Arundel CofE Primary School

School report Arundel Church of England Primary School Jarvis Road, Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 9HT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 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

 The outstanding leadership of the headteacher has ensured teaching is consistently good, particularly in the effective early years provision.  The exciting curriculum means pupils are highly motivated to learn and their behaviour is outstanding. They get along very well.  Attainment has remained above average. From their starting points, pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Their achievement is good.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because the strategies to help them overcome issues they face are well organised and implemented effectively.  Pupils are exceptionally cooperative, courteous and kind to one another. They reflect the high level of respect shown by adults towards the pupils. They listen to others’ views and contribute mature ideas to any discussion.  Pupils feel extremely safe and well cared for because the headteacher and other adults readily

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

listen to their views or concerns. Pupils are very well informed about how they can make sure they stay safe.  Middle leaders make sure that pupils have exciting topics to study. They ensure pupils develop skills across a wide range of subjects and tasks and that teachers check how well pupils are learning.  The headteacher and other leaders ensure that all teachers are given very clear and sharply focused feedback about what is working well and what needs to improve. Leaders follow up where teachers have not implemented this advice quickly.  The curriculum provides extremely well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This encourages outstanding behaviour and pupils’ highly positive attitudes towards their work.  Governors know the school intimately through the visits they make, the detailed reports provided by the headteacher and other leaders and the information governors get from parents and pupils.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

They use this to hold the school to account and ensure improvements happen quickly.  Governors and senior leaders make sure that all possible measures are in place to keep pupils very safe and to help pupils feel well cared for.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not consistently outstanding because not all pupils respond rapidly enough to the feedback they are given. Consequently, progress is not always rapid for all pupils. The most able pupils are not always encouraged to get on with their work as soon as they understand what they need to do. This slows their progress at times.  Teachers do not always insist pupils make the improvements they have suggested, which allows some errors to continue longer than necessary.  Pupils do not have enough access to high quality resources and books to stretch their reading skills. The library area does not promote reading effectively.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 24 lessons to observe pupils’ learning, look at their work and talk to individuals about their progress. The headteacher participated in approximately a quarter of these observations.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents provided by the school, including policies and procedures to keep pupils safe, records tracking the progress and attainment of groups of pupils, plans to bring about improvements in the school, leaders’ records about their checks on the quality of learning and teaching and minutes from meetings, including those of the governing body.  The inspectors met with groups of pupils, staff, senior leaders and with members of the governing body. The lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors reviewed the 66 responses to the online survey for parents of the school. This survey for Ofsted gives parents the opportunity to give their views about the school within specific areas. The

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Information about this inspection

inspectors also took account of a number of letters handed in to the team and spoke to a sample of parents informally before and after school.  The 18 responses to a survey for staff working at the school were also taken into consideration.  On the second day of the inspection, the school, governors and parents gathered for a ceremony where the Bishop of Horsham opened a newly developed garden and ‘peace circle’.

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Inspection team

Andrew Saunders, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized school with one class in each year group. Children in the early years provision attend school full time.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is average, although it varies widely across different year groups. The proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average. These pupils benefit from additional support through the pupil premium funding provided by the government. In this school, this includes those who are eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after. In 2014, there were too few of these pupils in Year 6 to comment anonymously on their achievement in detail.  There have been few changes in staffing since the previous inspection. The headteacher supports another school, Walberton and Binstead CofE Primary School, as a consultant headteacher.

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Information about this school

 The school meets current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations set by the government for the attainment and progress of pupils at the end of Year 6, in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make teaching typically outstanding, by:  giving pupils more opportunities to respond to the high quality comments that teachers write in pupils’ books and expecting pupils to make these improvements, particularly in their grammar, punctuation and spelling  making sure that the most able pupils get on with the tasks prepared for them as soon as they understand what they need to do  improve pupils’ access to a better range of resources that encourage their reading more widely across the curriculum, and developing a more appealing environment that promotes pupils’ love of reading.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher has maintained a strong vision for the ongoing success of the school. He ensures teachers know what needs to improve and checks that these improvements are carried out. He has developed a strong leadership team and enables all staff to help identify ways to make learning more effective. Together they have built an ethos and culture where good learning and excellent behaviour flourish and where further improvements to good teaching and learning are being systematically supported. Some teaching is already outstanding, but this is not yet consistent because some improvements have yet to be implemented by a small minority of teachers.  The early years provision, in particular, has been improved since the previous inspection and is now solidly good. The headteacher has made sure that there is highly effective leadership and that the school learns from best practice elsewhere. Consequently, the school now helps to lead a local project developing ways

