“A caring school where every child is known and allowed to flourish”

​Staff and children at The Vale Primary in Epsom are celebrating after the school retained its ‘Good’ Ofsted rating and won praise for its “caring” ethos.

The Ofsted inspector who visited The Vale, a member of the GLF Schools Multi-Academy Trust, last month described it as “a friendly and supportive school”, reporting that children feel welcome and safe there.

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​The school was also commended for making pupils feel valued and included, with the report highlighting how children’s views are gathered via the School Council and how they appreciate “the way teachers make learning fun and that playground facilities are regularly updated”.

Parent relations were praised, with the report noting that parents enjoy the family feel of the school, and stating one "summed up others’ views by saying: ‘The Vale is a caring school where every child is known and allowed to flourish’”.

The inspector was impressed with the school’s high expectations of its children, as embodied in the school’s values, which “pupils strive to meet” and helps ensure behaviour is good.

The report also stated that children are “keen and motivated to learn”, “their discussions with each other are focused and productive”, and they “enjoy using the rich vocabulary that leaders have woven throughout the curriculum”.

The report lauded the “relentless focus” school leaders have on improving the curriculum and ensuring that all teachers have “appropriate training and support to develop strong subject knowledge”, and also noted that “pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly and then support put in place so all pupils can access the full curriculum on offer”.

Learning to read was recognised as a “top priority” at The Vale with the school's systematic approach to teaching early reading implemented effectively by well trained staff. In mathematics, the inspector noted that the introduction of a new curriculum in early years is working well to ensure children learn the foundations and are secure in their knowledge as they progress through the school.

The school was particularly pleased that the inspector recognised its enhanced curriculum offer, noting that “pupils are enthusiastic about the variety of clubs on offer, such as cooking, choir and calligraphy" and are "positive about the opportunities they have to contribute to the school community, for example by being a ‘Vale Ambassador’”.

The report acknowledged the enriched curriculum the Vale offers which supports children’s wider development and “helps ensure that pupils are ready for the next stages of their education and life beyond school”.

Co-Headteachers Cathy Brown and Sarah Leyland said: “We are delighted that the inspection has captured the ethos of The Vale and the commitment of the whole school community to provide the best opportunities in learning and the wider curriculum for our pupils. We are so proud.”