South Bersted CofE Primary School

South Bersted CofE Primary School Church Lane, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 9PZ

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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

 Not all pupils achieve as well as they should in writing and mathematics. Although they reach standards that are broadly average by the end of Year 6, they do not make consistently good progress across the school.  There is not enough teaching that is consistently good or better. A few teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can do and do not always provide them with work at the right level to move learning on at a good pace.  Lessons do not always build on previous learning well enough, and so pupils do not always develop their knowledge and skills systematically and quickly.  School plans for improvement are not always clear about how teaching and pupils’ achievement will be improved. This prevents the pace of improvement from being rapid.  Some subject leaders who are new to their roles do not have a clear enough understanding of what they need to do to raise pupils’ achievement.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils’ behaviour is good. They feel safe in school and know that adults care for them. All pupils are valued equally well, reflecting the school’s strong commitment to inclusion.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress and achieve well.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well because they have targeted support to meet their needs.  Senior leaders and governors are taking some effective action to address the most important priorities for improvement, demonstrating that they can improve further.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 14 lessons or parts of lessons, eight of which were observed jointly with senior leaders. They looked at work in pupils’ books and they listened to pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 read. They attended an assembly and they observed pupils in the playground.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, groups of pupils, members of the governing body and with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at plans for school development, the governing body minutes, pupils’ assessment and tracking information to show their attainment and progress, and documentation relating to the safeguarding of pupils.  The views of parents and carers were considered through the 27 responses to the online survey Parent View. Additionally, inspectors spoke informally to parents and carers at the end of the school day. The views of staff were considered through the 21 responses to the staff

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Inspection team

Joy Considine, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Clive Dunn Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible to be supported through the pupil premium (additional funding provided by the government to support pupils eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and children from forces families) is broadly average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and pupils who have special educational needs who are supported at school action is above average, as is the proportion who are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils who are from minority ethnic groups and who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Reception class.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching so that a higher proportion is consistently good or better to secure consistently good achievement for all pupils, particularly in writing and mathematics, by:  raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do and providing more challenge for pupils  making more effective use of assessment information to ensure that work that pupils do in lessons always builds on and extends what they already know and can do  providing clear guidance to pupils about what they need to do to improve their work and to ensure that they correct their work when it has been marked.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by:  ensuring that plans are clear and specific about how the school intends to improve teaching and pupils’ achievement, and that these plans are implemented effectively  provide additional training for middle leaders so that they take a more effective role in monitoring and developing their areas of subject responsibility.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, do not achieve as well as they should in English and mathematics. By the end of Year 6, they attain standards that are broadly average, but too few reach the higher levels. Pupils do not make good progress consistently across the school. Scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that pupils in Years 2, 4 and 5 make the best progress, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. This is because staff identify their individual needs and provide them with specific lessons to help them to catch up with their classmates.  Pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding make good progress and attain levels about a term ahead of other pupils in English and mathematics. The pupil premium has partly been used to pay for additional adults who provide them with effective academic and personal support so that

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

they develop confidence and positive attitudes towards learning.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They start school with skills that are below those expected for their age and they make good progress. By the time they enter Year 1, they read and write short stories, and they confidently add together numbers up to 20.  Pupils enjoy reading and talk enthusiastically about the opportunities they have to read in school. By the end of Year 2, they read fluently and with good expression, although occasionally their books are too easy and this slows their progress. By the end of Year 6, pupils confidently discuss the books they enjoy reading, both to find information and for pleasure. They refer to evidence from what they read to support their opinions.  Although a few pupils secured higher levels in writing than in previous years, their skills overall are not as good as they should be. Their handwriting and presentation are untidy and too many

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

do not express their ideas clearly and fluently. This is because teachers do not challenge them to do better when marking their work.  Pupils’ progress in mathematics is inconsistent. In a Year 4 lesson, pupils made good progress because the teacher provided them with activities at different levels that matched their individual learning needs. However, scrutiny of pupils’ books shows that what pupils know, understand and can do in mathematics is not built on securely in all lessons. When teaching and activities are not pitched at the right level to challenge pupils and develop their competence, progress slows.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is not enough teaching that is consistently good to secure good achievement for all pupils. Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can do and do not always provide activities that are sufficiently challenging. Scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that the tasks set are occasionally too easy and so pupils do not make enough progress to achieve well.  Relationships between pupils and staff are good and this inspires pupils to behave well and enjoy learning. Teachers ensure that all pupils, particularly disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, are included, and this helps them to develop confidence and to make good progress.  Some teachers use information on pupils’ progress well to plan lessons that meet their learning needs, but this good practice is not consistent across the school. Consequently, work provided for pupils does not always build on and extend what pupils already know and can do. The result

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

is that there are gaps in pupils’ learning, particularly in writing and mathematics, as they move through the school.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is is good. Staff observe children and plan activities that allow them to play and work inside as well as outside the classroom and to learn at a good pace. There is a good range of high-quality resources that helps children to develop their imagination and creativity as well as their physical skills.  Most teachers plan lessons that engage the interest of pupils. In a Year 5 lesson, pupils were inspired to write a report for a local newspaper based on their experience of taking part in the end-of-term school production. The teacher skilfully questioned pupils so that they developed an understanding of how such a report should be structured to capture the interest of the reader.  One of the strengths of teaching is the way in which most teachers provide opportunities for

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

pupils to talk and to share their ideas. They use questions well to allow pupils to reflect and to develop their understanding, and this contributes to pupils’ enjoyment of learning.  Most teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and provide detailed comments to let them know how well they have done. However, there are too few occasions when teachers inform pupils of how they can improve their work, and consequently, pupils repeat their mistakes. Occasionally, teachers generously praise pupils’ efforts even when the work is not as good as it should be.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is typically good. Pupils enjoy school and have very positive attitudes to learning, and this is reflected in their attendance, which is broadly average. Just occasionally, when the pace of lessons slows, they become a bit fidgety and chat about things other than the work they are expected to do.  Pupils get on very well together and enjoy working and playing with those from backgrounds different from their own. They care very much for each other and ensure that pupils whose circumstances may make them more vulnerable are fully included in all aspects of school life. This reflects the school’s good provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity. Discrimination on any grounds is not tolerated by pupils or staff.  Pupils feel safe in school because they know that adults care for them. They know about

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

different sorts of bullying, such as that related to race or gender, but they say there is very little in school. On the rare occasions that incidents do arise, there is always a helpful adult who will help to sort them out. Records kept by the school show very few reported incidents of poor behaviour and there have been very few exclusions in recent years.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe outside school. They understand the need to take care when near roads, railways and water. They understand the dangers regarding use of the internet, and the harmful effects of tobacco and some drugs.  Parents and carers, staff and pupils agree that behaviour is good and that pupils are safe in school.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because school leaders have not taken effective action to ensure that all pupils make good progress consistently across the school. Senior leaders and governors have restructured the leadership team so that key leaders can take a more active role in school improvement. They are now making more rigorous use of performance information to raise pupils’ achievement, demonstrating that they can improve further.  School plans for development are not sufficiently focused on what needs to be done to raise pupils’ achievement. The actions to bring about improvements lack precision and do not provide enough guidance to staff about what they need to do to raise pupils’ achievement. This is something the restructured leadership team is now addressing. Consequently, improvement is progressing at a reasonable pace now, but it is not moving forward as quickly as necessary to

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The leadership and management require improvement

ensure that pupils’ achievement is good.  Some subject leaders who are new to their roles do not make enough use of all available information to create plans to show how they are to raise pupils’ achievement in their subjects. Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Inclusion are strengths of the school.  The quality of teaching is checked by school leaders, and guidance and support are given to improve teachers’ skills. Consequently, most teaching is improving and none is inadequate. All teachers have targets that are linked to the progress that pupils make and they understand that their progression on the salary scale is linked to their performance.  The school responds well to the ‘light-touch’ support provided by the local authority. It seeks additional support and guidance from external consultants and advisers to help them to improve its skills, reflecting the value it places on professional development.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The curriculum is broad and balanced, and meets the needs and interests of pupils. There are increasing opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills when learning subjects other than English and mathematics, and this has led to an improvement in writing. The good quality of art and music effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Safeguarding meets all statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body know the school well because they visit regularly both formally and informally. They know about the quality of teaching and how the school performs in comparison with other schools. They make use of all available information to challenge school leaders about pupils’ achievement. They have a secure understanding of the school’s finances and recognise that teachers’ progression on the salary scale is dependent on meeting

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The leadership and management require improvement

their performance management targets. They know that pupil premium funding has been spent on additional adults and precise programmes to help some pupils overcome specific difficulties. They undertake regular training to help them to provide challenge and support to the school and to ensure that they meet all statutory responsibilities, including those relating to the safeguarding of pupils.

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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 125973 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 424610

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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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 197 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Amanda Starkey Headteacher Christopher Silk Date of previous school inspection 30 September 2009 Telephone number 01243 821678 Fax number 01243 841023 Email address office@southbersted.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

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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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