The Haven Voluntary Aided CofE/Methodist Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by developing the skills of middle leaders in the use of assessment information to inform their plans to raise standards.
• Improve the effectiveness of teaching so that it has a consistently good impact on pupils’ learning and achievement by ensuring that:
  • teachers securely develop pupils’ reasoning skills in mathematics
  • pupils deepen their learning and those with potential reach the higher standards.
• Strengthen leaders’ approach to improving attendance so that the number of pupils who are persistently absent reduces.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders, including governors, have managed the school’s expansion well as it has grown considerably in size. The headteacher has made sure that pupils’ positive behaviour and attitudes have not been adversely affected as the school has grown larger, by placing all aspects of school life around the school’s Christian values.
• There are very good relationships between staff and pupils, who all show care towards each other and for their school.
• Senior leaders hold a collective vision for improvement that is shared and developed with all staff. Staff and governors share the headteacher’s strong ambition for the school to improve further.
• Leaders have a good view of the school’s current effectiveness and improvement priorities. They have put in place clear, ambitious plans for improvement, which are continually evaluated and monitored.
• Following the previous inspection and due to the rapid expansion of the school, some turbulence in staffing affected teaching and learning. Leaders have now ensured that there is stability and are developing a consistent approach to teaching, learning and assessment throughout the school. Pupils overall are making good progress across a range of subjects.
• Middle leadership in the school has undergone some recent changes and the new team has not yet had the chance to demonstrate sustained and significant impact. Team members are being supported well by senior leaders in order to develop further their understanding of how to carry out these roles effectively.
• Leaders’ understanding of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics is not yet secure. This is because middle leaders’ monitoring skills have not been reliable enough in the past. Middle leaders have not always used assessment information effectively to inform their monitoring of teaching and learning.
• Leaders have ensured that pupils’ presentation skills and accuracy in spelling, grammar and punctuation show improvement since the last inspection. Teachers give pupils clear direction in developing these skills in all subjects.
• Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. Leaders have used the funding to provide additional teaching to help pupils participate fully in all areas of school life. Leaders routinely evaluate the impact of this work on pupils’ progress and adjust their approach accordingly. Work in pupils’ books and the school’s information showed that most disadvantaged pupils currently at the school are making good progress.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are receiving tailored support based on accurate assessments of their needs. Teachers and teaching assistants are developing a good understanding of how best to support individual pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is developed well through a broad curriculum that engages and excites them. They speak enthusiastically about their enjoyment of a range of subjects, including sports, topic and religious studies. Pupils appreciate the range of trips and visitors that the school organises.
• The school prepares pupils positively for life in modern Britain through its personal, social, health and economic education. Pupils talk with confidence about British values and how they weave into school life alongside the school’s values.
• Leadership of physical education (PE) is highly effective. The school is committed to achieving the best standards and is working towards the platinum award for sport and PE. All pupils take part in the ‘daily mile’ each day and teachers report that this has improved pupils’ concentration in class.
• There is a wide range of extra-curricular clubs available at lunchtime and after school. Many lunchtime clubs are run by older pupils who have been trained as sports leaders. Intra-house competitions are arranged throughout the year, and the school participates in regular competitions with other local schools. Leaders ensure that all pupils participate in sport by entering festivals for less able pupils that are designed to celebrate and enjoy taking part in physical activity.
• Last year the school received additional external support from the local authority. It provided support for the new headteacher and new senior leadership team. This support has been effective in helping leaders to plan effectively for school improvements.
• The school is held in high regard by parents, pupils, staff and the local community. Most parents who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire, Parent View, were extremely positive about the school and the care and guidance that their children receive. One parent summarised the views of many with the comment: ‘We have no words to describe the school. The quality of support and learning that the school and all staff offer is the best you can have. As a parent I feel that my daughter is getting the best education in a very safe environment.’

