The Windmills Junior School, Hassocks, upgraded to 'good' by Ofsted

The Windmills in Hassocks has been upgraded from "requires improvement" by the education watchdog.

The school, in Dale Avenue, was visited by lead inspector Deborah Gordon and her colleagues last month, the first full inspection since 2018.

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She said: "Pupils are happy at school. The school’s values of kindness, respect, courage, curiosity, independence and perseverance underpin pupils’ daily school experience. They understand the importance of these values and strive to model them."

She commended the school on creating a safe environment, saying pupils feel safe with staff and know what to do if they have concerns.

Teachers have high expectations of pupils, which is returned in hard work and high performance across the curriculum.

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Ms Gordon praised the school and headteacher Leila Murray on making the required improvements following the 2018 visit.

She said: "Leaders have taken effective action to improve the school since the previous inspection. They have designed an ambitious and carefully ordered curriculum that provides a high-quality education for pupils."

She highlighted an "ambitious and clear" curriculum, staff training, global learning and diversity among the school's strengths.

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The report acknowledged the positive experience of children with special educational needs/or disabilities (Send) in subjects such as maths and English, but said they wre less supported in foundation subjects.

Measures in place for safeguarding purposes are effective with staff training up to date and records being kept "meticulously".

Parents, pupils and staff all express confidence in the "robust" systems in place to keep children safe, say Ms Gordon.

She outlined ways the school could improve further, including monitoring of the implementation of subject plans for all pupil groups and further evaluation and refinement to ensure those with Send make sustained progress across the curriculum.

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