Summerlea Community Primary School

Summerlea Community Primary School Windsor Drive, Rustington, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN16 3SW

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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

 The executive headteacher and headteacher provide strong leadership. They are ably supported by other senior leaders and are successfully improving the quality of teaching. Leadership and management are good.  Governors know the school well. They provide good levels of challenge and support to school leaders to ensure that all aspects of the school improve.  Pupils’ achievement is good. Rates of progress are improving and pupils’ attainment is above average by the end of Years 2 and 6.  Teaching is good. Teachers plan activities that capture pupils’ imaginations and help pupils to make good progress. Pupils needing additional help are well supported to catch up with their classmates.  Well-trained learning support assistants make a good contribution to pupils’ personal development and their academic achievements.  Pupils’ behaviour is good, and outstanding in some lessons. They have very good attitudes to learning.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

They treat others with tolerance and respect and, as a result, the school is a harmonious community.  Pupils are kept safe and parents say their children feel safe and secure at school. Pupils have good awareness of how to keep themselves safe.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strongly promoted.  Rich opportunities to learn about different subjects enable pupils to develop their academic, creative, practical and sporting skills well. They are given excellent learning opportunities in music, science, design and technology and art.  Provision in Reception is good. Good teaching and effective support ensure children’s learning gets off to a good start.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some potentially higher attaining pupils in mathematics do not make rapid enough progress because they are not moved on to harder work sufficiently quickly.  Not enough is done across some classes to reinforce correct spelling, punctuation and good handwriting.  A few disadvantaged pupils do not make rapid progress in developing their writing.  In Reception, provision for writing in the outdoor area is not challenging enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in 22 lessons. Seven of these lessons were visited jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors listened to a sample of pupils reading in Key Stages 1 and 2.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, the local authority representative, middle leaders and three governors, including the chair.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils to gain their views of the school and spoke informally to them at break and lunchtime.  The inspection team looked at a range of documentation including: samples of pupils’ work to evaluate their progress and the quality of teachers’ assessment and marking; progress and attainment data; the school’s self-evaluation and development plan; safeguarding information; behaviour and attendance records, and governing body minutes.  Inspectors considered parents’ views of the school through informal discussions before school, the 83 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View) and the 14 letters sent to inspectors. The

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Information about this inspection

inspectors spoke to staff during the inspection and took account of the 41 responses to the staff questionnaire

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Inspection team

Eileen Chadwick, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Summerlea is larger than the average-sized primary school.  There are two parallel classes in all years except Year 1, which has three.  Children in the early years are in the Reception classes. Children attend Reception full time.  Most pupils come from White British backgrounds. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of the pupils supported through the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after) is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher took up post in September 2014. The part-time executive headteacher, who was the previous long-serving headteacher, is leaving at the end of this term. During this academic year, there

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Information about this school

have been several changes to teaching and middle leadership as a result of staff leaving for promotion or taking family leave.  The school provides a daily after-school care club for its pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ achievement by making sure that teachers:  provide prompt levels of challenge for middle-attaining pupils in mathematics in order to promote their rapid learning and increase the proportions attaining higher levels in Year 2  help pupils to consistently develop good spelling, punctuation and handwriting  enable disadvantaged pupils to consistently make rapid progress in writing.  Improve the quality of teaching of writing in Reception in order to raise children’s achievement by making sure teachers:  provide consistently challenging writing activities in the outdoor area  enable children to apply their knowledge of phonics (the sounds that letters make) when writing.

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The leadership and management are good

 The executive headteacher and the headteacher are both strong leaders and are well supported by other senior leaders. The headteacher is building on the school’s strengths and has reorganised the leadership structure for the next academic year, when two senior leaders will become assistant headteachers.  Senior leaders set clear expectations and are continually looking for ways to improve the school’s work. All staff are determined that pupils should get the best possible start to their education and to ensure they are well prepared for their secondary education.  The leadership team keeps a careful watch on the quality of teaching, pupils’ learning and their behaviour. They have provided effective support for staff who needed to improve their work. They also work with other schools to provide good professional development. Staff appreciate these opportunities.  Middle leaders are clear about their responsibilities and often bring a vision for excellence to their