Governance of the school

• Governors provide strong, strategic support and challenge for school leaders. This has been particularly important during a time of significant change following the previous inspection.
• Governors have a clear understanding of how well pupils are doing over time, especially in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because they ask leaders for the right information, including about the progress of pupils who are disadvantaged and those with SEND, and they regularly visit the school. As a result, they know that the quality of education is good and continues to improve.
• Governors hold leaders to account for the decisions they make, including their use of the pupil premium grant and the PE and sport premium funding.
• Governors ensure that they are up to date. They regularly attend training provided by the local authority and join school training sessions to ensure that they understand the latest requirements.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors have succeeded in establishing a strong culture of safeguarding within the school. All staff are knowledgeable and vigilant and know how to recognise the signs of harm and abuse and how to raise concerns. Training contributes towards staff members’ increased awareness of safeguarding risks, including the ‘Prevent’ duty. The headteacher runs a weekly quiz to ensure that all staff are familiar with current safeguarding guidance and regulations.
• The designated safeguarding leaders keep good records of any concerns and how they have been followed up. Referrals are made to external agencies when necessary. Leaders ensure that all adults are checked for their suitability to work with children.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders use a range of systems to monitor and check the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school. Staff are provided with feedback, coaching, support and training to improve their practice. As a result, staff, including those who have recently joined the school, have quickly developed their skills and understanding.
• Teachers and leaders carry out regular checks to ensure that the help that pupils receive is appropriate and meets their needs. This helps teachers to identify more clearly which pupils need additional support.
• Staff use a wide range of resources in classrooms to help pupils to understand concepts or engage in practical learning. For example, a Year 2 class was challenged to find objects that were heavier or lighter than a measurement of rice. Pupils were able to work collaboratively to predict outcomes and then test their hypothesis using balance scales.
• Phonics teaching is consistent and follows the school’s scheme of choice. Over time, pupils’ outcomes in the Year 1 screening check have been variable, falling below the national average for the past two years. Leaders have identified the need to raise standards in phonics as a priority by sharing good practice and by involving parents in the drive to improve outcomes.
• By the end of key stage 1, most pupils have developed their phonic skills well, enabling them to identify words accurately. Pupils continue to refine their reading skills across key stage 2, developing their skills of inference, comprehension and prediction. Pupils across the school use their reading as a stimulus for writing and pupils demonstrate that they can respond creatively.
• Many pupils take great pride in their work and this is reflected in the good quality of presentation in their books and in work displayed around school. Where presentation is good, it is consistently good across the curriculum. However, teachers’ expectations of good presentation are not consistent.
• Developments in mathematics teaching ensure that pupils learn an appropriately broad range of numeracy topics and skills. Effective teaching ensures that pupils can use their knowledge of number efficiently to tackle mathematics problems. However, the teaching of reasoning is not yet developed consistently across the school. As a result, some pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop the necessary skills to reason well.
• Classroom visits showed that, on occasion, most-able pupils are not challenged enough. For example, in one mathematics lesson, pupils were given three sets of questions. The questions became increasingly challenging. However, pupils were asked to first complete each set before they could move on. As there was insufficient time allowed for pupils to work through all sets, pupils did not reach the highest challenge, even though they were able to complete the easier tasks. Senior and middle leaders are increasingly aware of this. As a result, staff are focusing much more on this issue, and most-able pupils are now beginning to make better progress.
• The teaching of PE is a strength of the school. During their schooling, pupils experience a range of different sports and develop a wide range of skills. The PE leader ensures that all pupils in key stage 2 access an extra-curricular sports club.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The school is a happy and inclusive environment. Pupils are happy in school. They feel safe and are well cared for by staff, and they trust adults to help them if they have worries or concerns.
• Pupils are confident and almost all have positive attitudes to learning. They work hard in lessons and, from a young age, develop resilience and positive attitudes to learning. Pupils who have ‘kept going’ are celebrated in school newsletters and on a board in the school entrance.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in the school, at home and online. Pupils talk animatedly about procedures to ensure online safety, and posters in the computer room and every classroom are reminders of the procedures to follow.
• The school places a strong emphasis on pupils’ physical and emotional well-being. A nurture room provides space for pupils to discuss any worries with staff and a calm place for pupils who occasionally struggle with their emotions or behaviour.
• Leaders maintain emotional care through social skills interventions and using a play therapist who works at the school three days a week. These measures have had a significant impact on the behaviour of pupils in and around the school.
• Pupils spoken to during the inspection and the responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey indicated that most pupils feel that their teachers deal with bullying effectively when it occurs.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. They are polite and friendly, greeting visitors and holding doors open for adults. Breaktimes and lunchtimes are harmonious occasions where pupils interact happily together.
• Most pupils have good learning behaviours that allow them to make good progress. However, in some lessons and year groups, a small minority of pupils lose concentration. This low-level disruption is not consistently addressed by teaching staff swiftly enough. Pupils report that the behaviour of other pupils sometimes affects their own ability to concentrate on their learning.
• Whole-school attendance is closely monitored. Improvements and full attendance are celebrated with the pupils in assemblies and with parents in newsletters. The attendance of pupils has improved steadily over recent years to now be in line with national averages. This is largely due to the close liaison and positive relationships that school staff, including the leadership team and the attendance officer, have with families. However, although the school has successfully tackled the poor attendance of some individual pupils who are regularly absent from school, too many pupils are still persistently absent.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2018, the proportion of pupils in Year 1 who met the expected standard in the phonics screening check was broadly in line with the national average and similar to the 2017 outcomes.
• At the end of key stage 1 in 2018, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was above the national average. The proportion exceeding the expected standard was at or just above the national average.
• Leaders have successfully arrested a decline in 2017 outcomes by improving the quality of teaching and accelerating pupils’ progress, especially in mathematics. As a result, in 2018, pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6 rose to be at or above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school’s assessment information and work in pupils’ books indicated that current pupils are making good progress in a range of subjects. However, additional support and teaching provided for pupils in upper key stage 2 have been more effective than for other year groups.
• In 2018, most-able pupils at the end of Year 6 attained well in reading and writing, but fewer pupils reached the higher standard in mathematics. Challenge for current most-able pupils is planned but is not yet fully effective in developing their skills.
• Pupils of varying abilities achieve well overall. Pupils with SEND are making good gains from their starting points, particularly in their social and emotional skills. They are taught and supported effectively.
• The progress made by disadvantaged pupils at the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics improved in 2018 following a significant drop in 2017. Additional funding was used effectively by leaders to support this improvement. As a result, in 2018, disadvantaged pupils made progress that was broadly in line with that made by other pupils nationally.

