Thakeham Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Senior leaders, including governors, have succeeded in maintaining the school's overall good effectiveness since its previous inspection, despite several staff changes. The quality of teaching is good throughout the school and enables pupils to learn successfully and achieve well.

Children enjoy a good start to their education so they quickly become settled and confident learners. Pupils build their basic skills particularly well, including speaking, listening, reading, writing and numeracy. The interim headteacher has strengthened existing routines and made refinements such as identifying ways to further improve teaching.

Pupils relate ...well to each other and to visitors. They behave well around the school and within lessons. They say they feel very safe, and identify that adults 'listen to us carefully' if we have a problem.

Parents and carers are very positive about the school's effectiveness and place within the community, highlighting the positive family atmosphere and the way the interim headteacher has quickly developed links with them. It is not yet an outstanding school because: Pupils in Years 1 to 5 have too few opportunities to use and apply their numeracy skills in mathematical real-life based investigations. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage do not always have enough resources to extend their physical learning and development.

In some lessons, pupils have limited time to complete their written or mathematical work or to use information and communication technology (ICT) to help improve their learning. Pupils' understanding of others' lifestyles different to their own is not sufficiently well developed.

Information about this school

This is a smaller than average first school serving pupils aged between four and 10 years old from the local rural community.

There have been several staff changes since the previous inspection. An interim headteacher of an outstanding school, who is also a National Leader in Education, has lead the school part time since September, while governors investigate the options for a permanent appointment. She has been appointed to lead the school for up to a year if needed.

The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. There are three mixed-age classes: a Reception and Year 1 class, a Years 2 and 3 class and a Years 4 and 5 class. The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below average.

This is additional funding provided to schools for children in the care of the local authority, those children known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families. The proportion of pupils who are supported by school action is below average as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. In reality, the numbers of pupils involved are very small.