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The leadership and management are good

subjects. Some middle leaders are fairly new to their roles so the impact of some of their actions is still to be fully realised.  School leaders have developed effective procedures to check the school’s work. A major strength is their clear evaluation of pupils’ progress through assessment information and their books alongside robust lesson observations. The headteacher rigorously manages staff performance. She expects staff to produce positive results, and sets suitably challenging targets for improving their performance. Teachers’ salary increases are linked closely to the progress their pupils make.  Leaders quickly step in if teaching needs to improve and if any pupil is slipping behind in their work. This reflects their commitment to provide equal opportunities for all pupils. The school fosters good relationships and actively seeks to tackle any discrimination.  Additional funding is well used to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. The monitoring of their

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The leadership and management are good

progress has been more robust this year than previously, with a good impact on pupils’ achievement in mathematics. The extra help given to improving their literacy and numeracy skills has led to their improved progress.  The school also uses the primary sports funding well. Over the past two years, teachers have worked alongside sports coaches to increase their expertise in teaching a wide range of sport. Links with local clubs for golf and cricket have contributed to the school’s quest for excellence in sport. The greater participation of pupils of all ages in school sports clubs reflects their increased enthusiasm.  Leaders have introduced the new curriculum very effectively. Carefully planned subjects include visits and practical work which help teachers bring learning alive and stimulate pupils to develop their skills and understanding across a wide range of subjects. It is well structured for helping the school to develop

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The leadership and management are good

pupils’ basic skills during lessons and over time. Music is a strength, with many opportunities for pupils to develop their ability to sing, play musical instruments and develop performance skills.  Practical subjects such as science, art, and design and technology complement academic learning. For example, Year 6 pupils made rapid progress in science, art, and design and technology when designing and making safari vehicles during a geography project on Africa.  The school’s work to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Assemblies and religious education lessons actively promote Christian values and enable pupils to learn about other religions and cultures. The inspiring curriculum helps pupils to develop a sense of wonder and joy in the world around them, for example, through literature, music, science and art.  Pupils learn about British values through their involvement in decision-making through the school pupil

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The leadership and management are good

council, charitable and commemorative events, and the teaching of individual liberty and mutual respect. The school has recently been awarded the Gold Democracy Award for its hard work and commitment to the UK Youth Parliament elections earlier this year.  The very large majority of parents are supportive of the school and are pleased with their children’s progress and the way school communicates with them. A very small minority expressed concern about the school’s communication with them and felt their concerns were not addressed. Inspectors investigated these concerns and found that the school has followed the correct procedures to resolve the issues raised. They also found that the school’s communication with parents is good.  The local authority has provided ‘light touch’ support since the previous inspection, although it has helped to stimulate local schools to draw on each other’s expertise in order to keep up to date.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s systems for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements. Leaders are assiduous in making sure all staff have the training they need so they know exactly what to do if they are worried about a child’s welfare.  The governance of the school:  Governors share the ambitions of senior leaders for further improvement and work very well with them and school staff to achieve this. They are knowledgeable about the school and have a wide range of skills which they use for its benefit. They use information and data about pupils’ progress to challenge the school and to compare its performance with that of other schools nationally.  Governors carefully analyse the progress of different groups, including that of disadvantaged pupils. They monitor the impact of the school’s use of the pupil premium and sports funding to improve pupils’ learning and well-being. They ask challenging questions and look for evidence of improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors know how good the quality of teaching is and ensure that any teaching that is less than consistently good or better is tackled so that all pupils can achieve well. They fully support senior leaders in ensuring secure management of teachers’ performance and linking pay to their performance. They have effective arrangements for managing the performance of the headteacher.  Governors are well trained, including in matters of safeguarding and data, and regularly audit their skills to check where further training is needed. Governors take a careful note of the views and concerns of parents.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils and the very large majority of parents who commented during the inspection agree that pupils behave well. Pupils are polite and welcoming and take good care of their school.  The school places a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It is very successful in promoting tolerance, mutual respect and an acceptance of diversity. The success of this can be seen in pupils’ kindness and friendliness to each other and the way in which pupils of different ages and backgrounds play happily together at break times.  In lessons, there is very little time lost due to low-level disruption. Teachers usually only need to give gentle reminders to encourage pupils to concentrate on their work. Pupils know about and follow the school’s agreed behaviour policy and are clear about what is and what is not acceptable behaviour.

