Sidlesham Primary School

Sidlesham Primary School Keynor Lane, Sidlesham, Chichester, PO20 7NL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Improvements have been held back by unsettled staffing.  Pupils do not always make good progress, especially those who are the most able because teaching is not consistently good.  Teachers do not all have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and do not always match activities well to pupils’ abilities.  Teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to work together. Not all classes have enough activities which give the pupils more imaginative ways to learn.  Marking does not always give pupils clear points about how to improve their work.  In mathematics, pupils do not routinely have the opportunity to use the skills they have learnt in order to investigate and solve problems.  Subject leaders do not consistently use their assessments of teaching and learning to improve teaching and rates of progress.  Teachers are not given enough opportunities to share with each other the best practice that

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The school has the following strengths

 Attainment in English and mathematics is rising. Since September 2012 rates of progress have accelerated, especially in Year 6.  Pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. Pupils support each other very well. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe.  The strong and determined leadership of the headteacher and the new deputy headteacher is supported well by governors.  Leaders and managers make stringent checks on teachers’ work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed parts of nine lessons, five of which were joint observations with the headteacher. She heard pupils read and observed the teaching of reading. She also observed pupils during break times.  The inspector looked at various aspects of the school’s work, including documentation about safeguarding, pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance. In addition, she also looked at pupils’ books, planning and evaluation records, minutes of the meetings of the governing body and external reports.  Account was taken of the 38 responses on the Parent View online questionnaire, letters received from parents and carers and meetings held with them.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, a representative from the local authority, various members of staff including senior and middle leaders and a group of pupils.

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Inspection team

Helen Howard, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  Approximately one tenth of the pupils are eligible for pupil premium funding, a lower proportion than in most schools. This additional funding is for those who are known to be eligible for free school meals, those looked after by the local authority and the children of service families.  There is an average proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  Almost all pupils have a White British heritage.  The governing body manages a range of after-school clubs.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2012 and the deputy headteacher has recently taken up her post.  During this year, staffing has been very unsettled, largely due to illness.  In 2012, the school met the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is at least all good by:  making sure that teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve  providing more opportunities for pupils to work together  improving marking so that teachers give pupils clear points about how to improve their work  planning more opportunities for pupils to learn in more imaginative ways.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress, especially for the most able pupils by:  providing work that is matched closely to pupils’ abilities  giving pupils more opportunities in mathematics to develop their understanding through investigations and solving problems.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  making sure that subject leaders consistently use their assessments of teaching and learning in their subjects to plan actions that will accelerate progress and improve the quality of teaching  providing more opportunities for teachers to model and share the best practice that is in the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment and progress have been uneven since the last inspection. Pupils have not made consistently good progress from their starting points. Progress has accelerated this year but is not yet consistently good because teaching is not always good.  More able pupils do not always make fast enough progress from their starting points because teachers do not consistently have high enough expectations of what they can achieve.  Children start Reception with a range of skills and abilities that are, for a majority, typical for their age, although skills in reading are weaker. School data and observations show that more able children do not always make fast enough progress to reach the standards they could.  Progress is variable in Years 1 to 5 in writing and mathematics because the quality of teaching is not consistently good or better. In Year 6, progress is accelerating as a result of typically good

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

and outstanding teaching and pupils reach standards in both English and mathematics that are above average.  The school has recently introduced an approach to reading that helps pupils match letters and combinations of letters to the sounds they make (phonics). This is helping to improve progress in reading. The proportion of pupils reaching expected standards in the phonic screening check in Year 1 is above average and standards in reading at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are also above average.  Pupils entitled to pupil premium funding make similar progress to others in their class. In 2012, the gaps in attainment in English between those pupils who benefited from the pupil premium funding and other pupils in Year 6 widened compared with the previous year. Their attainment was approximately half a level, or around a year, behind. In mathematics, the gap was smaller and eligible pupils attained approximately one third of a level, or around six months, behind.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

School data show that this year, because progress is accelerating, the gaps are narrowing.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make the same progress as others and some are now making good progress because teachers plan more carefully for their needs. They are well supported by teaching assistants in lessons.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Since the headteacher was appointed, the school has experienced very high levels of staff absence, mainly though illness. Consequently, despite the determined efforts of the headteacher and governors to improve the quality of teaching, while it is improving, it is not yet routinely good across the school.  Teachers do not have consistently high enough expectations of what pupils can do and they do not always plan activities that match pupils’ abilities. In particular, more able pupils do not always make the fast progress they could.  In lessons where teaching is good or better, teachers manage the mixed-age classes well by providing activities that meet pupils’ varying needs. Pupils have opportunities to work in pairs and small groups and they say that they learn best when this is offered. However, teachers do not always give these opportunities, and where this is the case, progress is slower.  Where teaching focuses on pupils using their imagination, progress accelerates. In an

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

outstanding Year 6 design and technology lesson, pupils made excellent progress and much enjoyed making cube frames out of wood to function as water carriers, using their own designs. Pupils respond very well to creative opportunities in lessons but these are not consistently offered across all year groups.  Pupils make good progress in mathematics when they are given activities that help them to use their skills to investigate and solve problems. For example, a Years 2 and 3 class was given the question: ‘How can we show that our class’s favourite activity is swimming?’ Pupils produced a range of graphs and charts, including tally charts, bar graphs, pictograms and pie charts on the computer, to show which activity was most popular. The opportunity to apply their skills in this way is not consistently offered in mathematics lessons and so not all pupils make good progress.  Teachers mark work regularly and show pupils what they have done well. They do not

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

consistently give clear information about how pupils can improve their work and some pupils make slower progress as a result.  Teaching assistants work well with teachers to support disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. They are deployed well by teachers and make a helpful contribution to pupils’ progress. They support the teaching of phonics well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils get on well with each other in this very caring school. They work well together in lessons and enjoy learning. This begins in Reception, where children are reminded from an early age to be kind to each other.  Pupils support each other well. As older pupils said, ‘We are a small school and know each other really well. We really look out for each other’. They are aware of the different types of bullying and say that although it was an issue in the past, it is now rare. They are confident that they can report it to adults and that it is taken very seriously. The school promotes good relationships and tackles discrimination robustly and effectively.  Pupils feel safe and the majority of parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire agree. Most pupils report that they feel safe in school. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including on the internet.  Adults are consistently firm, fair and supportive. This means that pupils who have behavioural,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

emotional and social difficulties make good progress in improving their behaviour because adults offer good quality, sometimes specialised, help.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and they are punctual to lessons. Most pupils attend regularly.  Behaviour is not outstanding because when teaching is not consistently good, a few pupils become distracted and restless. Their attitudes to learning are not at the same high level shown by most pupils.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Staff turbulence has delayed improvements in teaching and learning since the previous inspection.  Senior leaders are providing clear direction and good strategies but the impact is not yet fully evident in pupils’ achievement. Despite this, teaching, achievement and behaviour are improving, demonstrating the capacity to continue this trend.  The school has good systems for checking how well it is doing. Leaders and managers have new roles and responsibilities. Subject leaders do not yet use their assessments of teaching sufficiently well to bring about rapid improvements.  The school has a strong commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity but is aware that not all groups of pupils are achieving as well as they might.  Senior leaders and mangers know the school well and have correctly identified the main areas for improvement. Effective plans are in place to address these. Senior leaders closely monitor

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The leadership and management require improvement

teaching and plan programmes of support and development.  The curriculum provides many opportunities for topics that link different areas of learning. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness develops through a variety of experiences including clubs after school, trips and visits.  A number of partnerships with the school support improvements. These include the local authority, which has provided effective support along with a headteacher from a local school.  The headeacher is aware that a small number of parents and carers do not feel as positively about the school as the majority and has introduced a range of actions to ensure that communication is improving.  The governance of the school:  Governors are increasingly well informed about pupils’ progress through detailed reporting by the headteacher and by its more rigorous approach to challenging leaders and managers and holding the school to account. They know about the quality of teaching and are aware of the

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The leadership and management require improvement

school’s strengths and areas for development. They have supported the recruitment of high quality staff and have led the strategic direction for the school. They monitor teachers’ performance management, including that of the headteacher, to ensure that it is robust and that underperformance, especially related to pay, is tackled decisively. Governors use data well to evaluate how well pupil premium funding is used and the difference it makes to outcomes. The school budget is managed well and there are effective plans in place to improve resources.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 125853 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 403586

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 138 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steven Foden Headteacher Alison Bardsley Date of previous school inspection 5 December 2007 Telephone number 12243 641238 Fax number 12243 641008 Email address office@sidlesham.w-sussex.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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