Parkside Community Primary School

School report Parkside Community Primary School Beechwood Lane, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 8QQ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The strong drive by senior leaders to improve, particularly in the last year, has resulted in consistently strong teaching across the school and faster progress.  English and mathematics standards at the end of Year 6 are above average. Pupils’ progress is consistently good, and in Key Stage 2 many make rapid progress.  Parents, staff and pupils are totally committed to supporting the new headteacher. Staff value the encouragement they are given to experiment with new ideas and the training opportunities to improve their teaching. This means morale is high and there is a unanimous desire to want to improve.  Teaching is good because teachers explain things very well, set interesting activities and enjoy excellent relationships with the pupils  Pupils behave well and are courteous and well mannered. They leave the school as responsible young people well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The governors are very effective and totally involved in the school, and provide a well- informed level of challenge to the school’s leadership. This enables plans for the future to be made which are appropriate and understood by everyone.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some middle leaders do not have the skills or experience of judging teaching to pinpoint exactly what needs to be done to improve a teacher’s performance.  Information about pupils’ attainment is not being used consistently by teachers when planning their lessons and programmes of work so work is not always matched to pupils’ needs and abilities.  There are too few challenging activities, particularly in mathematics, to stretch and deepen the knowledge of the most able pupils.  Marking does not consistently help pupils to understand what they need to do to improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons, of which four were joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors made a number of other short visits to lessons. They also looked at pupils’ books and observed other aspects of the school’s work.  Meetings were held with five governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, and teachers. Pupils took inspectors on a tour of the school. The inspectors also listened to and spoke to pupils about their reading. A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 26 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), spoke to parents and carers at the school gate and considered a letter from a parent. Inspectors reviewed 13 questionnaire responses from staff.  A number of documents were looked at, including the school’s own information relating to pupils’ achievement, the school’s self-evaluation summary and school development plan, planning

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Information about this inspection

documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance and checks on teaching, policy documents and documents relating to safeguarding. The inspectors also looked at the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Martin Marsh, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Julie Bourdon-Pierre Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  One in every nine pupils is known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding which supports pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children or children of service families). In this school, this is for pupils eligible for free school meals and is below average.  One in 12 pupils who have special educational needs are supported on school action, which is a below average proportion, and one in 25 on school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, which is also below average.  Only a small proportion of pupils belong to ethnic groups other than White British and nearly all have English as their first language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher was seconded to the school in September 2012 and was formally appointed in

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that a greater proportion is outstanding by:  making sure that information about pupils’ attainment is used more effectively to plan for the needs and abilities of all pupils and to check on progress  giving more opportunities for able pupils to deepen their knowledge by working on challenging activities, particularly in mathematics  developing greater consistency in marking so that pupils know more precisely how they can improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the skills of a greater number of leaders in checking on the quality of teaching and learning so as to identify what needs to be done to help more pupils make rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils join the school in Reception with skills that are typical for their age. They leave the school in Year 6 having made good progress overall, with many making more rapid progress through Key Stage 2, reaching standards that are above national averages in English and mathematics.  Children make a good start in Reception, particularly in learning their letters and the sounds they make (phonics). As a result, the outcomes of the phonics screening check for pupils in Year 1 were above those found nationally. They continue to progress well in reading and, by the time they leave, can read very well, having a real interest in and love of books. ‘Reading calms and reenergises me,’ one Year 6 pupil claimed.  The well-targeted support programmes for pupils at Key Stage 2 contribute significantly to the faster progress that the older pupils make. The small number of pupils eligible for pupil premium

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The achievement of pupils is good

in particular benefit from the one-to-one support and small group sessions that the funding provides, enabling them to attain at a similar level to other pupils in English and mathematics. Pupil premium pupils at Key Stage 1 benefit from a well-trained teacher providing additional support in helping them to read.  Additional adult support is skilled and effective in enabling pupils with special education needs to be fully involved in lessons. This, and the additional help they get out of class, enables pupils to acquire the skills to make the same rate of progress as their peers, and sometimes faster.  Some more able pupils do not make the rapid progress of which they are capable because they are not given enough activities that challenge them and deepen their learning, particularly in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Excellent relationships between teachers and pupils characterise all lessons. Pupils listen to their teachers, who explain things well. Pupils benefit from frequently being able to discuss their ideas in pairs and confidently give answers to the whole class.  Teachers are imaginative in the activities that they ask pupils to work on, which motivates them well. In a Year 6 lesson, pupils were studying the lyrics of the wartime Vera Lynn song The White Cliffs of Dover and using it to develop a good understanding of how a lyricist uses images to convey feeling and meaning. However, in some lessons, teachers do not use the information they have about pupils’ attainment to plan activities which would allow all the pupils to build more quickly on what they know and understand.  The developing use of the outside environment, in particular the woods around the school grounds, enables pupils to be actively involved and develop independence in learning. In a Year

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The quality of teaching is good

1 lesson, pupils used measuring instruments in imaginative ways outside to accurately measure a range of different objects. This provided the most able pupils in particular with challenging opportunities to solve problems that are not seen consistently in all lessons.  While the teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is supportive and corrected well, it does not consistently give them enough guidance as to how they can improve their work and pupils are rarely given the opportunity to respond to it.  The provision in Reception is good, with maximum use being made of the limited outdoor learning space and lots of interesting things for them to do inside. Adults interact well with children and challenge them with good questions and well-focused small group sessions. ‘The progress my child has made is brilliant,’ was one Reception parent’s comment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils respond to the care and respect shown to them by adults by behaving well in lessons and around the school and caring for each other. They are polite, well mannered and courteous, and proud of their school, particularly when showing the inspectors around and sharing their work in lessons.  All parents and carers who responded on Parent View or who were spoken to at the school gate, feel their child is safe, and the vast majority told inspectors that their child is happy and well looked after and that the school makes sure pupils are well behaved.  ‘We have noticed how well children of different ages seem to interact and know that our son has really benefitted from the Year 6 buddy system,’ was one parent’s view of how older pupils take responsibility. Pupils also like being lunchtime monitors and serving on the school council. Pupils told inspectors they would like to take on even more responsibility in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils understand about different types of bullying, including cyber bullying, although incidents are very rare and dealt with quickly. Pupils are aware of how to keep themselves safe on the internet and Year 6 pupils know about the dangers of drugs misuse. Following a talk during the inspection, pupils constructed a leaflet to explain the dangers in an information and communication technology (ICT) lesson, thus consolidating their understanding. There are no recorded prejudice based incidents. This shows that the school is successful in fostering good relationships and tackling discrimination.  Behaviour is not outstanding because in some lessons, pupils lose concentration and focus and are over reliant on the teacher to help them or initiate the next stage in their learning.  Attendance is above average and pupils typically arrive for school on time.

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The leadership and management are good

 ‘The (new) headteacher has lifted everyone’s spirits’ was one of many very positive comments from parents and carers about how the school has changed since his appointment last September. The headteacher has galvanised the staff who totally subscribe to the improvements that have been made and feel empowered to try things to improve their teaching. They also are very positive about the training opportunities they have been given. This has led to improvements in teaching during the year and pupils making faster progress. Pupils are equally delighted: ‘He is fun and strict but always at the right time.’  Leaders at all levels are using the new tracking system to check on pupils’ achievement and this is enabling even more precise targeting of pupils for additional support. It is also providing leaders with better information about the effectiveness of initiatives to raise standards so that adaptations can be made to the school’s plans if necessary.

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The leadership and management are good

 Checks on the quality of teaching by the senior leaders are accurate, ensuring all teaching is consistently good. However, not enough is being done to precisely identify what needs to be done to move teaching to outstanding because not all leaders have the skills or experience to do this. Some lesson observations focus too much on what the teacher is doing rather than what the pupils are learning.  The curriculum provides a wealth of opportunities for pupils both inside and outside of school. There are a good range of extra-curricular activities, trips and visitors to school. ‘Interesting, fun and amazing,’ was one pupil’s comment. A good example was when the Year 5 pupils wrote to Year 4 pupils about how much they enjoyed the residential trip to ‘Fellowship Afloat’, a light vessel moored on the Essex coast. The school is successful in promoting all aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development so they are very well prepared for the next

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The leadership and management are good

stage in their education.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet legal requirements.  The local authority provides light touch support for this good school.  The governance of the school:  The experienced governing body is effective and has a good understanding of how well the school is doing and how it compares to others. They have been careful in the appointment of the new headteacher and understand the impact he has had in the school in a short period of time. They value the quality information the school provides to enable them to check on progress and challenge the school. This is enabling them to be fully involved in making plans for the future. Governors avail themselves of training when the need arises. Financial resources are distributed effectively and are having a positive impact on the achievement of pupils, especially those eligible for the pupil premium. They have also ensured that there is a

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The leadership and management are good

close link between teacher appraisal and teachers’ pay. The governing body ensures that safeguarding fully meets statutory requirements and that those governors who are involved in the appointment of staff have attended safer recruitment training.

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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 114482 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 405516

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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 175 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sandra Pamplin Headteacher Richard Blakeley Date of previous school inspection 15–16 March 2011 Telephone number 01435 864577 Fax number 01435 865523 Email address office@parkside.e-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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