Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School

Overview

Lamberhurst St Mary’s CofE Primary School continues to be a good school, offering a caring environment where pupils build positive relationships and feel safe. Leaders maintain high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs, providing a relevant curriculum that helps children develop their knowledge and skills effectively.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and feel safe, supported by a culture where older pupils act as ‘buddies’ and leaders act swiftly to address bullying.
• Teachers use regular checks and helpful questioning to ensure pupils understand what they have learned, allowing them to ‘join up their learning’.
• Staff teach phonics consistently and effectively, ensuring most pupils who fall behind with reading ‘catch up quickly’.
• Leaders provide effective training and support, helping teachers manage their workload while delivering the curriculum well.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and curriculum visits that deepen their cultural understanding.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must provide a ‘clearly sequenced approach to teaching reading’ in key stage 2 to ensure all pupils learn to read with confidence and fluency.
• Leaders need to review curriculum content to identify the ‘substantive knowledge’ pupils must learn in subjects like geography and design and technology, ensuring a broader body of knowledge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff and governors receiving detailed training to identify risks and acting swiftly to address concerns.