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Behaviour

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good, including in the dining hall.  Pupils are keen to learn and have good attitudes to their work, and this makes a notable contribution to their good progress. Activities in lessons capture their interest and they enjoy their tasks. However, at times when work lacks challenge, a few pupils lose focus and this slows the pace of their learning.  The staff have robust procedures to encourage good attendance, with the result that this is above the national average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe at school, and the very large majority of parents echo this.  Regular meetings ensure all staff have an accurate overview of the welfare and well-being of individual pupils to ensure they are kept safe. Timely support, provided by well-trained staff, enables pupils who may experience difficulties to feel happy, safe and secure.  In assemblies and lessons, pupils learn about different types of bullying. They can recognise the difference between bullying and falling out. They say that bullying rarely occurs and when it does, staff are vigilant in monitoring the situation and they sort out any issues quickly. Pupils are confident about approaching adults in school if they need help. They show awareness of cyber bullying, and e-safety advice helps to remind them of how to keep safe when using the internet.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons are varied and interesting and, as a result of good teaching, pupils learn quickly and make good progress. Classrooms are stimulating and attractive and teachers use displays well to celebrate pupils’ achievement and to enhance their learning.  Leaders have worked hard with teachers to promote good teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. The school has ensured that staff have good subject knowledge through coaching and subject training. This has had a particularly positive impact on pupils’ progress in mathematics and in updating new staff in the school’s approach to teaching the new curriculum and assessment practices.  Relationships within classes are very positive and there is a ‘can do’ attitude in lessons. Teachers know pupils well and usually provide work which suits their ability levels.  The teaching of reading is very effective and pupils grow to be confident readers who enjoy a range of

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The quality of teaching is good

authors. Teachers provide exciting activities to widen pupils’ interest, including in classical texts. For example, after reading illustrated versions of ‘Macbeth’, Year 5 pupils undertook drama activities before producing their own written and graphic versions of the play. The systematic build-up of reading skills, including in phonics, and daily guided reading sessions help pupils to get off to a good start in learning to read.  The school has adjusted its teaching groups for Year 1 in phonics this year in order to provide for the increase in numbers of pupils. New staff have received successful training and pupils were observed to make at least good progress in all the phonics lessons seen during the inspection. Teachers’ careful planning ensures activities build carefully on pupils’ previous learning. This was seen in a Year 1 lesson, when a group of middle attainers made rapid progress in learning new sounds and applying these to both

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The quality of teaching is good

reading and writing.  The teaching of writing is good. Work in pupils’ books from across the school shows pupils have regular opportunities for writing at length. Writing tasks capture pupils’ interest and are often centred on topics from the other subjects. For example, after Year 6 pupils read stories and learned facts about Ancient Greeks, they used excellent descriptive language when writing imaginative stories about Ancient Greece.  Teachers systematically build pupils’ ability to write for different purposes and to use more advanced sentence structures. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are also taught across the school. However, there are a few instances when teachers do not reinforce the importance of good spelling, including the need for pupils to use their phonic skills when spelling out words, or to develop good handwriting and punctuation skills.  The teaching of mathematics is usually good. The new curriculum has raised teachers’ expectations of

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils’ achievement, and both problem solving and calculation skills are systematically developed throughout the school. There are good opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their numeracy and writing and skills to their different subjects.  Teachers regularly check on pupils’ understanding in lessons and adapt tasks to help their comprehension. The most able pupils are challenged well. However, occasionally in mathematics, teachers do not quickly provide harder work to some middle-attaining pupils who have mastered the work set. This prevents them making rapid progress and reaching higher levels of attainment.  Learning support assistants are experienced and well trained. Those working with individual disabled pupils and pupils with special educational needs have a clear understanding of their learning difficulties. They are skilled in helping them to learn and in promoting their personal development because there are

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The quality of teaching is good

clear plans for helping individual pupils to build on their existing skills.  Marking is developing well and pupils clearly understand their demanding targets for improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 After a good start to learning in the early years, all groups of pupils between Years 1 and 6 continue to make good progress from their varying starting points. By the end of Year 6, pupils reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are usually above average.  Year 2 pupils’ attainment has been above average in reading, writing and mathematics for the last few years. The proportions of Year 2 pupils attaining higher levels in reading and writing have risen this year. However, standards in mathematics for the current Year 2 are not rising as quickly as in reading and writing, as slightly fewer attain higher levels in mathematics than in reading.  Year 6 pupils’ attainment has been above average overall in reading, writing and mathematics for many years but has sometimes fluctuated between subjects. The latest 2015 national test results indicate that pupils’ attainment is only a little above average in comparison to the 2014 national, although this

