‘The local school which is prioritising kindness’

Chailey School was inspected under the new rigorous Ofsted framework on the 10th and 11th February and was described as a “kind, caring and nurturing school which provides a wealth of opportunities for its pupils.”

Inspectors looked at six areas during their inspection including attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, achievement, and teaching and learning. The school scored ‘strong’ in four of these six areas, and achieved the expected standard for the other two.

Headteacher Paul Holt said “we are incredibly proud of the young people we serve who strive to be the best they can be every single day. We know that students need to be happy and healthy to achieve their potential and achieve well, therefore we make no apologies for prioritising kindness at Chailey School.”

The inspectors commented that “Behaviour in lessons and around school is impeccable and consistently calm. Pupils strive to follow the school rules and understand what staff expect of them.”

In addition to this, they mentioned that “Leaders are highly ambitious for the school, its staff and its pupils. They know the school extremely well, including its strengths and priorities for development.” The Headteacher shared that he feels Chailey has something for everything. He stated “We can push students to achieve the very best grades, whilst also being supportive and inclusive.”

The Headteacher went on to say that “this positive report is no coincidence, it is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication from our students, their families, our staff and my predecessor Mrs Helen Key. I feel privileged to lead this school every single day, and we look forward to continuing to strive for even better.”