Little Missenden Church of England School

Inspection of Little Missenden Church of England School Little Missenden, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP7 0RA

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at this caring village school. Pupils understand and model the school’s values of friendship, thankfulness, honesty, forgiveness, compassion and trust exceptionally well. Pupils are kind and polite. They value their leadership roles, such as school councillors, eco monitors, playground leaders and school librarians. Pupils contribute positively to the life of the school. They feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is impeccable. Pupils thrive due to the care and warm relationships modelled by the staff team and supported by the whole school community. Staff apply the behaviour policy fairly and consistently. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive timely, considerate and effective support. If any pupil finds managing their behaviour more challenging, they are supported thoughtfully and given the strategies they need to succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for what pupils can achieve. In most subjects, pupils reach these expectations. Staff are dedicated to all children and their families. Pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education. Pupils develop a deep sense of belonging, beginning with the school sharing seeds and postcards to every family when they join the school. Pupils love their school. They are known and valued as individuals and support each other exceptionally well.

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

From the start of school, pupils grow in their confidence and resilience. School clubs are used well, including activities such as French, yoga, gymnastics, football and multi-sports. Music is a strong feature of the school’s wider development provision. Pupils develop a strong sense of belonging and pride in their achievements, for example when composing songs and then performing them at the local music festival and in the local church.

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

Pupils learn about fundamental British values such as justice and rule of law well. Pupils play a proactive role in supporting the community, such as advocating hedgehog welfare and appealing for less use of plastics by writing to the school's milk provider to replace plastic cartons with cups and bottles. Pupils’ spiritual and moral development is promoted effectively through strong links to nature when learning outside. The school is calm and helps pupils develop resilience and positive wellbeing.

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

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. In most subjects, lessons help pupils to build their knowledge and understanding successfully. For example, in mathematics pupils learn about numbers and place value confidently. Pupils perform calculations increasingly well as they progress through the curriculum. In history, pupils talk about their learning enthusiastically, such as describing toys and how they have changed over time.

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

In core subjects such as mathematics and English, staff have increasingly strong subject knowledge. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and ensures that lessons and resources are adapted to match their needs closely. Staff check pupils’ knowledge and understanding well to adjust the curriculum and adapt learning for 1 and 2 April 2025

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different pupils. However, some activities to help pupils strengthen their learning in the wider curriculum are not as effective as the school intends. In some wider curriculum subjects, a small number of pupils do not build on their prior knowledge securely, and do not learn as well as they could.

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Early reading is a primary focus of the school’s work. Staff help pupils build their phonics knowledge well and implement the phonics programme systematically. If any pupils fall behind in reading, they receive help and catch up with their peers quickly.

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Children make a positive start in the early years. Staff model positive relationships, celebrating achievements and supporting individual children appropriately. Children focus and engage in their learning purposefully. They respond well to thoughtful activities across all areas of learning. For example, creating and decorating hedgehog houses and outline drawings of lambs linked to the school’s ‘Easter’ topic.

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The school has a clear, inclusive vision. Governors and the whole school community work in partnership effectively. Governors understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff are united in their commitment to help every pupil to be thoroughly prepared for their next stage of education. Staff appreciate how they are supported to help manage their workload successfully.

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Parents and carers are incredibly supportive. They appreciate the commitment of the whole staff team. One parent summarised the thoughts of others, saying, ‘The school has the most wonderful, calm, nurturing atmosphere where each child is deeply cared for as an individual and where parents feel they are a valued part of the school community.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some activity choices within some subjects do not give pupils the opportunities they need to strengthen and connect their knowledge and understanding. Pupils do not revisit and consolidate the key knowledge and vocabulary that is set out in the wider curriculum consistently. As a result, pupils’ learning is not as strong as it could be. The school should ensure staff plan activities that help pupils secure their knowledge and understanding across subjects consistently. 1 and 2 April 2025

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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). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a religious character. It is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Oxford. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 on 24 April 2024.  The school has nursery provision on-site, which caters for up to 9 pupils and includes provision for children aged 2 to 4 years old.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school clubs.  The school does not use any 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. 1 and 2 April 2025

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 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. The 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, the chair of governors, representatives of the local authority, a representative of the Diocese of Oxford and other school staff.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and history. For each deep dive, 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.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interest first.  The inspectors spoke with several groups of pupils and observed their behaviour at break and lunchtime.  The inspectors met with groups of staff and considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  The inspectors took account of the views expressed from parents through Ofsted’s online parent survey, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Carl McCarthy, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Robb-Webb Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 April 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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