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The achievement of pupils is good

represents good progress for pupils from their broadly average starting points into Key Stage 2. The attainment dip is also due to a few pupils joining the school part way through Key Stage 2 with lower levels of attainment.  The 2015 Year 6 test results show that, in the current Year 6, almost all have made at least the progress expected of them while the proportion making rapid progress compares very favourably with national figures for 2014 in reading and mathematics. However, slightly fewer made rapid progress in writing.  Most pupils make good progress in writing and write well for a range of purposes in other subjects. However, a few pupils make careless spelling and punctuation mistakes and do not take enough care with their handwriting, and this restricts their progress.  Pupils’ progress in mathematics has accelerated this year due to improvements in teaching calculation and problem solving, including for the most able pupils. School data and inspection evidence show that the

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The achievement of pupils is good

most able pupils make good progress across different subjects across the school. In all the lessons observed during the inspection, the most able pupils learned well because they were given demanding work which encouraged them to think and to apply their learning to challenging tasks. However, occasionally in mathematics, some middle attainers are restricted from attaining at higher levels because teachers do not quickly spot when to move them on to more challenging work.  The attainment of disadvantaged pupils at the end of Year 6 in 2014 was too variable between subjects. They were five terms behind others nationally in mathematics, one term behind in writing yet one term ahead in reading. Compared with others in the school, they were six terms behind in mathematics and two terms behind in writing, while their attainment was in line in reading.  The 2015 national Year 6 tests and assessments show the school’s actions, including increased

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The achievement of pupils is good

intervention programmes, are having a positive impact on the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. In the current Year 6, there is no gap between disadvantaged pupils and the 2014 figures for others nationally in reading. It has closed in mathematics and narrowed in writing. Pupils have made good progress in reading and mathematics but although all pupils have made expected progress in writing, not enough have made rapid progress.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because of the rigorous tracking of their progress and the effective support from their learning support assistants.  Pupils read widely and are rapidly developing their higher order reading skills, such as inference and deduction. They are equally skilled when reading fiction as when researching for information for their topics. Lower-attaining readers have well-developed phonics skills, reflecting pupils’ good attainment in

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The achievement of pupils is good

the national Year 1 phonics checks. Pupils at the early stages of reading are heard to read very regularly on an individual basis in school.  Pupils learn well across a wide range of subjects. There is some excellent learning in science, design and technology and art from the earliest days in school. For example, when Year 1 pupils designed and made rain hats, they made excellent progress in science in understanding properties of different materials, exploring different textures and colours in art and developing good practical skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Children join Reception with levels of skills and knowledge which vary but, overall, are typical for their age. School records, end-of-Reception national assessment information and evidence of observing the children in lessons confirm children’s progress is good overall. Children do well in their personal, emotional and social development and most other areas of learning, including speaking, listening, reading and mathematics.  Children’s attainment has dipped in writing this year, although their attainment in all other areas is above average. The dip in writing is not a trend, as in 2014 and 2013 the proportion reaching a good level of development, which is the expected standard at the end of the Reception Year, was above average. Children did equally well in all areas of learning, including writing.  Teaching is good overall. In general, staff have created attractive and stimulating learning opportunities

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The early years provision is good

both indoors and in the outdoor area. There is a good range of quality resources that stimulate children’s curiosity and engage them in investigations both on their own and with their friends.  Reading is well taught. Good systems for teaching phonics enable children to make good progress in learning their sounds and letters. Children learn to apply their understanding of phonics well when reading. However, staff do not always encourage children to apply their phonics knowledge when they choose to write during independent learning time.  Children quickly learn new vocabulary and are developing their enquiry skills and understanding of the world very well. During the inspection, children were fascinated to discover ‘model dinosaur bones’ in their sandpit and to use simple reference books to find out more about these from their ‘palaeontologists’ reference station’. Children develop their imagination well through role-play, art, and design and

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The early years provision is good

technology activities.  Children are happy, safe and very well cared for. They display good attitudes, behaviour and enjoyment in learning.  The leadership and management of the early years is good overall. A temporary early years leader is currently managing provision while a new experienced early years leader has been appointed for September. Senior leaders recognised that writing was an area for development earlier in the year and have started to improve provision. However, they are aware that more needs to be done to ensure writing activities in the outdoor area are consistently challenging.

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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 131518 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 449670

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 447 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Robin Evans Headteacher Helen Morris Date of previous school inspection 17 March 2010 Telephone number 01903 856783 Fax number 01903 856784 Email address office@summerleaschool.co.uk guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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