Early years provision Good

• Children quickly settle into Reception because of the good relationships and caring attitudes of teachers and other adults working in the department. Leaders have established strong links with the private on-site nursery, and many children enter the school from this provision.
• Children usually start Reception with skills and abilities that are around those typical nationally for the age group. Children make good progress in early years. As a result of good teaching, the percentage of children reaching a good level of development is higher than the national average. They are well prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• Leaders have identified the progress of disadvantaged children as a focus for development. In 2018, disadvantaged children did not make the same level of progress as their peers or as other children nationally. Leaders have introduced coaching, support and targeted training for teaching staff to raise standards for these pupils.
• Staff collate useful assessment information. This is used to ensure that teachers design activities which both engage and challenge children. Children find activities exciting and fun. For example, during the inspection, children were playing outside in the rain, building a fire engine. They worked collectively and collaboratively on a lengthy project to assemble large construction equipment, including a fire hose and wheels.
• Children have very positive attitudes to learning and eagerly share their learning with visitors and each other. Established classroom routines help them to behave well, for example when moving from adult-led learning to free-choice activities.
• Leaders recognise that more work needs to be done to engage with parents. Currently, staff seek out the knowledge that parents glean from learning and playing with their own children at home and share in-school learning with them through an online tool. Leaders are working to engage parents more with their child’s learning. For instance, they recently ran a phonics workshop for all parents.
• Safeguarding arrangements for early years are effective. Established routines and risk assessments ensure that children are safe and well cared for.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 131381 East Sussex 10059285 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 438 Appropriate authority The governing body Co-Chairs Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mrs N Soars and Mrs H Walshe Mrs S Trathen 01323 471781 www.thehaven.e-sussex.sch.uk/ office@thehaven.e-sussex.sch.uk Date of previous inspection July 2014

Information about this school

• This school has grown considerably since its last inspection and now has two forms of entry across the school.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school and there are two full classes in every year group.
• The school is a collaboration between the Church of England and Methodist Church foundations to provide a Christian education.
• Most pupils are White British.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is below average.
• Many children join the school having attended the nursery provision housed on the school site. This is a private nursery that is registered and inspected separately.
• The headteacher was appointed in April 2017, having previously been the deputy headteacher.
• The school runs a breakfast club and hosts a privately run after-school club.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors carried out 20 lesson observations, visiting all classes. In many observations, inspectors were accompanied by senior leaders.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteachers and other leaders.
• The lead inspector held meetings with the co-chairs of governors and other members of the governing body.
• The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read, looked at pupils’ work in books and discussed pupils’ progress and learning with leaders.
• Inspectors met with pupils and spoke to pupils in classes, on the playground and at lunchtime. They also considered the 105 responses to the online pupil survey.
• Inspectors took account of the views of parents through 42 responses to Parent View and 24 free-text responses. Inspectors also took account of 268 responses to the recent survey of parents carried out by the governing body. The lead inspector also considered one letter from a parent.
• The views of staff were gathered through discussions and reviewing 42 responses to the staff survey.
• Inspectors checked a range of documents and records relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, the school’s evaluation of its own performance and the school’s development plans.

Inspection team

Marcia Goodwin, lead inspector Stephanie Scutter Lynda Welham

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector