The Vale Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
170
AGES
4 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Academy converter
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
0300 200 1004

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(04/05/2023)
Full Report - All Reports
58%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
84-92 Beaconsfield Road
Epsom
KT18 6HP
01372273639

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You lead the school with ambitious determination for all pupils to achieve well. Staff are full of praise for your leadership and feel proud to work at the school. Many parents highlighted the quality of staff as a strength of the school. A parent explained, ‘The staff at the Vale are excellent and their caring, friendly and dedicated approach to teaching is what makes the school a wonderful place for children to start their learning journey.’ You know your school and pupils well. Your evaluation of the school’s effectiveness is accurate. You swiftly spotted the dip in standards in mathematics in 2017, and you are taking effective action to get back on track. Your honest and forwardthinking approach is successfully driving improvement in this area. With no sign of complacency, you recognise that there is more work to do to ensure that all pupils make consistently good progress. Pupils are happy, productive and proud of their school. The school motto, ‘Inspiring All’, is clearly evident in the way that pupils talk about their work. They say that learning is interesting and fun. Pupils talk eagerly about how they are encouraged to ‘dive deeper’ into learning, and how this helps them to progress. Pupils value their teachers and the support they receive. They feel that there is a perfect combination of being well cared for, as well as challenged to achieve their best. A pupil summed this up, saying, ‘A good school would be nothing without kind teachers.’ At the time of the last inspection, you were asked to improve pupils’ spelling and ensure that the most able pupils were given suitably challenging work. Phonics is taught well, taking a carefully structured approach across the school. Current pupils in key stage 1 are making strong progress in phonics. Any gaps in knowledge are quickly identified, and appropriate support is put in place. As a result, many pupils proficiently use their phonic knowledge in their writing. Older pupils correctly spell frequently used words in their own writing. Your careful analysis of pupils’ progress allows you to keep a close eye on the achievement of all pupils, including the most able. Current pupils across the school are making good progress and reaching the higher standards. Teachers’ strong subject knowledge and skilful questioning encourage the most able pupils to think deeply. Leaders are determined that every minute of learning should be used productively to challenge pupils. Leaders are ambitious for pupils to develop their talents across the curriculum. Pupils successfully participate in arts festivals, quizzes and competitions with other local schools. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Leaders ensure that checks on staff are completed thoroughly before they start employment. All staff receive comprehensive training and make good use of this knowledge to keep pupils safe. Staff are vigilant and report any concerns when necessary. Leaders respond swiftly and work closely with parents and other agencies. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet. They know not to talk to people they do not know online. Pupils say that they like the friendly and welcoming atmosphere in the school. They feel confident that staff would help them if they had any worries. Governors fully understand their responsibilities to keep pupils safe. They carefully evaluate information gathered from their regular audits and take prompt action when changes are needed. Inspection findings  During the inspection, we looked closely at specific aspects of the school’s provision, including the effectiveness of leaders’ work to ensure that disadvantaged pupils achieve well, how effectively positive behaviour is promoted and how well leaders ensure that pupils make consistently good progress in mathematics.  You have successfully ensured that the achievement of disadvantaged pupils is everyone’s responsibility. Staff and governors are united in their ambition for disadvantaged pupils to achieve well. Pupils’ individual needs are well understood. Thoughtful use of the additional funding ensures that extra support is carefully matched to each pupil’s personal needs. Progress is meticulously checked and support promptly adapted if required. Consequently, the school’s information about progress and the work in current pupils’ books demonstrate that many disadvantaged pupils are making strong progress from their starting points.  Positive behaviour is promoted effectively throughout the school. Pupils enthusiastically explained the many opportunities they have to earn rewards for positive behaviour. Many parents, who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, praised the way that behaviour is managed. However, there were also a number of parents who raised concerns about behaviour management. Behaviour seen during the inspection in and around the school was calm and orderly. Leaders’ careful analysis of behaviour means that support is swiftly put in place when needed, so that positive behaviour is consistently reinforced.  Some parents also raised concerns about bullying. However, pupils spoken to felt that, while bullying does happen sometimes, it is dealt with effectively by staff. There is clear evidence that leaders’ proactive approach is having a positive impact and the number of behaviour incidents is reducing. Leaders have sensible plans in place to improve communication with parents and carers about their continuing work to manage behaviour.  Leaders have made mathematics a top priority following last year’s disappointing key stage 2 results. Since then, there has been a thorough overhaul of the way that mathematics is taught. Helpful staff training is successfully strengthening teachers’ confidence and subject knowledge. As a result, pupils enjoy the many opportunities they have to solve problems and explain their reasoning. Work in pupils’ books and the school’s own information shows evidence of current pupils making strong progress from their starting points. Leaders are acutely aware that this work remains a key focus to secure the best outcomes for pupils in mathematics. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: pupils make consistently strong progress from their starting points in mathematics. I am copying this letter to the chair of governors, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Surrey. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Claire Prince Her Majesty’s Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you and spoke to governors. I also met with a representative from the local authority. I met with representatives from The Oaks Academy Trust and GLF (Grow, Learn and Flourish) Schools. Together, you and I visited classes in all year groups. I considered 44 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 30 free-text comments. There were 27 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire. I met with a small group of pupils and scrutinised work in pupils’ books. I observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime. I also analysed a range of the school’s documentation, including information about safeguarding. We discussed your evaluation of the schools’ effectiveness.

The Vale Primary School Parent Reviews



Average Parent Rating

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“Lovely village school”

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"> My son thorough enjoyed his time at The Vale. He had lovely friends and wonderful teachers.
“Review”

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"> A very friendly, supportive school. Pleased with staff and involvement with children.
“A very odd, insular village school”

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"> There are some good teachers at the school but, unfortunately, many coast on the back of the home-tutored children to get results. I've only really discovered this school's down sides since my children left and have experienced good schooling. This has led us to re-evaluate their time at The Vale.
unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>69, "agree"=>26, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>65, "agree"=>31, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>51, "agree"=>43, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
My Child Has Not Been Bullied Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>74, "strongly_agree"=>5, "agree"=>9, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>5} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>55, "agree"=>42, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>29, "strongly_agree"=>35, "agree"=>22, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>33, "agree"=>17, "disagree"=>17, "strongly_disagree"=>33, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 12 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>31, "agree"=>57, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>51, "agree"=>45, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>38, "agree"=>52, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>46, "agree"=>48, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>72, "agree"=>25, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>43, "agree"=>48, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023
Yes No {"yes"=>91, "no"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 65 responses up to 04-05-2023

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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