Nutley Church of England Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 17–18 May 2012 Inspection number 378876 Nutley Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 114517 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 378876 Inspection dates 17–18 May 2012 Lead inspector Margaret Coussins

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 105 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne Rumble Headteacher Pat Coleman Date of previous school inspection 11 October 2006 School address High Street Nutley Uckfield TN22 3NW Telephone number 01825 712575 Fax number 01825 712575 Email address Head@nutleyce.e-sussex.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspector observed ten lessons or part lessons, totalling approximately five hours, involving four teachers, as well as hearing children read and looking at their work. Meetings were held with the headteacher, other staff with leadership responsibilities, members of the governing body and pupils. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documentation including the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, pupils’ progress records and the safeguarding procedures. Questionnaires from 67 parents and carers were received and analysed along with those from staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

Nutley is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average as is the proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school makes provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage in a mixed Reception and Year 1 class. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a good school. It is not yet outstanding because of some relative weaknesses in an overall good curriculum and teachers do not always make clear, to pupils, what it is they need to do over time to move to the next level of learning.  Pupils’ achievement is good. Pupils make good progress throughout the school to reach above average levels of attainment by the end of Year 6. All groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, learn and progress well.  Teaching is good. Teachers consistently ensure that pupils know what they will learn in each lesson and if they have been successful. However, they are not so good at providing pupils with individual targets for learning to help them understand how to reach the next level and improve progress further.  Pupils thrive in the caring and inclusive atmosphere. Consequently, they enjoy school, reflected in above average attendance, behave well in lessons and

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Key findings

around the school and feel safe. They have positive attitudes to learning and show respect for each other and adults. Good behaviour makes a positive contribution to pupils’ learning and a well-ordered, happy school.  Good leadership and management have maintained the school’s good overall effectiveness since the previous inspection. A good curriculum and strong partnerships help the school to provide enriching spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences. However, topic planning does not always provide enough occasions for pupils to use and apply mathematics skills in other subjects or consistent opportunities for pupils to take the initiative or responsibility for their learning. Targets for the performance of all staff are well linked to school priorities and the monitoring of teaching is clearly focused on learning. Where weaknesses are identified effective support is given. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Key findings

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enhance the impact of the curriculum by:  increasing the opportunities for pupils to use and apply their mathematical skills in other subjects  including more opportunities for pupils to take initiative and responsibility for their learning, utilising their good behaviour, attitudes and personal skills.  Provide pupils with clear targets for learning over time to give them a better understanding of how they can move to the next level.

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Achievement of pupils

All groups of pupils achieve well and make good progress from their starting points, which are at expected levels when they start in the Reception year. By the time they leave at the end of Year 6, attainment is above average. Most pupils reach the expected Level 4 in English and mathematics. More pupils than found nationally reach the higher Level 5 in both subjects, although this is more marked in reading and writing than in mathematics. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to others, from their starting points. They learn well because the school identifies their needs accurately and provides effective support through individual or small group sessions. Most parents and carers agree their children make good progress and that the school meets children’s particular needs well. Inspection findings support this positive view.

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Achievement of pupils

In the Reception year, children make good progress to reach, and often exceed, the expected goals for learning by the time they move into Year 1. A strong focus on developing children’s communication, language and number skills, as well as their personal development, permeates activities in the Reception year. As a result, children gain independence and confidence. Children develop a good sense of story and can talk about their favourites. Work on the book My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes helped them to develop a sense of rhyme and rhythm and children responded well to the humour to help them in their own writing. They wrote sentences about cats with often accurate use of full stops and capital letters and drawing on their developing phonic (letters and sounds) skills.

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Achievement of pupils

Learning in mathematics is purposeful and enthusiastic, particularly when good use of resources motivates and actively engages pupils. This was seen, for example, when pupils in Years 3 and 4 developed a good understanding of the properties of three-dimensional shapes. However, there are too few planned opportunities for pupils to use and apply mathematics skills across the curriculum.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment in reading by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 builds effectively on the firm grounding in the Early Years Foundation Stage and is above average. By Year 2, Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

competent, fluent readers are clearly making sense of texts by using a range of strategies such as reading on to the end of a sentence, as well as using phonic knowledge to sound out unfamiliar words. By Year 6, pupils read confidently and with enjoyment. They have good knowledge of a range of authors and express preferences for different styles of writing. They develop good comprehension skills and are able to read between the lines to infer and deduce meaning and empathise with characters.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils enjoy lessons and are enthusiastic to learn, they work at a good pace and concentrate well on their tasks. They enjoy being actively involved in finding things out for themselves and respond positively to challenging activities and working together. For example, in Years 5 and 6, pupils demonstrated good collaborative skills and high levels of contribution, prompted by skilled teaching, in identifying the key features of information leaflets.

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Quality of teaching

Most pupils, parents and carers feel that teaching is good and this positive view is confirmed by inspection findings. Staff in the Early Years Foundation Stage create an environment where children develop good personal and social skills, grow in confidence and are happy. Staff are skilled in observing and recording children’s achievements in all areas of learning and this is used well to plan the next steps in learning. There is a good balance of activities directed by adults and those where children can make their own choices which, along with regular routines such as registering their own names in the morning and being responsible for tidying up after an activity, helps to promote their independence.

