Fittleworth CofE Village School

School report Fittleworth C of E Village School

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils enjoy coming to school because they feel safe and well cared for. They make good progress and reach standards in line with those found nationally, and these are improving.  Teaching is effective in all lessons. Staff have excellent questioning skills that allow pupils to develop and deepen their understanding in a systematic manner.  Children get off to a good start in the Reception class because activities are exciting and carefully planned. They have very positive attitudes to learning.  Pupils work hard and behave well. They respect their teachers and want to do their best. They are friendly towards each other and play well together.  The governing body offers good levels of support and challenge to the headteacher. Governors are very involved in the life of the school and are ambitious for its future.  The headteacher has successfully improved the quality of teaching and, as a result, standards are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

rising.  Interesting topics for study and an excellent range of extra-curricular activities ensure pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The most able pupils are not being challenged enough.  There are too few opportunities for pupils to write independently in a wide range of styles.  Excellent teaching practice, especially in assessing pupils’ writing, is not shared sufficiently with other teachers in order to improve their skills.  Teachers do not always ensure pupils present their work neatly and correctly.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning in all five classes and observed a small-group session. She listened to some readers from Years 1 and 6. She also observed some of the rehearsals for the school’s Christmas productions.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and the leaders for special educational needs, literacy and mathematics. Three members of the governing body, including the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative from the local authority, were also interviewed.  The inspector looked at work in pupils’ books and spoke formally with a group of pupils about their learning. She also spoke informally to pupils at lunchtime and during lessons.  The inspector took account of the 29 responses to the online inspection questionnaire, Parent View, and spoke to others informally at the end of the day. She also considered the 15 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspector looked at the school’s work and examined key documents, including records of pupils’

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Information about this inspection

current progress and attainment. She also scrutinised minutes of governing body meetings and looked at documents relating to teachers’ performance, school improvement, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Penny Spencer, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than most other primary schools. Pupils are taught in mixed age classes. Currently, there is a Reception class, a Year 4 class and three mixed age classes. Children attend the Reception class full time.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is much lower than average. This is additional government funding to support pupils who are eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and achievement so more is outstanding, by ensuring teachers:  provide more frequent opportunities for pupils to write independently in a wide range of styles  set sufficiently challenging tasks for the most able pupils, especially in writing, to enable them to reach the highest standards  have higher expectations for pupils in the presentation of their written work  accurately assess writing, learning from the outstanding practice seen in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides strong and caring leadership. All staff and the governing body are fully supportive of his vision to enable pupils to broaden their horizons and achieve well.  Careful tracking of pupils’ progress by school leaders ensures support and intervention are provided quickly, when necessary. Standards rose in 2014 and were broadly in line with national averages, so that most pupils made good progress and achieved well.  Leaders recognise that some of the most able pupils do not always achieve at the highest levels. Action plans now focus more rigorously on ensuring teachers plan work that challenges these pupils effectively. However, this is yet to have a sustained impact, which is why leadership and management are not outstanding.  Checks on the quality of teachers’ work are regular. Targets set for teachers, linked to successful pupil outcomes and salary progression, ensure only the best practice is rewarded. The school is developing its

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The leadership and management are good

opportunities for all staff to share and benefit from each other’s good practice in order to move more teaching to outstanding. Training through partnerships with the local cluster of schools is effective in developing skills in moderating and assessing work.  All members of the small teaching staff are involved in leadership. Staff have developed their skills in monitoring and evaluating pupil progress within their areas of responsibility. Leaders for English and mathematics have a good understanding of where the school needs to improve to make it outstanding. Action plans focus accurately on the key priorities.  Leadership of the early years is effective and, as a result, children make good progress.  The school promotes equality of opportunity well and tackles discrimination of all kinds very effectively. Parents have total confidence in the school’s provision for disabled pupils and those with special

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The leadership and management are good

educational needs. They appreciate the rigorous checks of their children’s needs and the extra support they receive to catch up.  The school uses the additional government funding for its disadvantaged pupils wisely. Individual allocation of funds and effective support ensure pupils achieve better than their peers in the school, and in line with all pupils nationally.  Primary school sports funding is used well to widen the range of sporting opportunities available to pupils. A partnership with local schools and access to specialist teaching give pupils opportunities to take part in more competitions. The school makes good use of its swimming pool in the summer months to teach all pupils to swim. Funding allocated to the upkeep of the school’s minibus is invaluable in transporting pupils to matches and competitions.  The school has adapted its teaching of all subjects to meet the requirements of the revised National

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The leadership and management are good

Curriculum. The school’s curriculum provides memorable experiences and rich opportunities for good- quality learning. Outdoor lessons in the forest school, as well as experiences in music, dance and drama, have a very positive impact on pupils’ aspirations and their self-confidence. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the forthcoming Christmas productions. The inspector observed them confidently acting and singing during rehearsals.  The school ensures the curriculum supports pupils in their understanding of life in modern Britain. Pupils study other religions, learn about other cultures and have a good understanding of democracy through the work of the school council. Regular trips to London give all pupils first-hand experiences of the rich and varied cultural mix that is different from their locality.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is extremely well developed. Meaningful

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The leadership and management are good

opportunities provided through assemblies and lessons give pupils time to reflect on their learning and on the importance of tolerance and respect.  The school is absolutely at the heart of the local community. Parents value it highly and are vociferous in their praise for the way in which their children develop into well-rounded young people.  The school places a strong emphasis on safeguarding and ensures current requirements are met.  Good support from the local authority to improve pupils’ writing across a range of styles is having a positive impact. Examples of writing examined by the inspector showed improved rates of progress for all pupils.  The governance of the school:  Governors are very supportive and are committed to further improvement. They provide good levels of challenge to leaders by taking an active interest in the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning. They understand the process for setting targets for teachers and ensure that any salary

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The leadership and management are good

increase is firmly related to successful pupil outcomes.  Governors have a sound understanding of how pupils’ performance compares with that in schools nationally. They are increasingly confident in checking the fine detail of this information in order to challenge leaders even more rigorously.  They successfully monitor and evaluate the use of additional government funding to ensure it is having a positive impact.  Governors are fully committed to ensuring children are kept safe and secure and they carry out their statutory duties diligently.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils love coming to school and, as a result, attendance is above average.  Pupils get on very well together and they support each other in lessons and when playing. They are polite and courteous to adults in and around the school.  In lessons, pupils are generally keen to contribute and respond promptly to instructions. They know that good behaviour helps them to learn well.  While pupils are proud of their school, they do not always take sufficient pride in the presentation of their work. Work is often scruffy and set out poorly, which detracts from their learning and in some cases hinders progress. Pupils take their roles and responsibilities seriously, whether as lunchtime monitors, library helpers or school councillors. They ensure that younger children are happy and safe through their actions.  Parents, teachers and pupils report that poor behaviour is rare. This is reflected in the lack of entries in

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Behaviour

the behaviour logs. There have been no exclusions.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils know how to stay safe because there are regular lessons and assemblies on relevant topics such as road safety, safe use of the internet and dealing with strangers.  Children feel listened to and have faith that the adults who help them will sort out any problems they may have. Pupils report that there is no bullying, a view reflected by the parents who spoke to the inspector and responded to Parent View.  Policies and procedures to ensure all staff are fit to work with children are robust.  The school is committed to working with outside agencies and other professionals whenever the need may arise.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good. Very good relationships with pupils contribute a great deal to the calm, purposeful working atmosphere observed in classes.  Teachers plan tasks and activities that are demanding of most pupils and there is a good level of challenge in most classes, particularly in mathematics. Observations in several classes showed pupils tackling challenging mathematical problems and applying their skills confidently.  Samples of writing examined during the inspection show that progress is speeding up. However, teachers’ checks on the quality of writing are not always accurate. Also, marking is not specific enough in some classes to enable pupils to know how to improve. Tasks are not always varied or challenging enough for more able pupils.  Teachers are skilful in asking questions that encourage pupils to think things through and develop and deepen their understanding. Pupils are confident to have a go and understand that it is alright to be

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The quality of teaching is good

wrong and learn from your mistakes.  Teaching of reading is successful and has improved. Regular teaching of the sounds that letters make (phonics) is ensuring pupils are well equipped to tackle unfamiliar words. Younger pupils who read to the inspector used this knowledge very effectively when reading aloud. Older pupils have developed a love of reading and read with confidence and expression.  Extra staff are deployed well. They use similar strategies to the teachers and lead successful interventions that are having a positive impact on pupils’ progress. As a result, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress and achieve well.  Pupils develop good skills in assessing their own and other pupils’ work. They are reflective and take the comments on board, which leads to improvements. The school is developing its approach to marking to ensure pupils have more opportunity to talk about their work and improve, but this has yet to impact on

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The quality of teaching is good

standards.  Teaching in the Reception class is good. Carefully planned activities engage children and meet their needs.

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is good

 Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics is in line with the national average and improving. Published information does not always reflect the good progress and standards achieved by pupils because very small cohorts make comparisons with similar groups unreliable.  Pupils’ knowledge of phonics, as demonstrated in the national check for Year 1 pupils, is improving and is average.  In 2014, most pupils made good progress in reading and mathematics. However, a few of the most able pupils did not make the progress expected of them in writing. This is why achievement is not outstanding.  There are too few disadvantaged pupils in the school to report on specific year groups. However, national tests and the school’s own performance information show they are making progress and reaching standards in line with those of their peers and all pupils nationally.

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is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. This is because they receive good support and effective additional lessons to help them catch up.  Achievement at Key Stage 1 has improved since the last inspection, especially in reading and mathematics. Teachers ensure that phonics is taught regularly and systematically. Consequently, pupils demonstrate good skills and make good progress. The recently renovated school library is used constantly, and further supports pupils’ reading development.  Progress for the most able pupils in Years 2 and 6 is improving. At the end of Year 2, these pupils attained above the national average in reading. However, while improving, by the end of Year 6, too few pupils attained the higher standards, especially in writing and mathematics. Much higher levels of attainment and more rapid progress are evident in current pupils’ work books. This supports the most recent assessment

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is good

information, which also shows an improvement in all year groups.  Pupils’ skills as writers are developing and progress is speeding up. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to write independently in a wide range of styles and apply these skills. This is especially so for the most able pupils. As a result, they do not achieve the highest levels.  Pupils move into secondary school well prepared for the next stage in their education. The school has considerable evidence of the success of pupils as they progress through this stage.

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is good

 The majority of children enter the Reception class with skill levels that are just below what are typical for their age. This is particularly the case with writing and number work.  Good relationships with the main feeder pre-school ensure pupils entering Reception are better prepared. Checks for current children show a much higher proportion are demonstrating skills at a typical level than in previous years in all areas of learning.  The children are enthusiastic learners; they concentrate and listen carefully to instructions. Adults respond well to the children and there is a happy atmosphere. Children behave well, are kept safe and get along with each other.  Since the previous inspection there have been significant changes. The classroom and outside areas have been renovated and provide a stimulating place to learn. Resources are exciting and challenge children’s thinking and ideas.  Teaching staff have high expectations for children’s outcomes. They focus strongly on ensuring children

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is good

develop the skills to become effective learners by providing activities that encourage children to think and experiment. Children make good progress and move into Year 1 prepared for the next stage in their learning.  There is a strong focus on developing early literacy and mathematical skills. Children were observed confidently writing using their phonics knowledge to help them spell and creating repeating patterns. They were adept at explaining their learning to adults.  The leadership of the early years provision is good. The lead teacher has a good knowledge of how children learn and tracks their progress in detail. Judgements are validated within the local cluster of schools, who are working together to create a shared understanding of progress and attainment.  There are excellent relationships with parents and they are fully involved in supporting their children’s learning. They regularly contribute to the learning journals with examples of work from home and

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is good

photographs of independent learning. Parents are confident that their children are looked after well and kept safe.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 125984 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 444250

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 4−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 116 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Roger Curtis Headteacher Graham Bloomfield Date of previous school inspection 28–29 September 2010 Telephone number 01798 865419 Fax number 01798 865807 Email address head@fittleworth.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 and 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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