School Evaluation

Our heart as our school is reflected from and in our vision statement, ''Aspiring, nurturing, flourishing: together, shining a light'. This is rooted in our biblical text (Matthew 5 14-16).  This constantly shapes who we are and what we stand for. Our aim is that we nurture each child to shine their light inwardly by developing self-awareness and respect for themselves, and outwardly by reflecting thoughtfully and confidently on their place and impact in the world. Last year, we reflected and adapted our six values to ensure  they were specifically supporting this aim. 

Autumn 1 - Friendship

Autumn 2 - Compassion

Spring 1 - Trust

Spring 2 - Forgiveness

Summer 1 - Courage

Summer 2 - Perseverance 

Key strengths:

Links with St Mary’s Church and Our Vicar, Gary

Our partnership with St Mary’s Church is central to our identity. Gary, our vicar, enriches our community by leading worship, supporting staff in theology, and participating in joint events like seasonal services. This deepens our Christian ethos and fosters spiritual growth.

Collective Worship as the Heartbeat of the School

Daily Collective Worship unites the school, rooted in biblical teachings and aligned with our vision and values. It is inclusive, reflective, and empowering, with pupil-led sessions offering opportunities for spiritual growth and leadership.

A Strong, Effective RE Curriculum

Using Understanding Christianity and The Emmanuel Project, our RE curriculum fosters deep understanding of Christian theology and respect for other world views. Lessons encourage questioning, critical thinking and meaningful dialogue.

Reflection Across School Life

Reflection is integral to worship and daily activities. This practice nurtures thoughtful, respectful attitudes and aligns children’s actions with the school’s vision and values.

Key Areas for Development:

• Implement our Spirituality statement

• Focus on the philosophy element of the RE curriculum

Overview

At St Mary’s, we provide a broad, balanced, and ambitious curriculum that is carefully designed to ensure that all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or have SEND, access learning of the highest quality and make strong progress from their individual starting points. Our curriculum is intentionally knowledge-rich, with content choices, coverage, and progression meticulously sequenced to build knowledge over time and secure long-term retention.

Our approach ensures that pupils are inspired to learn more, remember more, and do more—in line with our vision to aspire, nurture, flourish and our ambition for every child to shine their light. The curriculum is shaped by high expectations for all learners and underpinned by a commitment to inclusion and equity, ensuring that barriers to learning are identified and overcome.

Reading: A Cornerstone of Learning at St Mary’s

Reading is prioritised across the school to enable all pupils to access the full curriculum offer. There is fidelity to the Unlocking Letters and Sounds (ULS) phonics programme, which is delivered systematically and consistently from the earliest stages. This ensures that pupils quickly secure the phonetic knowledge and decoding skills they need to become fluent readers.

Our approach is underpinned by a ‘keep-up, not catch-up’ strategy, with early identification of gaps and targeted support in place to ensure no pupil falls behind. Phonics and fluency interventions are implemented promptly and effectively, with additional reading opportunities provided for those who need them.

Beyond early decoding, we implement a whole-school focus on ‘Reading to Learn’, embedding reading comprehension, vocabulary, and inference skills across the wider curriculum. For pupils requiring further support in fluency and comprehension, we use the Herts Reading Fluency Project, which provides structured intervention to accelerate progress and build confidence.

As a result, pupils develop the fluency and understanding needed to read widely, confidently, and with enjoyment. Reading underpins learning in all curriculum areas and plays a vital role in pupils' academic success and personal development. High expectations, well-established routines, and consistent monitoring ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, make strong progress in reading.

Rooted in Place: A Locally-Reflective and Enriched Curriculum

Our curriculum is deeply rooted in the local context, with purposeful links to places and people in our community. Children explore and engage with Rickmansworth’s Aquadrome, the Grand Union Canal, the town centre, and our parish church, deepening their understanding of place, belonging, and heritage. These experiences provide rich real-world context and ensure learning is relevant, meaningful, and memorable. '

"Pupils discussed the immersive learning experiences they valued. This included the River Chess boat trip when they learnt about 

the history of Rickmansworth. They could make comparisons between Anglo-Saxons and early Islamic food and see similarities. 

