Stedham Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Increase the proportion of pupils who reach the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics by:
  • making sure that all lessons contain sufficient challenge to stretch the most able pupils
  • ensuring that leaders use assessment and tracking information to accurately identify pupils who should be making more progress.
• Governors should improve their knowledge and oversight of pupils’ attendance and progress, to more effectively hold leaders to account for the outcomes of all pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and governing body have strengthened senior leadership since the last inspection. They have a good understanding of the school’s current strengths and weaknesses and are taking appropriate action to tackle areas that need to be better. A good example of this is the work to tackle the poor performance in phonics in Year 1. Actions taken to address the aspects of teaching that needed to improve have resulted in significantly improved outcomes for pupils.
• The role of senior teachers has been strengthened. The most experienced teachers now play a more significant part in school improvement and are having a greater impact on outcomes for pupils. A good example of this is the work of the senior teacher responsible for the progress of disadvantaged pupils. As a result of her leadership, pupils are making more progress because the support these pupils receive is more effective.
• Leaders have strengthened the support for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Leaders make sure that the extra help pupils receive is making a difference. The accurate identification of pupils’ needs and effective monitoring of the impact of support mean that these pupils make sound progress.
• Additional funding is used effectively to enhance the progress that pupils make. The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium is leading to improved skills and a greater range of sporting opportunities and activities. Both the funding to support disadvantaged pupils and that for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are used effectively. Consequently, outcomes for these pupils are improving.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced, and parents appreciate the information they receive about what their children are learning. Pupils enjoy the range of activities on offer and particularly enjoy the forest school. The curriculum provides pupils with good opportunities to learn about British values and for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, some pupils talked passionately about the importance of equality while describing their work about disability and discrimination.
• Subject leadership is improving. Such activities as the tracking of additional support available to pupils in English and mathematics are developing subject leaders’ understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in their subject. Consequently, subject leaders are developing their knowledge of how effectively their subject is taught in the school.
• Leaders successfully use information about what pupils know and can do to ensure that they make strong progress. However, leaders, including subject leaders, are not sufficiently focused on challenging the most able pupils in each year group to progress rapidly and reach the higher standards.
• The local authority is providing effective support for leaders. Regular visits and precise monitoring from the local authority’s staff ensure that leaders remain focused on the key areas of school improvement.

