Bentley Church of England Primary School

Bentley Church of England Primary School

Address: School Lane, Bentley, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 5JP Unique reference number (URN): 116279

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils generally achieve well across the school. This is particularly true for pupils at the end of key stage 2, including for disadvantaged pupils.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders have been successful in improving pupils' outcomes in the phonics screening test in Year 1. Pupils develop secure early reading skills. They go on to broadly secure the fundamental skills they need in reading and mathematics, and in most aspects of writing. In national tests at the end of key stage 2, pupils typically achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils generally remember and use their learning well. Pupils typically apply their learning effectively across the curriculum to support further progress. This is reflected in the work that most pupils produce. Overall, pupils build the knowledge and skills across the curriculum that they need to be prepared for the next stages of education.

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Achievement Expected standard

In recent years, the school has welcomed an influx of new pupils. Leaders have an accurate understanding of what these pupils know and can do when they arrive. Most make secure progress from a wide range of starting points.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils generally attend well. Overall attendance is broadly in line with national figures for most pupils. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) also attend well. This is because leaders make effective adaptations to support their attendance. The school has a relatively small number of pupils who receive free school meals, although this number is increasing as new pupils join. Some of these pupils face barriers that affect their attendance. Leaders prioritise removing barriers to their attendance. Consequently, attendance for these pupils is improving. However, it remains below leaders’ expectations.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils have impeccable manners. The school actively promotes respect, and pupils show kindness to adults and to each other. Leaders establish a clear behaviour policy, and staff apply it consistently. This includes effective adaptations to support pupils with SEND. Staff receive regular training and follow agreed routines across the school. Leaders also work closely with external agencies to enhance specialist practice. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning, and disruption in classrooms is rare. Leaders do not tolerate bullying. Staff respond to any incidents quickly and consistently, in line with the school’s policy. Pupils feel safe, supported and well cared for.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff in the Reception class build positive and caring relationships with children. These relationships help children to feel safe and confident, which supports their learning well. Staff focus on meaningful interactions and talk with children throughout the day. This helps children to develop their language skills. Most children build a broad vocabulary and learn how to communicate clearly with adults and other children. They express their needs confidently and usually play and work well with others.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders have designed the early years curriculum well. Learning intentions are clear. Staff choose activities carefully to support children’s development and interests. Early reading is prioritised. Children learn to read accurately and develop a genuine enjoyment of books and stories. The books children read reflect a wide range of cultures and backgrounds, helping them to understand the world around them. Children generally enjoy learning and concentrate well. Staff support children's curiosity and creativity by encouraging them to have a go and explore their ideas. When children need extra help, staff quickly identify any additional needs, including special educational needs and/or disabilities. Support for disadvantaged children is effective, and staff apply their training well.

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Early years Expected standard

The school works closely with parents to support learning. As a result, children are well prepared for Year 1 and future learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength of the school. Staff usually identify pupils’ needs early and accurately. From the Reception class onwards, teaching and classroom resources broadly match pupils’ personal learning needs. Staff use visual prompts well to support language development, and this typically helps pupils with SEND and benefits others too.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff work constructively with families and external agencies to secure the right provision. Staff use attendance and behaviour interventions consistently and with positive effect. Children come in calmly before lessons begin as part of their soft start to the morning. This, along with sensory circuits, generally reduces pupils’ anxieties and helps them settle into the day. Leaders track the impact of this support well and routinely adapt it when pupils’ needs change. These systems are mostly effective and allow leaders to respond quickly to what pupils need. Support for disadvantaged pupils is broadly positive and well planned, while support for pupils with SEND is well established. Staff receive training that usually reflects pupils’ needs, and they use the school’s systems well. The school uses pupil premium funding effectively overall. Governors check this spending carefully and it is making

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Inclusion Expected standard

a clear, positive difference for most pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and accurate view of the school's strengths and areas for improvement. They identify priorities carefully and set clear and realistic actions for development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff feel supported and value the leadership in place. Leaders provide an ongoing, well ‑ planned programme of professional learning for all staff, including those new to teaching. This training generally builds staff confidence and helps them develop secure and effective practice over time. Some aspects of this training are still being embedded, and leaders continue to monitor the effectiveness of what has been implemented. Leaders manage expectations sensibly and take practical steps to support staff wellbeing.

