Bredhurst Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Overview

The report describes a school where pupils’ attitudes are “exceptionally positive” and they behave with “utmost respect.” Leaders have established a “carefully sequenced and engaging curriculum” with high ambitions, resulting in strong outcomes, particularly in reading. The school is judged ‘Good’ for overall effectiveness, with ‘Outstanding’ ratings for behaviour and personal development.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate “exemplary” attitudes to learning, showing “genuine empathy” and solving disagreements swiftly.
• The reading programme is “ambitious and comprehensive,” ensuring pupils, including those with SEND, read “highly ambitious texts” and build fluency effectively.
• Staff receive “timely and high-quality training,” enabling them to check understanding precisely in reading and mathematics.
• The school fosters deep community engagement through initiatives like the ‘Courageous Advocacy’ programme, promoting “deep tolerance and understanding of diversity.”
• Safeguarding arrangements are “effective,” and pupils feel “safe and happy,” confident in using emotional toolkits to resolve concerns.

Areas to improve

• The curriculum in “a few foundation subjects needs refinement” because content is “less precisely defined,” leading to variation in pupils’ understanding and retention over time.
• Staff should “precisely identify what it intends pupils to learn” in these subjects and check understanding by “revisiting key content” to inform future teaching.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”