They understand that they were comparing these two civilisations because they were in the same time-period but 

in different parts of the world. This demonstrated sophisticated understanding." (a sample of pupil voice from Linda Hardman's report on History)

We also shine a light on significant figures across all areas of the curriculum, both historical and contemporary, to reflect diversity, promote aspiration, and encourage pupils to understand the impact individuals can have in the world. Every Learning Journey is enhanced through carefully planned trips and visitors, creating immersive opportunities that bring learning to life and develop pupils’ cultural capital.

Curriculum Implementation: Clear Sequencing and Coherence

Curriculum design and development are led with clarity and precision. Content is carefully sequenced, and curriculum leaders ensure that learning builds cumulatively, with strong coherence across year groups and subjects. This enables pupils to revisit, connect, and deepen their understanding as they progress through the school. 

"[Learning journeys displays] demonstrate progress through the planned curriculum and provide examples of the children’s achievements. 

The thought than has gone into the strategic planning of this system is of a high standard, is excellent practice and a unique feature 

of the strong and effective practice in evidence at St Mary’s. Most importantly they support pupils to articulate their learning in a 

highly effective manner."

Transitions between key stages are thoughtfully and strategically planned to ensure continuity and progression. We build on the strong foundations laid in EYFS, extending the principles of active, exploratory learning throughout the school to nurture independence, creativity, and critical thinking. This continuity supports our vision of developing children who are curious, resilient, and confident learners. 

Curriculum Impact: Excellence for All

Our curriculum ensures that all children, regardless of background or need, achieve well and grow in confidence, character, and curiosity. Pupils develop secure subject knowledge and are equipped with the skills needed to thrive now and in the future. They talk confidently about what they are learning, make links between subjects, and demonstrate pride in their work.

Rigorous Self-Evaluation and Strategic Development

We place a strong emphasis on evaluating the effectiveness of our curriculum through robust self-evaluation and monitoring processes. Leaders at all levels, including subject leaders and governors, are involved in reviewing provision, identifying next steps, and refining the offer.

As noted by Linda Hardman (SEA), “There is rigour around all self-evaluation processes and a clear view of priorities going forward. There is creativity and clarity in the development of a high-quality curriculum offer.”

Successes from 2023-2024:

• Phonics outcomes have significantly improved, with Year 1 Phonics Screening Check results increasing from 84.6% to 93%.

  • • • This is a direct result of our ‘keep-up, not catch-up’ ethos, which ensures early gaps are addressed swiftly and effectively, preventing pupils from falling behind.

      • Staff are well trained and confident in delivering effective, time-efficient intervention, contributing to sustained pupil progress and strong reading outcomes. “Staff are well trained and confident in their delivery of effective intervention in a time-efficient manner.” – Linda Hardman (SEA Reading Visit)

• Targeted reading fluency support through the Herts Reading Fluency Project enables pupils at risk of falling behind to make accelerated progress in both fluency and comprehension.

• Pupil voice demonstrates high levels of engagement and confidence in reading: this is supported and developed by the Year 2 to 6 Reading Passports which provide an oppportunity for all children to access quality and engaging literaure.

 “These pupils speak with confidence and passion about their reading interests and value the priority placed on the importance 

of [reading] by the school.” Linda Hardman (SEA Reading Visit)

• Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check scores have increased from an average of 15.6 in 2022–2023 to 21.78 in 2023–2024. This demonstrates improved fluency in number recall, linked to effective curriculum planning, daily rehearsal, and focused intervention.

• Summative assessments introduced in Reading and Maths from Years 2 to 6 to identify learning trends, gaps in knowledge, and pupils who would benefit from targeted intervention.

