Camelsdale Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Camelsdale Primary School School Road, Camelsdale, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 3RN

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Outcome

Camelsdale Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The staff have embedded a warm sense of community in this caring and inclusive school. All are welcome. The ‘Camelsdale Way’ is at the heart of daily life in school from Reception upwards. One pupil said, ‘Our school is how we want it to be: The Camelsdale Way, a happy school where all children are kind and friendly.’ Older pupils look after younger ones. For example, pupils in Year 5 are ‘Panda Pals’ to children in Reception. They play with the children at lunchtime and write them letters in the summer holiday before they start to welcome them to their new school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are eager and enthusiastic to learn. Pupils are proud to be part of the school and reflect the high expectations that the school has for them. Pupils are polite and respectful towards adults and each other. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere throughout the school. Pupils know that they can talk to any adult if they have a worry or concern. This helps them to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school encourages pupils to develop a sense of responsibility. Staff provide all pupils with the opportunity to undertake roles in school to help each other. For example, pupils in Year 2 take turns to raise the school flag each morning, while pupils in Year 4 are responsible for recycling in the school. Pupils on the school council receive training about how to be an effective school councillor and enjoy an annual trip to Chichester Council Chambers. Pupils value and appreciate these leadership opportunities.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school’s curriculum is carefully designed to be ambitious for what all pupils can achieve. Pupils enjoy learning a wide range of subjects and build their knowledge across the curriculum. From Reception onwards, the school has carefully considered the order in which pupils must learn the important knowledge, skills and vocabulary. Knowledge is broken down into steps which helps teachers explain curriculum content clearly. Teachers 24 and 25 April 2024

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make careful links between subjects, which enables pupils to apply their knowledge across the curriculum. This helps deepen and embed pupils’ understanding.

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Teachers deliver new learning well to pupils and explain concepts clearly. This is because the school has ensured that staff know how to teach all subjects well. In most subjects, teachers check pupils’ learning. They use this information to adjust teaching to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. However, this process is not yet fully embedded. In a small number of subjects, teachers do not always check what pupils know or remember with enough precision. Sometimes, teachers do not notice pupils’ errors or correct their misconceptions. This makes it more difficult for some pupils to build on what they already know.

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The school places reading at the centre of the curriculum. Children in Reception learn about the sounds that letters make as soon as they start school. Teachers make regular checks to ensure that all pupils are keeping up. If pupils are at risk of falling behind, high- quality support helps them catch up quickly. The youngest pupils read books that include the sounds that they have been taught. Regular practice of these sounds helps most pupils become fluent and confident readers by the end of Year 1. Older pupils read a wide range of diverse texts that enrich the curriculum in many subjects. Pupils make good use of the well-stocked library. They enjoy reading for pleasure.

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The school has high expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They identify the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. The special educational needs coordinator provides regular guidance and training for staff. This helps teachers make careful adaptations to lessons so that pupils with SEND can access the full curriculum. As a result, pupils with SEND learn alongside their classmates and achieve well overall.

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Pupils’ attitudes to school are positive. The school knows how important it is that pupils attend school regularly. Pupils’ absence is addressed in a timely manner. The school is not hesitant to involve social care if a pupil’s absence from school presents a safeguarding risk. The school keeps detailed records of pupils’ absences. They have made recent changes to their systems of recording the chronology of the school’s interventions, challenge and support for pupils who are persistently absent. This work is having a positive impact.

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The school’s approach to pupils’ personal development is very well planned. Pupils are taught about a range of faiths, cultures and beliefs. Pupils understand and respect differences. They are taught about British values, culture and heritage. As members of the Royal Society of St George, the school takes part in annual town events. The head and deputy boy and girl attend the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph, followed by a tour of Westminster Abbey. Pupils enter through the King’s entrance and observe the area where the King was crowned.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 24 and 25 April 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

n In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment effectively to check if pupils understand and are keeping up. They do not always correct pupils’ misconceptions. This means that pupils develop gaps in their knowledge which are not addressed quickly enough. Leaders should ensure that assessment is further refined so that teachers make appropriate checks on what pupils need to know and remember. This will enable teachers to identify and provide support for pupils who are at risk of falling behind.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2018.

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How can I feed back my views?

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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, 24 and 25 April 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 24 and 25 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 December 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and extended leadership team, including leaders responsible for SEND, pastoral development and safeguarding.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. The inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils reading, visited phonics and reading lessons and spoke to pupils about their reading opportunities in school.  A wide variety of school documents, including the school improvement plan, were reviewed by the inspector. 24 and 25 April 2024

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 The inspector held discussions with governors and met with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of parents’ responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and parents’ free-text responses. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector considered the school’s relevant policies, scrutinised the single central record and checked the school’s procedures for the safer recruitment of staff. The inspector spoke with safeguarding leaders, pupils and staff and sampled safeguarding records.

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Inspection team

Luisa Gould, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 April 2024

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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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