St Mary's Farnham Royal CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Mary's Farnham Royal CofE Primary School Church Road, Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire SL2 3AW

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 September 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 24 and 25 September 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know the school’s values of ‘faith, family, future and flourish’ deeply. Pupils talk confidently about how the school helps them to be kind as a starting point for their relationships and learning. Staff and pupils model calm, warm interactions that reflect the school’s values wonderfully. From the beginning of the early years, children settle into school routines quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and feel safe. They trust the adults that look after them. Pupils learn about safety, including keeping themselves safe when online. They understand some of the opportunities and potential dangers of the internet and digital media. Behaviour in lessons and on the playground is positive and respectful. Pupils take on roles and responsibilities such as house captains and sports leaders. These help older pupils to thrive and contribute to school life in meaningful ways.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve very well. Staff have high expectations for the achievement of all pupils. They make skilful adaptations to the curriculum to help pupils with SEND, in particular, to build knowledge and skills successfully. By the end of key stage 2, most pupils are secure in their reading, writing and mathematics learning and are ready for their next stage of education.

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

The school is ambitious for all pupils. The curriculum builds learning through thoughtful sequences of lessons. The school has worked closely with staff to develop their subject knowledge and train them to implement the curriculum effectively. In some subjects, staff training has had a clearly positive impact on pupils’ learning. However, this is not as fully consistent as it could be across all subjects. A small proportion of pupils, therefore, do not achieve as well as they could. Typically, staff check pupils’ learning and adjust their teaching in response. In physical education (PE), for example, lessons have a notable impact on pupils’ learning over time and in mathematics pupils develop their knowledge and skills securely. However, at times teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning within some subjects do not support pupils’ learning as positively.

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

Staff are determined for all pupils to learn to read securely. The school’s approach to phonics and early reading helps pupils to learn effectively. Staff support for pupils with SEND is strong. The school identifies pupils’ needs quickly. Staff make a notable impact on those who are at the earliest stages of learning to read. If any pupils fall behind, they quickly catch up with their peers. The school ensures that most books that pupils read are matched closely to the sounds that pupils know. Pupils develop a love of books. They appreciate the school library enthusiastically.

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

In the early years, children develop their communication and language very well. Children are taught to listen attentively, share, and take turns. For example, children in Nursery enjoy learning walks and using their ‘listening ears’ to describe the sounds that they hear to each other. Children love the songs, rhymes and traditional stories that fill Nursery and Reception classes. These inspire children to learn eagerly. Learning environments are 24 and 25 September 2024

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organised thoughtfully and help to build children’s confidence and resilience. The school uses resources such as a mud kitchen and sensory garden effectively. The high-quality provision in the early years prepares children well for their next stage of education and beyond.

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Pupils develop resilience and confidence through the strong personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum. Assemblies and whole-school events help pupils to increase their spiritual and cultural understanding well. Pupils enjoy residential trips and school visits, such as to farms, Whipsnade Zoo and Wimbledon Tennis Championship. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Sport plays a key role at the school. Pupils appreciate the range of extra-curricular activities, such as tag rugby, football, music and arts events. Wider opportunities are still being developed by the school to enhance their provision even further.

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A small number of pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should, particularly disadvantaged pupils. This impacts on their access to the full range of opportunities at school and creates additional barriers to them achieving well. The school analyses attendance information appropriately and acts quickly to intervene, using a range of approaches. Attendance has shown some signs of recent improvement.

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Parents and carers are incredibly supportive. They value the hard work and commitment of the whole school. Governors know and understand the school’s strengths and areas for development. They support staff with workload and well-being. Overall, the school is highly inclusive and welcoming. Staff, pupils and parents are happy. One pupil summarised the thoughts of many, saying, ‘Everyone works together, the school feels like a family’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, staff do not have the subject knowledge that they need to deliver the curriculum fully and effectively. This means that a small proportion of pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should provide training so that staff have the expertise to teach every subject equally effectively.  At times, staff do not check what pupils know and can do effectively. This means that some pupils, in some subjects, do not learn as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that staff address pupils’ errors and misconception precisely so that pupils consistently build their learning securely over time.  Some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. Despite some improvements, rates of absence are high for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Consequently, some of these pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school 24 and 25 September 2024

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should continue to work closely with families and ensure that pupils at risk of missing school receive the support they need to attend school regularly.

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

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Paul John Randall

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up their position in April 2023.  The school has a religious character and is a Church of England school. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 on 21 March 2017. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  The school provides nursery provision on-site.  The school uses one registered 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 24 and 25 September 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, wider staff and members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. Inspectors also met with a representative of the local authority, a representative of the Diocese of Oxford, and other leaders within the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, science and PE. For each deep dive, where possible, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through the Ofsted online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff through the online pupil and staff surveys, as well as through interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self- evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings, local authority visit reports and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Carl McCarthy, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Alexandra Aldridge-Gibbons His Majesty's Inspector 24 and 25 September 2024

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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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