Weald Community Primary School

Inspection of Weald Community Primary School Long Barn Road, Weald, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 6PY

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 23 and 24 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very proud members of this welcoming and inclusive school that is at the heart of its community. Reflecting the views of many, one pupil said, ‘We are like one big family.’ There are warm and nurturing relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils feel safe. They play happily at social times and enjoy the opportunity to play with others across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ academic achievement. Pupils typically rise to these expectations and learn the curriculum well. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. In the classroom and around the school, they are polite and respectful. Pupils are responsive to instructions. They know what is expected of them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto, ‘independence is happiness’, underpins all aspects of school life. The school’s focus on ‘character qualities’ guides pupils for their time at Weald and in preparation to be global citizens of the future. Through these, pupils develop an understanding of values such as self-control, social intelligence, integrity, curiosity and optimism. As a result, they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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

Leaders, governors and staff are fully committed to the ‘Weald community’. The governing body has a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Staff benefit from collaborative work with other local schools, which includes sharing expertise and staff professional development. The school is reflective and strives to build on and improve what is already in place.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious. The school has taken a systematic approach to reviewing the curriculum and implementing changes. This curriculum review has helped ensure that each subject has identified what pupils need to learn and when, starting from the early years. Through this, most subjects have mapped out the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to know. However, in a few subjects this is not precise enough. As a result, in these subjects, pupils’ learning is not focused sharply on the core knowledge that they need to acquire to support their future learning. This means pupils remember the activities they have completed rather than the knowledge and skills they need.

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

The school rightly invests in the professional development of staff. Aligned with the curriculum review, there has been a methodical approach to ensure staff have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the curriculum effectively. However, in some subjects there is more work to do to ensure staff subject knowledge enables them to implement the curriculum in line with the school’s expectations. In the subjects where this is not as secure, the approaches used and activities provided do not have the maximum impact on what pupils know and remember.

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

Reading is a priority. As soon as they start school, children begin learning to read. Phonics sessions provide children and pupils with lots of opportunities to practise and apply their phonics knowledge. The books pupils read are matched closely to the sounds they know. 23 and 24 April 2025

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This helps them to become confident and fluent readers. The school ensures that any pupils who need additional support are identified quickly. Additional phonics and reading sessions help them to catch up. The school promotes a love for reading through initiatives such as the ‘class scrapbook’, story time sessions and dedicated reading for pleasure time. Pupils value these opportunities and enjoy talking about the different books and stories they read.

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The school’s inclusive ethos ensures pupils are fully involved in school life. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly and appropriate support is put in place. Pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers. Leaders work with external agencies to get the right support for pupils where needed.

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Pupils’ attendance is an ongoing focus for the school and absence is reducing. There are clear procedures in place to monitor pupils’ absences. The school works with families diligently to support pupils to attend regularly.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. The ‘character education’ is the bedrock of this and is interwoven through all that the school does. Pupils develop their ‘character qualities’ through an extensive range of well-considered opportunities. These include roles of responsibility, such as sports captains, ‘eco-ambassadors’, librarians or older pupils acting as a ‘buddy’ for younger children. Extra-curricular clubs, trips and competitive fixtures in sports, such as lacrosse, football and hockey, enable pupils to develop their talents and interests. Residential trips, outdoor learning and musical performances further enhance pupils’ character development. Through assemblies and the personal, social and health education curriculum, pupils explore beliefs that are different to their own. They are taught how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They learn how to identify and manage their emotions. Pupils demonstrate a deep

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understanding of equality and respect for all. This is reflected in their excellent behaviour and conduct in lessons and around the school.

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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 core knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and remember is not identified precisely enough. This means that sometimes pupils’ learning is not sharply focused on what they need to know. The school should continue to strengthen the curriculum across all subjects so that the most important learning is clearly identified and taught to pupils.  On occasion, the school’s vision for the curriculum is not fully realised in practice. This means that, sometimes, staff’s subject knowledge and approaches they use do not have the maximum impact on what pupils know and remember. The school should 23 and 24 April 2025

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continue to strengthen staff expertise so that pupils are able to develop deep knowledge across all curriculum areas.

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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). 23 and 24 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Wendy Wallace-Holman

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 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.

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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. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in this evaluation of the school. 23 and 24 April 2025

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 The lead inspector spoke with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, 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, 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.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also took

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account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documentation relating to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Julie Wright, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jody Murphy Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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