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The leadership and management are outstanding

of assessing the progress children make in the early years provision. This is helping to promote improvement across other early years settings.  Middle leaders very successfully help to bring about improvements in teaching by working alongside their colleagues to develop best practice. They have established a broad, rich curriculum which particularly celebrates and makes excellent use of local history, features and the community. This helps pupils develop skills and knowledge within a context which is meaningful to them and their families, and helps prepare pupils for life in modern British society.  The additional funding, known as the pupil premium, is used well to make sure that disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as other pupils in the school. In particular, the school ensures that the personal development of these pupils is a high priority so that they have the confidence to overcome the difficulties

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The leadership and management are outstanding

they face.  Leaders use the primary sports funding well to give pupils experience of expert coaching and to help teachers improve their knowledge of how to teach physical education effectively. It also gives pupils access to clubs after school and provides opportunities to compete against other schools. Pupils talk excitedly about their success in a range of competitions.  There is a very strong sense of community, through links with the churches, community groups and schools further afield, including in Sierra Leone. Pupils know a lot about children’s lives in these other communities and display a sense of affinity with those to whom they write letters. This develops pupils’ understanding of tolerance and charity.  The Bishop’s blessing of the ‘peace circle’ and garden designed by the pupils was clear evidence of how seriously the school takes its responsibilities for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

pupils. The prayers and sensitive responses of pupils showed how earnestly the pupils themselves respond to this aspect of the school.  Leaders ensure that all pupils are equally valued, that pupils value one another and that there is no discrimination. The efforts of all leaders are well focused by the school mission statement, to ‘nurture pupils to become confident, caring, respectful and responsible members of our global society’. They are very successful in achieving this, so that pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Senior leaders are aware that the library area is not currently used as well as it could be and does not contribute well to pupils’ love of reading. There are plans in place to tackle this, but these have not yet been implemented.  Senior leaders provide plenty of information for parents about how well pupils are doing, the curriculum, and the approaches the school uses to teach reading or aspects of mathematics. Consequently, parents

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The leadership and management are outstanding

say they feel well informed. Many spoke very highly of the care for their children, particularly about the way in which the headteacher knows every child and is always available if they have any concerns. A parent expressed the views of many when she said, ‘The headteacher is changing lives, and changing families.’  The local authority provides a low level of support for the school, recognising the strength of leadership in sustaining the quality of teaching and maintaining standards of attainment. It has set up links with another school where the headteacher acts as a consultant to bring about similar improvements.  The governance of the school:  Governors bring considerable expertise and experience to their roles. They ensure that they have plenty of information about how well the school is performing. They use this to ask challenging questions of leaders and to ensure that key issues are being tackled quickly and effectively. Governors also make

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The leadership and management are outstanding

sure that they undertake training to keep up to date with new developments, including changes to regulations about keeping pupils safe.  Governors work closely with the headteacher to make sure that the additional funding, known as the pupil premium funding, is used well and is effective in helping these pupils achieve as well as any other pupils. They consider carefully how the finances of the school are used to give pupils a high quality of education. Together with the headteacher, they make sure that information about the quality of teaching and learning helps them make decisions about any additional pay awards and to encourage best practice and tackle underperformance.  The governors are very well informed about the requirements for keeping pupils safe. They check that all the policies and procedures are in place, are effective, kept up to date, and are understood by all adults. Governors make sure that appropriate recruitment procedures are followed and checks made

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The leadership and management are outstanding

before any adult begins working with pupils.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are very keen to learn and participate enthusiastically in the tasks and projects that teachers prepare for them. They have extremely positive attitudes towards school and learning, and understand how these help them prepare for their future.  In particular, pupils like the tasks which require them to solve problems or choose how to present their work. For example, some Year 6 pupils were highly motivated to produce an animation about the Easter story. Pupils’ homework shows that they often go beyond what teachers have asked because they are passionate about their own learning.  Pupils very seldom need any reminders about what adults expect of them. For a very few pupils who have behavioural, emotional or social difficulties, adults are astute about how to help them to remain well behaved and to make a positive contribution to the school and community.

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Behaviour

 Pupils greatly enjoy taking part in the many clubs and activities available, particularly the competitive sports, where they have had considerable success. They apply for jobs to help keep things running smoothly at the school, to keep the school environment neat and tidy or to help protect the environment. Along with the elections for the school, worship and eco councils, this means they develop a clear understanding of British values.  Pupils recognise one another’s strengths and frequently make positive comments about each other’s successes. This contributes well to the overall positive ethos across the school. Older pupils act as ‘buddies’, particularly when children start school in Reception, and take great pride in helping the younger children on the playground and in their learning. They provide excellent role models.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding because adults care a great deal for the pupils and senior leaders make sure all adults understand their responsibilities. Pupils have an excellent grasp about how they can help keep themselves safe. For example, a visit from a police officer helped them understand a wide range of dangers and issues, including how to stay safe when using the internet.  Pupils are adamant that any kind of bullying is very rare, because the values and ethos of the school are so well understood by all members of the community. They are very confident about how to discuss their views and accept different opinions amicably so that bullying does not occur. They say that there is always an adult available who will help them if they are worried about anything or if they want to talk to someone.  Adults are well informed about what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil, or if they feel anything

