Witley CofE Controlled Infant School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Witley CofE Controlled Infant School Church Lane, Witley, Godalming, Surrey GU8 5PN

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Outcome

Witley CofE Controlled Infant School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to Witley. They beam with happiness. Pupils strive to ‘learn, love and flourish together’. Pupils become confident and well-rounded future citizens of their own community and the world beyond. The school has high expectations for what pupils will learn. Pupils work hard in class and do their best. As a result, the vast majority of pupils leave the school ready for key stage 2.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides high levels of care. Children in the Reception Year quickly settle into school life. Children are taught how to behave well and to consider the feelings of others. Pupils are polite and show respect for one another. As a result, pupils across the school play very well together. They feel safe and secure. Pupils are confident about the trusted people they can go to if they are worried about something. They know adults will help them if they need it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from many exciting activities, including special visitors and events, that enrich their experience of school. For example, craft and music clubs enable them to develop their creative talents. Pupils understand the roles they can take on in the community. They strive to make a positive difference, such as to the environment, and ensure that everyone feels welcome in their school.

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

Leaders, staff and governors all share the common goal that pupils will succeed at Witley. The school has prioritised early English and mathematics so that pupils get off to a strong start with their learning. A consistently well-delivered, high-quality phonics programme 20 March 2025

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means that pupils learn to read quickly. Pupils practise reading books that are well matched to their phonics knowledge. This helps them to develop secure early reading skills, typically meeting the standard of the phonics screening check by the end of Year 1. Alongside this, pupils develop competent handwriting and spelling. Teachers intervene astutely with pupils who may struggle. This ensures that they keep up with their peers.

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Since the last inspection, the school has refined and developed its wider curriculum. The school has identified the important knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils should learn in each subject. However, in some subjects, pupils do not learn and remember this curriculum as well as they should. This is because the intended knowledge is not broken down into manageable steps. As a result, pupils sometimes struggle to build secure knowledge over time.

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Pupils engage well in their lessons. Teachers have the right subject knowledge. They usually present new learning in a way pupils can easily understand. Typically, teachers design tasks and activities so that pupils can practise their new learning. However, on some occasions, teachers do not ensure that learning activities are closely matched to what pupils need to learn next. This means the curriculum is too challenging for some, while too easy for others. This means not all pupils achieve as well as they could.

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The school has developed its processes to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It has supported staff to improve their knowledge and skills about pupils’ additional needs. Staff know the best ways to support pupils with SEND in the classroom. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils’ behaviour is a strength of the school. They are kind, thoughtful and look out for each other. The very small number of pupils who sometimes struggle to manage their emotions receive effective pastoral support. This support helps pupils to learn how to express their feelings more positively. The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time. Where this is not the case, the school successfully supports pupils back towards positive attendance habits.

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The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and well-being is very effective. Pupils learn how to look after their own mental and physical health. For example, pupils are taught to eat healthily. They know how to use the ‘worry monster’ if they have a concern about anything. Pupils learn about important aspects of life in modern Britain. This includes, for example, learning about ways that people can be different and the importance of respecting these differences. Pupils contribute actively to school life by becoming librarians, table monitors and school councillors. They learn how to stay safe online and in the local area.

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Leaders and governors have kept a close eye on the impact of their work to continue to improve the school. Governors are committed to providing the school with support and challenge at the right times. Staff appreciate the consideration that leaders show for their workload and well-being. They told inspectors how they feel that ‘everyone is pulling in the same direction’. 20 March 2025

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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, the school has not clarified the building blocks of knowledge that pupils need for subsequent learning. At times, this hinders teachers in designing effective learning activities. Some pupils do not experience the depth of learning that they should. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about the knowledge that pupils should learn and have the necessary expertise to deliver these curriculums effectively.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2015.

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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. 20 March 2025

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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). 20 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Anglican Diocese of Guildford. Its last Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) took place in January 2020. The school’s next SIAMS inspection is due to take place by 2028.  Several new staff have taken up post since the last inspection. This includes the headteacher, who started in April 2021.  The school currently uses two unregistered alternative provisions.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 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 visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 20 March 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders in the school. The lead inspector also met with members of the governing board, including the co-chairs, and educational representatives of the local authority and the diocese.  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 reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation document, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View, including any free-text comments. An inspector also spoke with some parents at the start and end of the school day.  The inspectors considered the views of staff through interviews and discussions

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conducted throughout the inspection, as well as the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors gathered pupils’ views throughout the inspection, including through classroom visits, group discussions and informal conversations at social times.

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Inspection team

Chris Parker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachel Goplen Ofsted Inspector 20 March 2025

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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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