• Evaluated and further developed half termly learning journeys across all subjects to ensure clear progression of skils, knowledge and vocabulary 

Key Areas for Development for 2024/2025:

• Continue to develop our St Mary's approach to ensure all children are appropriately challenged through high-quality first teaching 

• Prioritise our writing curriculum using a mastery approach with small steps success and writing across the curriculum

• Embed Maths Mastery across the school  and Mastering  Number programmes in KS1 as well  and Fluency in KS2

• Embed and analyse summative assessments in English and Maths

Developments for 2025/2026:

• Further development of learning journeys to embed the role of significant figures and include meaningful

• Evaluate the skills taught in Guided Reading and how these are assessed within the PIRA to ensure alignment

• Develop class daily reading time to include explicit modelling of reading skills

• Design consistent visuals for writing toolkits

• ULS Spellings not available - investigate an interim scheme

• Writing across the curriculum

The EYFS curriculum fosters curiosity, independence, confidence and resilience, preparing children to be enthusiastic, successful learners with a strong foundation for future education. Through rich learning experiences, children are nurtured to develop a sense of self and an awareness of the world around them, enabling them to contribute positively to both school and the wider community.

The teaching of phonics is prioritised within the EYFS curriculum to ensure children develop strong foundations for reading and writing. The school implements a validated, rigorous synthetic phonics programme that is delivered systematically and consistently. Phonics sessions are structured to cater to each child’s current stage of development, ensuring short, targeted interventions address specific needs.

A key aspect of our EYFS curriculum is the development of executive functioning skills, which are foundational for lifelong learning and success. These skills enable children to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, providing them with the tools to flourish both in school and in their future lives. In particular, our curriculum focuses on the following key areas: sustained attention, working memory, flexible thinking, collaboration, and self-regulation.

A rich and diverse range of activities, supported by a vocabulary-rich environment, ensures children develop the characteristics of effective learning - playing, exploring, active learning, and thinking critically. Through these opportunities, children develop the confidence to take risks, persevere in their learning and shine in their own unique way.

Successes from 2023-2024:

Key Areas for Development for 2024/2025:

• Mastering Number in Maths

• Improving listening and attention skills

• Smooth transition from EYFS into Key Stage One

Developments for 2025/2026:

Positive Attitudes and Resilient Learners

Pupils at St Mary’s show consistently positive attitudes to learning. They are encouraged to be resilient, independent and reflective, supported by a curriculum that promotes curiosity and a growth mindset. Classrooms are calm and purposeful, and pupils take pride in their achievements. Low-level disruption is rare and managed effectively.

Respectful Relationships and a Safe Environment

A culture of high expectations, underpinned by Christian values, ensures respectful relationships across the school. Staff model positive behaviours, and pupils respond with kindness, courtesy and care. Children feel safe and valued, and visitors regularly comment on the school’s welcoming and inclusive ethos.

Our Code of Conduct—Respectful, Ready and Reflective—is embedded throughout the school. These simple, memorable principles guide behaviour, attitudes and choices across all year groups. Pupils understand what is expected of them and why it matters.

Our behaviour policy is restorative in nature. When things go wrong, children are supported to reflect on their choices and consider the impact of their actions on themselves and others. Through calm, structured conversations, they are encouraged to identify for themselves how they might respond differently in future. This reflective approach promotes accountability, empathy, and personal growth, in line with our vision to nurture every child and help them flourish.

The quality of provision in this area has been recognised externally: “Personal Development, Behaviour and Attitudes ... are observed through various visits to be of a high standard.” — Linda Hardman (School Effectiveness Adviser)

Emotional Literacy and Pastoral Care

Wellbeing is a priority. Our FEELIT! programme teaches emotional literacy and self-regulation, while YouHQ provides a regular digital check-in for pupils in Years 2–6, supporting proactive, personalised pastoral care. The Helping Hands approach ensures all children know trusted adults they can turn to, reinforcing our culture of care and trust.

Pupil Voice and Responsibility

Pupils are trusted and empowered. Every Year 6 child holds a leadership role, and pupil voice is strong through groups such as School Council and Eco Council. These opportunities foster ownership, responsibility and pride in contributing to the school community.

