St Martin's Church of England Infant School

Inspection of St Martins Church of England Infant School Worple Road, Epsom, Surrey KT18 7AA

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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 Outstanding

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The co-headteachers of this school are Maggie Down and Kate Marchesi. This school is part of Enlighten Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Mike Boddington, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Coulson.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected St Martins Church of England Infant School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged St Martin’s CofE Aided Infant School, Epsom to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as St Martins Church of England Infant School as a result of conversion to academy status. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 23 and 24 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this warm and welcoming school. Leaders and staff work together to provide a nurturing environment. As a result, pupils keenly attend each day. Staff care deeply about the pupils and relationships are built on mutual respect. Staff take time to get to know their pupils well and provide support that is responsive to individual needs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations for pupils’ achievement and behaviour are high. Pupils try hard to meet these throughout the day. The well-established routines for children in the early years help them to sustain focus on their learning. Pupils are polite and behave well. They are keen to succeed and, for the most part, they achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play enthusiastically at lunchtimes. They benefit from a range of activities staff organise, including skipping ropes, stilt-walking and football. They play well and share equipment, demonstrating the school’s values of ‘friendship, love, responsibility, courage, honesty and respect’. Children in the early years learn and play in a well-planned and interesting environment. Exciting clubs and trips support pupils in developing their creativity and wider interests.

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

The school is clear in its ambition for all pupils to access the full curriculum offer. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities who attend the ‘Meerkats’ provision. The school has carefully planned content from the early years onwards. It has set out the important knowledge it wants pupils to know in each year, building on what they have learned before.

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

Teachers thoughtfully adapt work to meet pupils’ needs. In many lessons, learning activities are well planned to help pupils remember important knowledge. However, this is not always consistent across the school to ensure that pupils carefully learn the intended curriculum. This means that some pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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

The school prioritises reading as soon as children start in Reception. Expert staff deliver the phonics programme enthusiastically and with consistency. Pupils sound out letters using their phonics skills. This helps them to know their letter sounds very well. The school regularly checks how well pupils can read. Those who need extra help are given individual support that ensures they keep up with their peers. Regular library visits and opportunities to read at school help pupils read fluently and with growing confidence. Pupils enjoy the way teachers read to them with excitement and expression.

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

In the early years, teachers help children to develop the fine motor skills they need for writing. Knowledgeable staff are determined to make sure pupils write letters and numbers accurately. This supports pupils with their writing as they move through the school. Pupils have lots of opportunities to practise their writing across the curriculum. Regular feedback helps them to improve their spelling, punctuation and grammar. This helps pupils to become better writers over time. 23 and 24 April 2025

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The school has set clear expectations for pupils’ behaviour. In the early years, consistently applied routines mean children behave well. Children are eager to participate and keen to learn in teacher-led activities. Older pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. When they have engaging work, classrooms are calm and purposeful. However, on occasion, the school’s expectations for behaviour are not always applied. Leaders are taking action to remedy this to ensure pupils consistently get the guidance and support they need to learn and behave well.

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The school, governing body and trust work closely to ensure an inclusive environment for all. The school regularly reviews how it can improve the workload for staff. Well-being initiatives make staff feel valued. They are very proud to work at the school. The governing body and trust understand their roles and work closely to ensure they know the school well. This allows them to hold leaders to account effectively.

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Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the school. From the start of Reception, children learn that everyone is different and special in their own way. Pupils regularly read books that celebrate different cultures, traditions and faiths. This helps them to develop respect for others. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy. Opportunities to be ‘prayer leaders’ and ‘pupil leaders’ help pupils to become responsible citizens who contribute positively to their school community. If pupils feel worried, the school’s strong pastoral support ensures they are well looked after.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, teachers do not explain new knowledge or design learning activities as precisely as they could. This means that some pupils do not learn the key knowledge the school wants them to as well as they could. The school needs to ensure staff have the skills and expertise needed to consistently teach the school’s ambitious curriculum.

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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. 23 and 24 April 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). 23 and 24 April 2025

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School details

Headteacher Maggie Down and Kate Marchesi (Co- Headteachers) Website www.stmartinsepsom.school

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 June 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school is a voluntary-aided school in the Diocese of Guildford. The most recent section 48 inspection, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place in March 2022.  The school converted to become an academy in 2022.  The school is part of Enlighten Learning Trust.  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. 23 and 24 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with one of the co-headteachers, the acting deputy headteacher and other members of the school’s leadership team. The lead inspector also met with the chief executive officer and director of school improvement from Enlighten Learning Trust.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the board of trustees and local governing body, including the chairs.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some

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pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work in some other subjects.  Inspectors examined a range of school documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation, improvement plans and records of governance.  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.  Inspectors considered the responses to the parent online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the staff and pupil online surveys. Inspectors also met with pupils, staff and parents to hear about their experiences of the school.

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Inspection team

Stephen Cattell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sara Staggs His Majesty’s 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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