowledge. Teachers present learning clearly, making sure that pupils develop a growing vocabulary in each subject. They check pupils’ understanding from lesson to lesson carefully. Mostly, they build on pupils’ previous learning well. For example, in mathematics, children in Reception practise their understanding of counting in twos in an outdoor activity pairing different socks together.

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better?

In some subjects, for example phonics and mathematics, leaders have put checks in place to make sure that pupils are retaining important knowledge over time. However, there is not a consistent approach to reviewing what pupils have learned before. This means, in some subjects, pupils are not building knowledge over time as well as they might.

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better?

Reading is a top priority. Leaders know how important it is to develop in pupils a love for reading. The youngest children are read to at every opportunity. Teachers ensure that all pupils listen to a variety of texts by reading a story every day. Pupils enjoy the outdoor reading shack and the authors who visit during Book Week. Children in the Reception classes start to learn phonics as soon as they are in school. All staff have been trained, and are experts in early reading. Phonics teaching is strong. Leaders ensure that pupils who struggle with early reading are given the support to enable them to keep up. However, the books pupils are reading 8 and 9 February 2023

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do not match the sounds they know. For some pupils, this is slowing their ability to become fluent and confident readers.

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The inclusion leader knows pupils with SEND well. There are clear procedures in place to identify pupils with additional needs. Leaders ensure that teachers know the barriers to pupils’ learning through effective training. Teachers ensure that learning is broken into manageable steps. When necessary, high-quality support is given. Consequently, pupils with SEND learn well and cover the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils’ wider development and well-being are given prominence. The school’s very strong commitment to outdoor learning, and their forest school programme, is a central component in promoting well-being. The school’s motto is an interwoven thread that runs through all aspects of school life. Pupils are taught to respect themselves, others and the world in which they live. Leaders are committed to enabling all pupils to learn to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Through their science and personal, social and health education topics, pupils learn about their bodies and relationships. For instance, in the early years, the children learn the importance of cleaning their teeth.

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Members of the school council proudly talk about the ways in which they help the school. Recently, they have been involved with the new playground and the play equipment. Year 2 pupils take their role of playtime leaders very seriously.

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The well-being and professional development of staff are priorities for leaders. Staff are very appreciative. They feel well supported and valued. The trust and governors know what the school does well and know what needs further improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. All adults know it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that children are safe. They know ‘it could happen here’. Leaders have an ongoing programme of training which enables staff to be vigilant and report any concerns, however small they may be. The safeguarding team is determined that every support is given to ensure the safest outcomes for every pupil. Leaders are quick to action and seek external support to ensure that children and their families receive the help and advice they need. Pupils learn how to keep safe online. 8 and 9 February 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders use a wide range of books to develop pupils’ early reading skills. As a result, for some pupils, they are not able to easily decode the words they read. Leaders should make sure that pupils read books that closely match the letters and sounds they have learned.  In some subjects, teachers are not reviewing and making links between what pupils are doing now and what they have learned in the past. Consequently, pupils are not building their knowledge as well as they could over time. Leaders need to ensure that teachers systematically ascertain what key knowledge pupils know and remember.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 8 and 9 February 2023

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School details

Website www.horsell-village.surrey.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The Horsell Village School converted to become an academy in 2013, joining The Swan Trust. When the predecessor school, Horsell Village School, was last inspected by Ofsted in 2008, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors spoke to senior leaders, the inclusion leader and the chief executive officer of The Swan Trust. The lead inspector met members of the local governing committee and spoke remotely with the chair of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design, science and religious education. For each deep dive, 8 and 9 February 2023

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inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of work and spoke to pupils about their learning.  Inspectors considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe. The lead inspector met with the safeguarding team to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding. Inspectors talked to staff about their safeguarding training and spoke to pupils about the support they have in understanding how to keep safe.  The views of parents, staff and pupils were considered through Ofsted’s online surveys and through speaking to parents.

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Inspection team

Becky Greenhalgh, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Debra Mansfield Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 February 2023

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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