Governance of the school

• Governance is strong. The governing body has changed significantly and almost all members are new, since the last inspection. Together, governors have taken firm action to identify and tackle the main issues facing the school. They have listened carefully to the views of parents and staff and have acted decisively to address weaker aspects of the school’s provision. A good example of this are the higher expectations of pupils’ behaviour, which were introduced following concerns raised in a parent questionnaire. Governors now need to use this successful approach to improve attendance and the progress of the most able pupils.
• For a period following the last inspection, the governing body did not pay enough attention to the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning. During this time, leaders were not held sufficiently to account. As a result of this, some pupils, particularly the most able, did not make as much progress as they should. Governors now need to ensure that they meticulously hold all leaders to account for the progress pupils make from their starting points.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The safety and well-being of pupils are taken very seriously. Systems to record concerns are thorough, and staff understand how to deal appropriately with any concerns they may have about a pupil’s safety. Members of the governing body check this aspect of the school’s work stringently. Procedures to ensure that visitors to the school do not present a risk to pupils are thorough. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, and have an appropriate knowledge of safe practice when using the internet.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers plan engaging activities that are well matched to what most pupils know and can do. A good example of this was observed in a mathematics lesson based on a letter received from a zoo. Pupils were highly motivated by the carefully planned activities. As a result, they made good progress in the skills they were learning. This effective and confident teaching enables pupils to make strong progress in lessons.
• Parents are happy with the education their children receive. They appreciate the information the school provides and the range of activities on offer to their children.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and teach the basics of English and mathematics well. They plan sequences of learning that effectively build pupils’ skills and confidence. This can be seen in lessons and in the work pupils have completed in their books. In the Years 5 and 6 class, for example, pupils were engaged in a series of lessons that securely developed their skills in, and understanding of, persuasive writing.
• Teaching assistants provide effective support and help pupils move their learning forward. The work of additional adults is most effective when they understand teachers’ expectations for presentation and the amount of work that should be completed by pupils.
• Systems to assess and monitor the progress that pupils make have been significantly improved since the last inspection. Teachers are now using careful tracking of assessments to ensure that pupils make strong progress. However, they are not using this information to identify any pupil who is not making sufficient progress quickly enough.
• In some lessons, the most able pupils make rapid progress because activities challenge them to stretch their learning. However, this is not consistent across the school. In lessons that lack challenge, pupils do not make as much progress as they could, particularly the most able pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Parents said that their children are happy and enjoy coming to school. Pupils are happy at school and feel safe.
• Pupils said that bullying and bad behaviour are rare. They are confident that staff will take good care of them. Staff reported that behaviour is well managed and that the school is calm and orderly.
• Pupils have regular opportunities to develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They enjoy activities such as the forest school and the play activities organised by older pupils in the school.
• Older pupils are encouraged to be role models of good behaviour for younger children in the school. Through such roles as play leaders, older pupils take on additional responsibilities and support younger pupils to learn and develop.
• Not all pupils feel that they have enough challenge in their lessons. Some pupils feel that teachers understand what they can do and have high expectations of their work. However, this is not the case for all pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in and around the school. They are polite to staff and to each other. Recent moves to raise expectations of pupils’ behaviour have taken affect and low-level disruption in lessons is now very rare. Exclusions are clearly recorded and carefully overseen by the governing body.
• Attendance is lower than the national average. This is partly because of some significant and unavoidable periods of absence for a small number of pupils. Leaders and governors know that attendance needs to improve. As a result, the headteacher provides regular and detailed information to the governing body. However, governors are not evaluating the effectiveness of the school’s efforts to promote good attendance for all pupils. Nor are governors effectively holding leaders to account for this important aspect of the school’s work.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Almost all pupils currently in the school are making good progress from their starting points. Accurate tracking information and the work in pupils’ books indicate that pupils’ progress is sound, and improving in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The proportion of pupils who reach or exceed the expected standard in English and mathematics fluctuates each year. This is because of the small number of pupils in some year groups. It is also because of the relatively small proportion of pupils who achieve the higher standards. Improvements to teaching and assessment are leading to increased rates of progress for pupils.
• The very large majority of pupils currently in Year 1 are on track to achieve the expected standard in phonics. The proportion of pupils who reach the standard is improving each year.
• Teachers use accurate information about what pupils know and understand to set appropriate targets for each pupil. Leaders have strengthened the extra support that some pupils receive. As a result, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are making better rates of progress.
• The number of pupils who achieve the higher standards is lower than it should be. This is because the most able pupils are not challenged enough to make rapid progress. The expectations of quality, and the amount of work that the most able pupils should produce, are not consistent across the school.

Early years provision Good

• Children make strong progress in the early years. They enter the school with levels of achievement that are broadly typical for their age. As a result of the broad range of well-thought-out activities they experience, they start Year 1 with levels that are broadly in line with the national average.
• Children engage enthusiastically in the activities on offer. The teacher skilfully engages children in these activities through very effective questioning. Consequently, children are making good progress. An example of this was the teacher’s use of photographs of the children at work, to get the children to think about their own next steps for their learning and development.
• Outcomes for children are good across all areas of learning. This is because the teacher closely monitors the progress of each child and plans carefully for their next steps.
• Disadvantaged children and those who have SEN and/or disabilities make progress that is equal to, or better than, that of their classmates because the teacher plans for each child individually.
• Relationships with parents are strong. Parents are well informed about the progress of their children, and appreciate the time spent to ensure that their children start school successfully.
• Some activities lack sufficient challenge to stretch the most able children. These children would benefit from being expected to complete more activities at a higher level.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125854 West Sussex 10040709 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 Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 80 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Helen Saelensminde and Neil Ryder Sally Dreckmann 01730 813522 www.stedham.w-sussex.sch.uk head@stedham.w-sussex.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 29─ 30 April 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The number of pupils in each year group changes each year. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and the proportion of disadvantaged pupils are very different in each class.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector took into account 45 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, including 22 free-text comments. The inspector also considered two responses to the pupil questionnaire and 12 responses to the staff questionnaire.
• A range of documents were considered, including: the school’s self-evaluation information; records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour and safety; and the school’s information about pupils’ achievement.
• The inspector observed teaching and learning in 11 lessons and parts of lessons, four of which were carried out jointly with senior leaders. The inspector scrutinised work in pupils’ books.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff, pupils and five members of the governing body. The inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.

Inspection team

Phil Minns, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector