St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham

School report St James' C of E Primary School, Coldwaltham Church Lane, Coldwaltham, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 1LW

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Teaching is not consistently good. Teachers do not all expect pupils to work hard enough or at a high enough standard. Some planning focuses on what task pupils should do and misses out what they are learning when doing that task.  Teachers’ feedback to pupils is not specific enough about what they need to do to improve. Too often teachers do not expect pupils to respond to marking, which constrains the progress pupils make.  Pupils’ achievement requires improvement. While standards have improved, they are slightly below average, particularly in writing.  Pupils’ enjoyment of reading is hampered because they do not have enough access to an interesting range of reading materials.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs do not make as much progress as they could during lessons. Teaching assistants give them too much support at times and are not always clear how they can help pupils with specific needs.

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

 Displays in classrooms are not used effectively to help pupils learn. They provide little guidance about what pupils are aiming for, or examples of the best work.  Some middle leaders are new to their roles and have not yet had time to bring about the key improvements.  The early years provision is not well focused on the needs of the youngest pupils. They do not get enough opportunities to choose their own activities. Adults do not make the most of children’s interests to promote writing and mathematical skills.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher has quickly tackled inadequate teaching and ensured teachers know what they need to do to improve the learning of pupils in their class. He follows this up so that teaching improves quickly. He makes clear his high expectations.  Governors know the school well and are supporting the headteacher effectively to bring about rapid improvement.  Behaviour is good. Pupils are keen to do their best to produce good work and remain focused on what the teachers ask them to do. They are polite and courteous, and readily support and encourage one another.  Pupils know how to keep safe and say that adults are available to help them if they are ever worried.  Governors and the headteacher ensure that policies and procedures are kept up to date, particularly those to keep pupils safe and secure.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning in ten lessons, talking to pupils about their learning and reviewing the work they have done in their books. Nearly half of these observations were done together with the headteacher.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documents provided by the school, including: records logging any concerns about behaviour; the school’s records about the progress and attainment of pupils; notes from leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching and learning; minutes from meetings, including those of the governing body; and policies and procedures.  During the inspection, the inspector met with: groups of pupils; teaching staff; the headteacher; a representative from the local authority; and with members of the governing body. He also spoke informally to parents before and after school.  The inspector reviewed the 18 responses to Parent View. This is the online survey, published by Ofsted,

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Information about this inspection

for parents at the school. He also considered the 11 responses to a survey for adults working at the school, and correspondence sent in during the inspection.  On the first day of the inspection, pupils in the Year 5 and 6 class were on a school trip to Kew Gardens.

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Inspection team

Andrew Saunders, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a small school located in a rural village, with three classes of mixed ages. Pupils in Reception to Year 2 are taught together, as are pupils in Years 3 and 4, and pupils in Years 5 and 6. Pupils come from a wide area around the school. Children in the early years provision attend school full time.  The school works as part of a federation with Amberley C of E First School, sharing a headteacher. However, there are separate governing bodies for each school.  Almost all pupils are White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs is higher than average, at about one pupil in ten across the school, and higher in some year groups.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding provided for children who are looked after by the local authority or are

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Information about this school

known to be eligible for free school meals. There are too few disadvantaged pupils to report in detail on their achievement anonymously.  The headteacher was appointed to the post in September 2014. He spends half his time at this school and the other half at Amberley Primary School. There has been a change of staff this year.  In 2014 there were too few pupils in Year 6 to report on the school’s attainment of the floor standards. These are the minimum expectations set by the government for the attainment and progress of pupils in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good by:  making sure teachers across the school expect pupils to work harder and produce more work in the time they have available  ensuring that teachers’ daily planning focuses more specifically on what pupils need to learn rather than the tasks they will do  ensuring that the written comments teachers make about pupils’ work are more precise about what each pupil needs to do to improve their writing and mathematics, whatever subject they are working in  giving middle leaders more opportunities to develop their skills in bringing about improvements within their areas of responsibilities and to check improvements have happened.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ achievement and progress, particularly in writing, by:  giving pupils more opportunities to respond to the feedback teachers give them, particularly through marking, and ensuring pupils make improvements  making better use of displays in the classrooms to celebrate pupils’ successes and help them identify for themselves what they need to do to improve  providing easier access to a wide range of interesting reading material, to promote pupils’ enjoyment of reading  improving support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, when they are in the classroom, by ensuring teaching assistants know more about their specific needs.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of learning for children in the early years provision by:  giving children more opportunities to make choices about what activities they take part in, and to select resources for this themselves  using children’s own interests and play to develop their skills, particularly in mathematics and writing.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since taking up the post in September, the headteacher has quickly established an accurate view of the key issues facing the school and has rapidly brought about improvements in teaching. He has set out high expectations and a clear vision for the school. He is providing strong leadership to develop a culture of reflection and improvement.  The headteacher ensures that he checks closely the quality of teaching and that teachers are clear what needs to change to improve learning for pupils. He follows this up to make sure that they make the necessary improvements. Consequently, inadequate teaching has been eliminated and the quality of teaching is improving. However, it is not yet consistently good.  Middle leadership roles have been more clearly identified and teachers are developing their understanding of how they can help bring about improvements. However, at this early stage of developing these roles,

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The leadership and management are good

and within a small school, much of the impetus for improvement remains with the headteacher. The local authority is helping teachers to develop their skills in carrying out their responsibilities.  The pupil premium additional funding is used well to help disadvantaged pupils perform very similarly to other pupils in the school.  The school ensures that pupils from all backgrounds have equality of opportunity. They help pupils to develop a wider view of the world and to understand and prepare well for life in modern Britain. The school makes sure that any discrimination is tackled and that pupils develop tolerance for one another, and for cultures and beliefs which may be different from their own. The happy, caring atmosphere of the school ensures pupils develop well and leave the school as confident young people.  The curriculum gives pupils appropriate opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge they need to

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The leadership and management are good

begin secondary education with confidence. However, teachers do not always expect a high enough standard of work when pupils are working in subjects other than English and mathematics. Pupils say that the topics they study are interesting. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 thoroughly enjoyed planning a theme park, using a wide range of their mathematical skills.  The school is planning well how to develop pupils’ skills and knowledge in line with the new curriculum. They are considering, with other schools in the area, how to assess pupils’ progress within the new framework.  Teachers set homework for pupils to do each week. Although pupils hand this in and it is marked along with their other work, there is too little emphasis on pupils making the improvements they need to reinforce their progress.  The focus on the values of the school during worship each day promotes well pupils’ spiritual, moral, social

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The leadership and management are good

and cultural development.  The primary sports funding is used well to give teachers opportunities to observe and teach alongside expert sports coaches. This has developed their confidence in planning physical education and delivering these lessons more effectively. Pupils commented how physical education and the opportunities to take part in competitive sports have improved. Pupils appreciate these opportunities and are proud of their successes.  The school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe meet statutory requirements. Policies and procedures are reviewed frequently and are adapted in the light of changes in legislation. The headteacher and governors make sure that adults are aware of their responsibilities. Parents say that they can speak to a teacher if they have any concerns, and that these concerns will be addressed.  Many parents commented positively about the changes that have been introduced. A few were uncertain

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The leadership and management are good

about some changes. The inspector found that the headteacher has taken appropriate, rapid action to deal with the key issues facing the school. The improvements in teaching, the development of middle leadership, the ongoing increase in progress and the good behaviour of the pupils demonstrate the capacity of the headteacher and governors to continue the school’s improvement.  The local authority has provided a good level of effective support through the change of headship. They ensure that there is appropriate training for governors, to help them challenge the school and understand the data. The diocese has also helped to develop the leadership of the headteacher, through its support.  The governance of the school:  Governors have ensured that the headteacher has the support he needs in order bring about the improvements that are necessary. They check that they receive useful information about the

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The leadership and management are good

performance of groups of pupils and that they understand what this tells them about the performance of the school. They know that they need to take this into account, alongside information about the quality of teaching, when considering additional pay awards. This promotes best practice and challenges underperformance.  Governors and the headteacher work well together to make sure that the school has appropriate policies and procedures in place. They check that any activities are carefully thought through to keep pupils safe and that the school environment is well maintained. Governors make sure that checks are carried out to ensure that adults working with pupils have the appropriate background to do so.  The finances of the school are managed carefully to provide the best value possible. In particular, the governors closely track how effectively the pupil premium is being used to ensure disadvantaged pupils

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good because they are keen to do the work teachers ask of them, and stay well focused. When teachers ask them to respond to feedback they do so willingly. However, they are not given enough opportunities to do this.  Pupils are polite and courteous towards adults and one another. They show respect for each other’s views and listen carefully when others are speaking. They are quick to provide encouragement for others, particularly when a pupil has tried something difficult. They discuss a range of issues sensibly and enthusiastically raise funds for charities.  A few pupils have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. They are well supported so that they learn to think more carefully about the choices they make. Other pupils also help them to remember the school’s expectations, or ignore it when these pupils’ behaviour could be disruptive. The calm atmosphere and caring attitude of all adults and pupils means the few pupils who struggle with this are helped to