Attendance and Engagement

Attendance is strong overall and continues to improve. Pupils value being in school and are eager to learn. Where concerns arise, early intervention, clear communication and supportive relationships with families ensure that barriers are addressed and progress is made.

A small number of pupils experience significant medical or emotional challenges that impact their ability to attend regularly. In these cases, we work closely with parents, health professionals and external agencies to provide bespoke support. These individualised approaches help children remain connected to school and reflect our commitment to nurture each child and help them flourish.

Successes from 2023-2024:

• Introduce and embed our adapted vision statement  into all areas of the school community

• Introduction of our Code of Conduct

• Development and embedding of our restorative behaviour policy 

• Reviewed and refined attendance monitoring systems (please see Leadership & Management section for further details)

Key Areas for Development:

• Further embed systems to monitor individual pupil's  attendance within the attendance boundaries - persistant absence, at risk of persistent absence, late to school

• Develop the use of The Hub to support emotional-regulation and executive functioning skills 

Developments for 2025/2026:

• Develop the role of staff supporting emotional regulation and executive functioning skills to allow a greater number of children to access The Hub

At St Mary’s, Personal Development is a golden thread that runs through our curriculum, ethos and daily practice. It is deeply embedded in our Christian vision and deliberately planned to ensure that every child flourishes spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain and to make a meaningful contribution to society. As confirmed in our most recent SEA report, “Personal Development is of an exceptional standard at this school.” 

Rooted in Christian Values and Ethos

At St Mary’s, personal development is deeply embedded in our vision to aspire, nurture and flourish; together shining light up. Guided by our Christian values, we nurture the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of all pupils with intention and care. Opportunities for reflection, service, and relationship-building support children to grow as compassionate, thoughtful and confident individuals, developing a strong sense of right and wrong and a deep respect for others.

"Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) development is the highest priority at St Mary’s. The expectation is that all children who are part of the school 

community develop the skills of compassion, reflection and responsibility and are well placed to make an active and 

valued contribution to the wider world of which they are an important part." SEA Report

Preparation for Life in Modern Britain

Pupils are well prepared to play a full and positive role in society. British values are actively and meaningfully taught through the curriculum and school life. Concepts such as democracy, liberty, respect and the rule of law are explored through lived experiences and discussion.

“The teaching and exemplification of British values are woven into all elements of school life. Children are taught to live these values.” SEA Report

Pupils engage with a wide range of perspectives, enabling them to develop understanding, empathy, and a respectful attitude towards difference.

To ensure this work is explicit and age-appropriate, we have tailored the 'No Outsiders' programme to teach children about equality, diversity and inclusion. Through carefully chosen texts and structured dialogue, the programme supports children to recognise and challenge discrimination, embrace difference, and understand the importance of treating everyone with kindness and dignity.

“Tolerance of different faiths and beliefs ensures that children learn from each other how to value and celebrate difference.” SEA Report

Developing Character, Identity and Responsibility

Each year group is supported through overarching reflective questions that promote responsibility, self-awareness and character development. These foster a sense of personal identity and moral purpose, enabling pupils to make informed choices, reflect deeply and grow in their understanding of the world and their place in it.

Broad and Rich Enrichment Opportunities

Pupils benefit from a wide range of experiences that build confidence, deepen cultural understanding and ignite curiosity. These include:

Spanish from Year 1

Whole-class instrumental music lessons from Year 2

Curriculum-linked enrichment such as Young Voices at Wembley, STEM Week, live performances and educational visits 

Such opportunities are planned purposefully to support pupils’ wider development and help them discover interests and talents beyond the classroom.

“The school currently offers a wide range of varied enrichment opportunities designed to support children in discovering passions they wish to explore further… 

great thought and care has gone into the planning of these activities.” SEA Report

Leadership and Pupil Voice

Pupil leadership is a valued part of life at St Mary’s. Every Year 6 pupil holds a leadership role, and children across the school contribute meaningfully through School Council, Eco Council and other groups. These experiences help children develop confidence, responsibility and pride in making a difference in their community.

Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health

Promoting wellbeing is a priority across the school. Our curriculum supports pupils in understanding and managing their emotions, building resilience and forming healthy relationships. This is further enhanced through:

FEELIT! – a whole-school programme that equips pupils with language and strategies to manage their feelings effectively

YouHQ – a digital check-in platform used by Years 2 to 6 to monitor wellbeing and support student voice

These approaches ensure that wellbeing is understood, monitored and supported consistently, allowing staff to respond proactively and ensure all pupils feel heard, valued and supported in their personal journey.

Successes from 2023-2024:

•  Launched ‘FEELIT!’ – our whole-school emotional literacy programme

Successfully introduced FEELIT! across all year groups, embedding a consistent approach to emotional literacy and regulation. The programme provides pupils with shared language, strategies, and reflection tools to support their emotional development and wellbeing.

• Established a clear and coherent approach to enrichment through four key strands:

Curriculum enrichment – e.g. Spanish from Year 1 and whole-class instrumental music from Year 2 and a themed week every half term eg STEM Week

Co-curricular offer – including clubs, performances, and events 

Cultural capital – purposeful experiences that broaden horizons and deepen real-world understanding like a West End Theatre trip

Leadership opportunities – ensuring every Year 6 pupil holds a leadership role, with pupil voice embedded through our four councils across the school

Key Areas for Development for 2024/2025:

• Embed our whole school emotional literacy programme, 'FEELIT!'

• Introduce the wellbeing programme, 'YouHQ'

• Review the structure of our wrap around care with a link to our afterschool enrichment clubs

Developments for 2025/2026:

• Introduce journalling to deepen pupils understanding of emotional literacy

• Introduce a citizenship programme to deepen pupils understanding of our vision and values and their role withon our community

Leadership and Vision at St Mary’s

St Mary’s is a school driven by a clear and ambitious vision: "Aspiring, nurturing, flourishing; together shining a light." This vision, underpinned by our biblical scripture, is lived and championed at all levels - from pupil leadership groups through to the CEO of the Chess Primary Trust. Our ethos encourages respect, responsibility, self-reflection, and spiritual growth, creating a community where children and adults can flourish. 

Leadership Within the Trust

St Mary’s has been part of the Chess Primary Trust for a year, with leadership focused on establishing strong working relationships to support collaboration and shared improvement. This has laid the groundwork for Trust-wide initiatives, such as the centralisation of the finance team, which will streamline operations and free up school leaders to focus on teaching and learning. As part of the Trust, we are well-positioned to engage with future developments in areas such as curriculum, assessment, SEND and professional development, while continuing to uphold the unique identity and values of our school.

Senior Leadership Team at St Mary’s

The Senior Leadership Team at St Mary’s is made up of highly experienced professionals who lead with integrity, expertise, and a deep commitment to our school vision. The team includes Phase Leaders, SENCo, School Business Manage, Headteacher and Assistant Head, each bringing specialist knowledge and leadership in their respective areas.

Together, they provide strategic direction, ensure the highest standards of teaching and learning, and foster a culture where all children and staff are empowered to thrive. Each member of the team contributes to whole-school development through robust monitoring, collaborative decision-making, and reflective practice. Their collective leadership ensures that our curriculum is inclusive, high-quality, and ambitious for all learners, particularly those with SEND or from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Our Senior Leadership Team also models the importance of professional growth, regularly engaging with external partners such as the SEA, the Chess Primary Trust, and curriculum specialists to evaluate and strengthen our practice. With a strong focus on staff wellbeing, communication, and shared leadership, they cultivate a school culture where everyone is supported to shine.

Subject and Middle Leaders 

At St Mary’s, we are committed to developing confident and knowledgeable middle leaders who play a key role in driving curriculum improvement. Despite having a small team this year due to ECTs, new staff, and maternity leave, subject leadership has been distributed strategically. Staff are given dedicated time out of class to monitor their subjects through learning walks, pupil voice, planning scrutiny and book looks. SEA visits have focused on specific subjects, followed by curriculum governor visits and presentations led by subject leaders. These experiences have built leadership confidence and provided valuable external challenge. Leaders have also worked collaboratively to streamline Learning Journeys across the school with a clear focus on inclusive practice and SEND.