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Quality of teaching

Notable features of teaching seen consistently across the school are skilled questioning to extend pupils’ thinking and the provision of opportunities for pupils to develop speaking and listening skills through sharing thoughts and ideas with learning partners. This, along with the range of strategies teachers use to select pupils to respond to their questions, ensures that all pupils are engaged and participate in lessons, leading to good progress. For example, Years 1 and 2 pupils made good progress in counting forwards and backwards in twos, fives and tens, by responding well to the teacher’s good use of the interactive whiteboard, well- targeted questions and opportunities for discussion. In lessons, teachers explain clearly to pupils what they will learn and how they will know if they have succeeded. Marking and feedback are often used effectively and pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own progress in lessons. However, teachers do not consistently make

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Quality of teaching

longer-term individual targets clear to pupils that would help them move to the next level of learning.

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Quality of teaching

Reading is taught well at all levels, from skilled teaching of phonics to effective guided reading sessions where teachers work with groups to teach comprehension, a range of reading strategies and, with older pupils, more advanced reading skills. Teachers and many skilled support staff ably support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in small group sessions or on a one-to-one basis where Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

planned activities, tailored to their needs, help them to keep up and make good progress. The teaching of personal, social and health education is effective and provides good opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Most pupils, parents and carers, responding to the inspection questionnaires, feel that behaviour in the school is good and that the school keeps children safe. These views agree with inspection findings. Pupils are polite, caring and respectful of each other and their school environment. Behaviour around the school and in lessons during the inspection was good with pupils showing care, kindness and respect towards each other and adults. School records show that this is typical of behaviour over time. In discussions, pupils said that teachers never let any inappropriate behaviour stop others learning. A very small minority of pupils, parents and carers, in the responses to the questionnaires, were not confident that the school always deals effectively with bullying. The inspector investigated this view thoroughly and found that, should any bullying occur, the school has clear, well-established policies and

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

practice to deal swiftly and effectively with any issues. Discussions with pupils indicate that they understand what constitutes bullying in all its forms, including cyber bullying and prejudice-based bullying. They said they are confident that there is no bullying in school and that, if there is the occasional falling out, they can usually sort it out themselves. Pupils are equally confident that if anything more serious were to occur the headteacher and teachers would act quickly and effectively.

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Leadership and management

Leaders, managers and members of the governing body have worked successfully to maintain the quality of the school’s work and pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection. School improvement planning is clearly focused on the right priorities as a result of rigorous monitoring and self-assessment. Professional development is linked to the key priorities. The school has reviewed and revised the curriculum to ensure that it effectively meets the needs of pupils in mixed age classes and successfully promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their basic skills. The school has correctly identified, however, that the use and application of mathematical skills are not developed fully through a wide range of subjects and curriculum planning does not always afford pupils the opportunity to make the most of their good behaviour, attitudes and personal skills by taking more initiative and

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Leadership and management

responsibility for their learning. Monitoring of teaching and learning highlights the right priorities for improvement and where weaknesses are identified effective action is taken, including well-targeted professional development. For example, staff training for providing guided reading sessions has had a considerable impact on raising achievement in reading, which was an area for improvement in the previous inspection report. This track record, together with the school’s accurate understanding of its strengths and what remains to be done, demonstrates the school’s capacity for further improvement. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

There is a shared drive, led very effectively by the headteacher, to provide the best possible learning experiences for each child. As a consequence, equality of opportunity is promoted well and pupils learn in a safe, secure and supportive environment without fear of discrimination. Arrangements for safeguarding meet all statutory requirements. Most parents and carers rightly feel that the school takes good care of their children. A typical comment from a parent expressed this. ‘The caring nature between year groups, and the way the head, teachers and teaching assistants know all the children is wonderful.’ Effective partnerships promote pupils’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development well and provide opportunities that would not always be possible in a small school, such as participation in sporting and musical events.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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3NW

Thank you for making me so welcome when I inspected your school. I really enjoyed visiting your lessons, talking to you and your teachers and looking at the work you have been doing. You are very polite, friendly and interesting to talk to and I appreciated the way you helped me find out about your school. Thank you also to those of you who completed the questionnaire.

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3NW

Nutley is a good school. You make good progress and reach higher standards compared to other pupils nationally by the time you leave. You behave well and are keen to learn. Your school takes good care of you so that you feel safe. You told me that you enjoy coming to school, your teachers make lessons interesting and you learn a lot. Well done for attending school so regularly.

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3NW

Although the school is doing well there are still things it can improve. I have asked your headteacher and governors to make sure that they include mathematics in the planning of your topics to give you more opportunities to use and apply your good skills across a range of subjects. I have also asked the headteacher and teachers to make sure that you have more opportunities to be involved and responsible for your own learning. You could do this well because of your good attitudes and behaviour and it would help you achieve even more. One more thing I have asked is for your teachers to make sure that, as well as knowing what you are learning in each lesson, you know what your targets are over time and how you can move to the next level of learning.

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3NW

You can help by continuing to work hard and do your best at all times.

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3NW

Finally, I would like to thank you again and wish you well in the future.

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3NW

Margaret Coussins Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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