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good because pupils know a lot about how to stay safe. For example, pupils said they are confident they know what to do if they were ever approached by a stranger, or when using the internet. The experience pupils have in forest school lessons helps them think carefully about the risks they might face, and to make sensible choices.  Pupils say any kind of bullying is extremely rare, because they all know one another so well and get along amicably. They acknowledge that at times a few pupils use unkind words, but this is dealt with quickly as soon as an adult knows about it.  Parents say that the school cares well for their children and that they are well informed about any issues. A few parents said that they would like even more information, particularly about arrangements for forthcoming events at the school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers’ planning does not focus closely enough on what pupils need to learn so there is more emphasis on completing tasks than on learning. At times this means pupils spend too long doing work which is too easy for them. While they get many correct answers, it does not help them learn new skills or grapple with difficult work.  Teachers do not always make it clear how much time pupils have available to do particular tasks. Some teachers allow pupils to work at a leisurely pace and pupils do not get enough done in the time they have. Pupils stay focused, but acknowledge that they could work harder.  Pupils have clear targets in their English and mathematics books. These are set by the teachers, but are not always updated frequently enough. Pupils have few opportunities to decide for themselves if they have achieved their targets or to think about their targets when working in other subjects. It is unclear

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

what targets they might move on to next, or what work at a high standard might look like.  Teachers give pupils helpful feedback while they are working and write a comment in their books to confirm this. The school has introduced a new framework for marking, and where this is being used it is helping pupils to make better progress. However, it is not yet used consistently by all teachers. Too often, teachers’ marking does not make clear what pupils need to do to improve their work. As a result, some basic mistakes or misconceptions continue for too long.  Teaching assistants help pupils to become confident readers because phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is taught well. However, their support during lessons is not always as effective because they too quickly step in to provide answers or support before pupils have had enough opportunity to grapple with what they are learning.  The additional support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is carefully considered

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

and closely tailored to the needs of each pupil. Where there are adults who support specific pupils with statements of special educational needs, these adults understand the needs of these pupils well. However, other pupils whose needs are less challenging are not as well supported. Teachers and teaching assistants are not always clear how they can best help these pupils overcome the issues they face.

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requires improvement

 Attainment declined in 2013 and was below average at the end of Key Stage 2. In 2014, attainment recovered to be closer to the national average, although attainment in writing remained slightly lower. From their starting points, most pupils had made the expected progress, including those with statements of special educational needs.  Attainment in Key Stage 1 has also declined, although in 2014 most pupils reached levels which were in line with the average. Pupils do not make as much progress as they could. Their achievement requires improvement, particularly in writing.  Work in pupils’ books and the school’s records about pupils’ performance show that progress is not typically good. Pupils are not given enough specific advice about what they need to do to improve their work and are not expected to respond to the advice they are given. Insufficient guidance is on display in the school, or examples of the very best work, to help pupils know what standards they should be aiming

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requires improvement

for.  Pupils are confident readers, but they say that there are not always enough interesting books to read. The library is not readily accessible and is not sufficiently inviting or well organised to promote pupils’ enjoyment of reading. Despite this, pupils are well trained in using phonics to tackle difficult words.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are closely monitored and provided with specific support for their needs outside of lessons. However, their progress slows when they are in lessons because the adults supporting them do too much for them. Overall, the progress of these pupils requires improvement.  Teachers often give the most able pupils work to do which is harder than that provided for other pupils. However, they too are expected to complete many questions which are too easy for them before moving on to the more challenging tasks. Consequently, they do not achieve as well as they could.

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requires improvement

 Teachers provide good support for disadvantaged pupils. Consequently, there is typically little difference between their achievement and that of other pupils in the school.

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requires improvement

 Children do not make as much progress as they could in Reception. Their achievement requires improvement. They do not have enough opportunities to make choices about their learning or to select the resources they want to explore for themselves. Adults who work with them provide too much direction and are not adept at using children’s own interests and play to develop their writing and mathematical skills.  Children join the early years provision from a wide range of other settings and with a wide range of experiences, skills and knowledge. In recent years, the communication, language and literacy skills of children joining the school have been less well developed than those typical for their age.  Children settle very happily into the early years provision, particularly as the older pupils in the class set them a good example. Often these children look up to the older pupils and imitate them. For example,

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requires improvement

they like working alongside older pupils when they are writing. Their behaviour is good, because they understand what is expected of them and readily comply with what the adults want them to do.  Although activities are available for younger children while the teacher is focused on teaching the older pupils, these activities are too often chosen by the adults. Children are not encouraged enough to write or to develop mathematical concepts as part of their play. Children in Reception are well prepared for learning when they move into Year 1 because they often work alongside Year 1 pupils.  Children develop great confidence in staying safe, particularly through learning outdoors in their forest school lessons. They look forward to these opportunities and like learning outdoors.

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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 125978 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 449665

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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 55 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Rigby Headteacher Jon Gilbert Date of previous school inspection 30 September–1 October 2009 Telephone number 01798 872196 Fax number 01798 875532 Email address office@st-james-coldwaltham.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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