Collaboration is a strength, with staff supporting each other through peer observations, shared CPD, and informal professional dialogue. This year’s focus on writing, Maths Mastery, and RE has allowed subject leaders to deepen their subject knowledge and begin embedding change. All learning walks and monitoring activities have included a focus on EYFS and SEND, ensuring adaptations are made to meet the needs of all learners. As these key areas become embedded, our next three year cycle will see the continuation of embedding our writing curriculum, further development of foundation subjects with a focus on oracy and metacognition and monitoring the development of these with the curriculum, continuing to build the capacity and confidence of our middle leaders.

Pupil Leadership at St Mary’s

At St Mary’s, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn about leadership, which is why each Year 6 pupil holds a position of responsibility. Leadership and responsibility are vital components of our enrichment offer, and Year 6 pupils take on a range of meaningful roles, including Head and Deputy Head, House Captains, Reading Ambassadors, Digital Leaders, Class Mentors, and Plyground Ambassadors. These roles are visible, purposeful, and woven into the day-to-day life of the school, helping pupils to grow in confidence and develop key life skills.

Leadership is encouraged across all year groups through School Council, Eco Council, Ethos Council, and Sports Council, where children play an active role in shaping their school experience. A key element of our model is the Family Groups system—mixed-age groups comprising one child from each class, led by a Year 6 pupil. These groups meet regularly for enrichment activities, and special events, promoting a strong sense of community, inclusion, and belonging. Through these experiences, all pupils learn to lead with integrity, compassion, and purpose, helping to shine their light within and beyond the school.

Successes from 2023-2024:

Since September 2023, the school’s priority has been to establish a shared vision rooted in the needs and aspirations of the entire school community. Through extensive consultation with staff, governors, parents, pupils, and the church, a new vision was created that now underpins every element of school life - from curriculum and pastoral to community and enrichment.

Reflecting on this journey, an external School Effectiveness Associate (SEA) noted,

"This is a school that has been on a rapid improvement track since the appointment of the current headteacher."

Autumn Term 2023 and Spring Term 2024

Building Stability and Relationships

Following a period of instability, the school prioritised building strong relationships across the community. Feedback was gathered through listening exercises, informal discussions, classroom visits, and playground presence to understand the school’s starting point and future potential.

The vision was embedded both pastorally and through the curriculum, in partnership with Reverend Gary from St Mary’s Church.

A new Code of Conduct was introduced to set consistent expectations for behaviour and culture across the school.

School Effectiveness Associates (SEA) were engaged to act as critical friends, providing external validation and challenge to the school’s strategic direction.

The leadership team's impact has been externally validated, with feedback recognising that:

"There are strong, effective and purposeful leaders."

Key Improvements by the End of the 2023-2024

Curriculum & Pedagogy:

A bespoke writing approach, aligned with the strands of the Writing Rope, was trialled in Years 2 and 3.

TT Rockstars was introduced to improve number fluency.

Fidelity to the school’s chosen phonics and early reading programme was ensured.

Maths Mastery and The Emmanuel Project for RE were piloted.

Environment & Wellbeing:

The staffroom was redesigned to support staff wellbeing.

KS1 and KS2 playgrounds were upgraded following pupil voice consultations.

The Secret Garden was created to promote outdoor learning and wellbeing.

Inclusion & Assessment:

A new SENCo was appointed (following the retirement of the previous postholder).

Insight, CPOMs, and Arbor systems were introduced to streamline assessment, safeguarding, and administration.

A new structure for in-year admissions was launched, focusing on assessment and pastoral care.

Robust summative assessment practices were developed to track trends, inform interventions, and raise attainment.

Governance:

Governor visits were aligned with SEA priorities and the School Development Plan (SDP), with a focus on key curriculum areas including EYFS, Reading, RE, SEND, History, Art, and Personal Development.

