St Mary's CofE Aided Infant School, Frensham

Inspection of St Mary’s CofE Aided Infant School, Frensham Frensham Road, Frensham, Farnham, Surrey GU10 3DS

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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 happy at this small, friendly school. They are enthusiastic learners who delight in taking part in the wide range of interesting activities on offer to them. The school has high expectations of pupils. Typically, pupils try their best to meet these expectations and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to be involved in their lessons. They confidently offer their ideas and opinions. Typically, pupils behave well and listen to their teachers. Relationships throughout the school are warm and supportive. Pupils are kind to each other and strive to model the school’s values. They are thrilled when their efforts are recognised with a ‘leaf on the tree’ or a certificate. Pupils feel safe. They are well looked after by staff who care for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide variety of opportunities to take on leadership roles. The s chool council helped to design the new playground. The eco council recently attended a summit at Guildford cathedral and then shared their learning with the whole school. Pupils carry out their many roles diligently and with pride.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers value the school’s welcoming ‘family feel’ and its strong community links. They are rightly confident that the school prepares their children well for the next stages of their education.

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

The school has ensured that a well-designed curriculum is in place for most subjects. This builds key knowledge in manageable steps from Reception to Year 2, readying pupils for their future learning. Currently, the school is in the process of further refining this curriculum. Leaders know that in a few of the wider curriculum subjects, pupils do not learn as deeply as they do in English and mathematics. They are taking action to resolve this.

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

Teachers adapt learning well so that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can access the curriculum and learn successfully. Pupils with SEND have their needs identified swiftly and accurately. Occasionally, however, teaching does not emphasise the key knowledge that pupils need to know. When this happens, learning slows and some pupils do not achieve as well as they might.

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

The school has ensured that learning to read and enjoying books are at the heart of everything it does. As soon as children start school, they begin to learn phonics. Pupils benefit from skilled teaching and books that help them to practise the sounds that they are learning. They master the phonics code quickly. Any pupils who start to fall behind are quickly identified and given the help they need to catch up.

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

Children in the Reception Year are helped to develop their communication skills well. Staff take every opportunity to introduce vocabulary and model language. For example, in a role play area set up as a garden centre, children are introduced to words such as 23 and 24 April 2025

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‘pollination’ as they explore seed packets. Children routinely use books as sources of information to help them to draw or write. They enjoy voting for their favourite stories at the end of the day.

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The school is calm and well ordered. Pupils move around safely and with awareness of others. Lunchtime in the dining hall is a positive social occasion for pupils. They chat happily to each other and to staff. Outside, pupils play well together and enjoy the many activities on offer. Staff provide support when necessary to pupils as they explore, play games or have some quiet time. Pupils enjoy school. They attend regularly and rarely miss a day.

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The school’s personal development provision is exemplary. In addition to the curriculum, pupils benefit from an extensive range of opportunities. This starts from Reception where children can attend ‘my first club’ to have taster sessions of what they can chose from in the next year. This helps them to explore new interests and make informed choices. The school has also developed a programme that responds to pupils’ needs. For example, ‘dog safety’ sessions help to build pupils’ confidence and awareness of their rural surroundings. Pupils’ learning is enriched, and their interests and talents are developed through a huge variety of community links, competitions, opportunities to perform and regular visits and visitors.

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Governors have revised their ways of working to help them to support and challenge the school more effectively. They benefit from strong support and guidance from the local authority and diocese. Everyone works together in the best interests of pupils. Staff are very positive about the changes to the curriculum. They say that their workload is considered when such changes are made. Staff feel well supported and part of a team. The school makes sure that its improvement priorities are appropriate, manageable and making a difference.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, tasks are not sufficiently well matched to the key knowledge that pupils should learn. When this happens, pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. The school should ensure that teaching activities are sharply focused on pupils acquiring, understanding and applying the knowledge set out in the curriculum.  Some of the improvements that the school has made to its curriculum are at an early stage of implementation. This means that in a small number of wider curriculum subjects, pupils do not learn in as much depth as in others. The school should roll out its plans to refine and embed the new curriculum across the full range of subjects. 23 and 24 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). 23 and 24 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stmarys-frensham.surrey.sch.uk

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher joined the school in September 2023.  The school is part of the Anglican Diocese of Guildford. Its last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was in October 2023.  The school provides wraparound childcare in the form of before- and after-school clubs.  The school does not currently 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.  During the inspection, the inspectors met with a range of school staff. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and had telephone conversations with a representative of the local authority and the Diocese of Guildford.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. The lead inspector

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listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult.  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 responses to Ofsted’s parent, pupil and staff surveys.  The inspectors talked to staff to gather their views about the school, including about their workload and well-being. The inspectors met with several groups of pupils as well as speaking to pupils during lessons and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Deborah Perkins, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Jackson 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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