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Needs attention

Leaders work closely and productively with governors, the local authority and the diocese. Together, they monitor the quality of the school’s work and support ongoing improvement. They respond thoughtfully to the school’s changing community and act proactively to support pupils who are new to the school. Leaders meet all statutory responsibilities. Governors are professional, well trained and informed about the school’s work. They provide effective support and challenge and hold leaders to account constructively. Leaders and governors consistently make decisions in the best interests of pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school works effectively with a wide range of external agencies to meet pupils’ needs. As a result, parents value the school highly, and the school plays a positive and important role at the heart of its increasingly diverse community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school shows a clear commitment to equality and diversity. Leaders develop this explicitly through the personal, social and health education curriculum. Children begin this learning in the Reception class. They learn about the wider world, how to treat others kindly and how to understand differences. This gives them a secure foundation for later learning. Leaders recognise the school’s changing context. They make rigorous and empathetic decisions to integrate the school’s different communities. Pupils typically engage well with learning about diverse cultures, spirituality and other protected characteristics. They generally demonstrate an understanding of right and wrong and show respect for others’ beliefs and values. Pupils apply this learning positively in their daily interactions.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school develops pupils’ social skills effectively. Pupils learn to work together, resolve conflict and take responsibility. Leaders promote fundamental British values well. Pupils experience democracy through leadership roles, such as the eco council. These opportunities support active participation and a sense of responsibility. Leaders also make deliberate choices to develop pupils’ character and resilience. They plan residential visits to enhance learning and personal development skills across key stage 2. These experiences help pupils to build independence, maturity and confidence for the future. The school works hard to ensure that all pupils can take part. Leaders support disadvantaged pupils carefully and make appropriate adaptations so pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities can attend and benefit along with their peers.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders deliver relationships, sex education and health thoughtfully. The programme meets statutory requirements and reflects the needs and sensitivities of pupils and the wider community. Staff teach pupils about keeping themselves safe, including online and offline risks to their wellbeing. As a result, pupils are typically well prepared for the next stages of education and for adult life.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

There is some variability in the quality of teaching and the curriculum. The support for pupils to develop some aspects of writing skills is inconsistent. Leaders have not ensured that pupils receive regular and timely feedback to enable them to improve the accuracy of their work quickly enough. As a result, some errors in spelling and handwriting persist for longer than they should. Sometimes, pupils are not corrected in their misconceptions and they misremember some key knowledge. In books, these errors persist over time and undermine some aspects of pupils' readiness for the next stage of education.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

However, leaders have designed a broad curriculum. They have identified the key knowledge and skills pupils need. In more effective areas of the curriculum, pupils make clear connections between prior and new learning. For example, in art, pupils develop a secure understanding of techniques that support artistic proficiency. Staff receive well- focused training that strengthens their subject knowledge. They are well informed about how to support all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers create classroom environments that support inclusion. Work in pupils’ books and the resources teachers use reflect that they are meeting pupils’ needs successfully. Leaders ensure that pupils receive timely and effective support in reading and mathematics, if they need it.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Leaders put pupils at the centre of every decision to create a school that brings its community together. Pupils develop confidence because adults nurture them well. Staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities so they do well both in and out of the classroom. Pupils build resilience and independence through many experiences. They especially value the annual residential trips for all key stage 2 pupils. They say these trips teach them important life lessons and 'help us become adults'.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are welcoming and polite. The school unites pupils from different backgrounds and cultures. This creates a strong sense of community and prepares pupils well for their next steps and for life beyond school. Pupils behave well and treat others with respect. They trust adults to deal quickly with any concerns, including bullying. Most pupils attend regularly. When pupils do not attend well, the school works closely with families and attendance typically improves.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy learning. Staff remove barriers to learning so pupils feel proud of what they achieve. Pupils read and use mathematics with confidence, which is shown in published outcomes across the school and at the end of Year 6. Sometimes, pupils need more precise support to improve their handwriting and spelling. As a result, some pupils do not develop their spelling and handwriting as well as they could. Pupils gain secure and detailed knowledge across most of the curriculum. They enjoy sharing what they know. For example, they speak with enthusiasm about their preferences between the art of Georgia O’Keeffe and Leonardo da Vinci. Their detailed knowledge prepares them well for the next stage of education.

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Team inspectors:

Clare Haines, Ofsted Inspector Heather Fearn, Ofsted Inspector

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Next steps

• Leaders need to continue to build staff understanding and skills so that teachers check pupils’ spelling and letter formation more systematically and use this information to adapt future lessons more effectively and address pupils’ misconceptions in these areas more quickly. • Leaders must continue to identify and tackle barriers to pupils’ high attendance. They need to secure rapid improvement for a small number of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Mrs Elise Cavanough.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with senior leaders, staff and governors, and they visited lessons, held discussions with pupils, looked at pupils' work, considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View, gathered opinions of staff through surveys and reviewed a range of the school's documentation, including self-evaluation reports and governor minutes. They also met with the local authority and diocese during the inspection.

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Church of England religious character. The school is part of the Diocese of Winchester, and the most recent SIAMS inspection was in November 2025.

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About this inspection

The school has undergone a significant change since the last inspection. There is a new headteacher who was appointed in September 2023.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Mrs Victoria Hallett The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 79% 74% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 71% 73% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (2 term) 5.3% 5.2% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 4.9% 5.5% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (2 term) 14.3% 13.3% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 13.3% 14.6% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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