Deepening Impact (Year 2 to Present)

In the current academic year, we have:

Continued to embed the vision across policy, curriculum, and the wider community.

Reinforced the Code of Conduct through termly assemblies and PSHE activities.

Delivered assemblies focused on wellbeing, emotional regulation, growth mindset, and “bucket filling.”

Embedded the FEELIT! emotional literacy programme and YouHQ to monitor and support pupil wellbeing.

Developed a personalised system to monitor wellbeing and intervene early, especially for vulnerable children previously unidentified.

Safeguarding: 

Safeguarding remains a high priority. The school maintains robust systems for recording, monitoring, and responding to concerns, and collaborates closely with external agencies to support vulnerable pupils and families. Regular safeguarding audits and training ensure both compliance and a proactive approach to keeping children safe.

Curriculum & CPD:

Launched a two-year bespoke writing curriculum focusing on narrative and non-fiction genres, built around the Reading Rope. This is supported by:

Weekly CPD in staff meetings.

Peer observations and internal/external moderation (including Trust and County).

Introduced structured moderation of writing across year groups and phases.

Continued trials of active learning across subjects and further developed the EYFS–Year 1 transition model to ensure continuity.

SEND & Inclusion:

Introduced a new SEND monitoring system to track EHCPs and SEND Support.

Created a “monitoring list” for pupils with medical needs, gaps in learning or declining progress, even if not formally identified as SEND.

Parental Engagement:

Trialled a variety of parental engagement strategies including:

Parent workshops.

Coffee mornings.

Parent/child writing events.

Online videos and information sessions.

Interim target reports sent before parent consultations to support informed discussions.

Attendance:

Reviewed and refined attendance monitoring systems:

Moved letters to a termly cycle.

Identified key pupils for daily monitoring.

Offered tailored support (e.g., Breakfast Club access, local parking permits).

Collaborated with the South West Herts Family Partnership and external agencies (e.g., GOSH).

Wider Enrichment:

Continued developing our enrichment offer based on feedback from children and families.

Adapted wraparound care provision and introduced new extracurricular clubs.

Launched a KS2 production of Matilda, open to all, with tracking of PP and SEND participation.

Professional Development:

Professional Development is a key driver of school improvement. The CPD offer is responsive to school priorities, teacher need, and wider strategic aims. This includes a combination of weekly teaching and learning CPD, coaching, peer observations, and strategic support from the Chess Primary Trust and School Effectiveness Associates (SEA). Recent developments include:

• Two teachers enrolled in the Maths Mastery professional development programme, enhancing consistency in mathematical teaching and progression across the school.

• The Assistant Headteacher has completed the NPQSL (National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership), contributing to strategic leadership capacity.

• Ongoing use of The National College to support staff access to high-quality, flexible online CPD across a range of topics including safeguarding, curriculum leadership, and subject knowledge.

• Internal and external CPD provision includes tailored in-house training and access to experts. Notably, Dean Thompson has led training sessions focused on writing development, aligned with the school’s bespoke writing curriculum.

• Moderation activities and trust-wide collaboration ensure shared high expectations and a clear understanding of standards.

Key Areas for Development for 2024/2025:

• Continue raising the profile of the school for new admissions

• Continue to develop our focussed areas on our SDP - Writing, Maths Mastery, Emotional Literacy and Attendance

• Research different possibilities for adjusting the structure to the day to allow for the deepening and creative development of  foundation subjects allowing more space within the curriculum

Developments for 2025/2026:

• Implement adjusted structure to the day to allow for the deepening and creative development of  foundation subjects allowing more space within the curriculum

• Embedding the curriculum work already developed in 2024/2025

• Confirmation of taking part in the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) Programme (The Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) is a two-year, national programme funded by NHS England, designed to improve outcomes for neurodivergent children in mainstream primary schools by strengthening collaboration between schools, health professionals, and parent carers to create more inclusive, supportive learning environments.)