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Safety

needs to come to the attention of senior leaders. Pupils say that adults deal with any issues ‘calmly and professionally’ and that the headteacher ‘knows everyone, listens to what they have to say, and always gives you a second chance’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers give pupils plenty of opportunities to talk about their ideas. This helps pupils clarify their thinking and assess their own understanding. Teachers check pupils’ confidence in the knowledge and skills they have covered and adapt what pupils are doing in response the information they pick up. Teachers set targets to make sure that each pupil has specific skills or knowledge that they need to be developing.  Teachers plan interesting topics and contexts for pupils so that pupils are well motivated to learn. They make sure that the tasks are closely matched to what groups of pupils need to learn. However, there are times when the most able pupils are expected to listen to explanations of things they already understand. This limits the amount of time they have to grapple with the challenging work set for them.  Teachers and leaders have agreed a common approach to marking pupils’ work. Teachers use this

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The quality of teaching is good

consistently and make sure that pupils are given helpful comments which tell them what they need to improve. However, not all teachers insist that pupils make these improvements or ensure that pupils always have sufficient opportunities to do so, and some simple mistakes linger for longer than they should, particularly in grammar, spelling and punctuation.  Teaching has a positive impact on learning in literacy, reading and mathematics. Teachers set high expectations for pupils’ work, particularly their handwriting, whatever subject they are studying. .  Pupils choose some of the tasks they want to do from a list, when they are studying subjects other than English, mathematics and science, in ‘independent learning’ time. This means pupils have to think carefully about the skills they need to develop and demonstrate. They get plenty of well-planned opportunities to use their literacy, reading and mathematics skills. Teachers carefully record and track how well pupils have

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The quality of teaching is good

mastered all they need to.  Reading is taught well and adults across the school follow a consistent approach to learning phonics (letters and the sounds they make). Pupils do enjoy reading at home, but some pupils acknowledge that the books in the library are not always challenging enough. The library area, located in a busy, open area, does not encourage them to take time to look at books before making their choices, or give them the space to enjoy reading.  Teaching assistants often help make notes on the board while the teacher is leading a discussion with pupils. This helps to capture key words that pupils might use in their own work. In the best examples, pupils themselves add to this as they come across new words. All adults understand the need for pupils to do the work themselves and seldom support pupils too much. This balance means that pupils learn well, particularly disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.

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is good

 Pupils’ attainment has remained above average since the previous inspection. In 2013, pupils attained levels that were some of the highest reached in the school, being well above the national average. While not quite as high in 2014, the standards reached still represented good progress from pupils’ starting points. Their achievement is good.  The proportion of pupils in Year 1 who passed the phonics check was average. Standards at the end of Year 2 have remained above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils currently in the school are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Work in books and teachers’ records about the performance of pupils over time show that this good progress is typical. Their progress in grammar, punctuation and spelling is not quite as strong because teachers do not always insist that pupils make all the improvements that have been suggested.

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is good

 Pupils have good reading skills and read confidently. However, they say that it is not always easy to find interesting books in the school library, and they quickly get through the books which are available.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because adults know their needs very well and give them work which helps them overcome the issues they face. As they get older, many of these pupils need less support because they have made up ground and developed their confidence in learning.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. The effective support they receive from specific adults helps ensure that this accelerates their learning. Across the school, there is little gap between their achievement and that of other pupils. Where any gaps exist, these are closing.  The most-able pupils also make good progress, although some are capable of even more rapid progress.

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is good

There remain occasions when they are expected to sit listening to explanations they already understand. This limits the time they have to get on with the more difficult work which teachers have set for them.

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is good

 Learning in the early years provision has improved well since the previous inspection. The headteacher has made sure that adults have a good understanding of what children of this age need in order to learn effectively. Good teaching in the Reception class is well focused on the skills and knowledge children are developing.  Children join the school with skills and knowledge which are typical for their age although, recently, early skills in reading and writing have been lower. They settle into the routines very quickly because adults find out lots about them before they arrive at the school and work closely with parents. Following the example of older pupils in the school, the behaviour of children in early years is outstanding.  Adults promote children’s curiosity well and provide them with lots of resources, support and encouragement to try things for themselves. Consequently, children make good progress and develop the

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is good

skills and knowledge they need to be ready for Year 1. They proudly show the work they have done in their ‘star books’, which show the high standards they are already reaching.  Good leadership sets high expectations and ensures that adults are well trained and confident in keeping these children safe. Children have excellent opportunities to learn about how to keep themselves safe and to make sensible decisions about what they feel confident to do.

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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 126019 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 449669

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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 196 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dr Andrew Mott Headteacher Andrew Simpson Date of previous school inspection 27–28 January 2010 Telephone number 01903 883149 Fax number 01903 883075 Email address reception@arundel.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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