Glebe Primary School

Church Lane, Southwick, Brighton, BN42 4GB

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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 headteacher, other leaders and members of staff work together to ensure that pupils are well taught and achieve well.  Governors provide effective challenge and support and hold leaders to account.  The school has maintained and built on the good teaching and good achievement for pupils reported in the previous inspection.  Pupils show an enthusiasm for learning and behave well in lessons and around the school.  The school successfully promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are kind, friendly, responsible and show care and respect for others. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  There are effective procedures to ensure that pupils are safe and protected. As a result, pupils feel safe at school and very well looked after by staff.  Teaching promotes good progress for most pupils.  Children in the Reception classes have a good start to school life. They make good progress in the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

areas of learning.  Pupils make good progress overall and attain above average standards by the end of Year 6.  Pupils’ learning and development are enriched by a good range of additional activities and educational visits.  Productive partnerships have been established with parents and carers. Parents hold very positive views about the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Teachers do not always set work that is sufficiently challenging for the most able and too few pupils attain the higher levels.  There are too few opportunities for pupils, particularly the most-able writers, to write detailed and extended pieces, especially in other subjects.  Pupils’ handwriting and presentation of work are not of consistently high quality throughout the school.  Progress in Years 1 and 2 is not as strong as in early years and in Years 3 to 6.  Phonics (letters and the sound they make) screening results in Year 1 are below average.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed learning in most classes. Some lessons were seen jointly with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work and analysed the school’s information about their attainment and progress.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, other staff, pupils, governors, a representative of the local authority and an external consultant.  Inspectors took account of the 119 responses to the online survey, Parent View.  A range of documents were examined, including school policies, safeguarding procedures and leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement planning.  Inspectors took account of 47 questionnaires returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Derek Watts, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  Most of the pupils are White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average.  An average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional funding for looked after children and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school met the government’s floor standards in 2014, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Children in the Reception classes attend full time.  The headteacher took up post in September 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen teaching so that pupils make more rapid progress in Years 1 and 2 and more pupils throughout the school attain the higher levels, particularly in writing, by:  ensuring that work is sufficiently challenging, especially for the most able  providing more opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills and write high-quality pieces in English and in other subjects  improving pupils’ knowledge and understanding of phonics in Year 1  ensuring that pupils’ handwriting and presentation are consistently of high quality across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The relatively new headteacher, leaders and staff work well as a team to ensure that pupils receive effective teaching and achieve well.  The school has a positive and welcoming atmosphere where pupils can learn and flourish. The relationship between pupils and members of staff is a clear strength of the school. All leaders and staff strive to ensure that pupils are well behaved and safe. Safeguarding procedures are effective and meet statutory requirements.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is successfully promoted. This helps to ensure that pupils show care, consideration and respect for others. The curriculum effectively provides pupils with a good understanding of different cultures and religions. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  A productive partnership with parents has been established. The results of the online survey, Parent View, indicate that parents hold very positive views about the school. Parents are particularly pleased that their

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The leadership and management are good

child is happy at school, feels safe and is well looked after. They are also pleased with their child’s progress, the quality of teaching and the leadership of the school. The findings of the inspection confirm parents’ positive views.  Through systematic self-review, senior leaders have an accurate overview of the school’s strengths and areas for development. There are clear action plans to bring about improvements where needed.  Leaders of year groups and subject leaders work well together in teams. The leadership of English, mathematics, inclusion and the early years provision is effective. Leaders are effectively involved in checking pupils’ attainment and progress and in taking steps to improve their area of responsibility.  The quality of teaching is regularly checked by senior leaders. Teachers have good opportunities to observe practice in other local schools. Teachers’ performance management arrangements help to

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The leadership and management are good

improve the quality of teaching as targets to improve are well focused on pupils’ progress.  The school provides a broad and interesting range of subjects which promote good achievement for pupils and contribute well to their personal development. Leaders are further developing learning opportunities in mathematics, particularly the application of knowledge and skills to solve problems. Leaders recognise that pupils’ progress in phonics and pupils’ writing in subjects other than English are areas for improvement. Pupils enjoy the wide range of additional activities provided, such as clubs, sport and educational visits.  Pupil premium funding is used well to provide disadvantaged pupils with additional support, particularly in reading and writing. The funding and support are having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.  The primary physical education and sport premium grant is used effectively to extend pupils’ opportunities

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The leadership and management are good

for sport and physical development. Specialist coaches provide good teaching for pupils and useful training for staff. Outdoor equipment to promote pupils’ physical skills has been improved. Pupils’ participation in sporting activities and in local competitions and tournaments has increased.  Equality of opportunity is promoted well. All pupils have full access to the learning activities provided. The school effectively tackles all forms of discrimination.  The local authority has a clear overview of pupils’ attainment and progress. The school has received ‘light touch’ support because it has performed well over time.  The governance of the school:  Governance is effective. Members of the governing body bring a good range of expertise and skills to the school. They have high aspirations for the school and are determined that all pupils do their very best.  The governing body has an accurate view of the school’s performance. Governors have a good

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The leadership and management are good

understanding of pupils’ attainment and progress.  Governors are aware of the requirements relating to the management of teachers’ performance and ensure that teachers’ salary increases are based on pupils making good or better progress. They check that effective action is taken to improve teaching that is less than good.  Governors ensure that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively and check the impact of spending on pupils’ achievement  The governors are supportive and provide an appropriate level of challenge in order to hold the school to account.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy their time at school and participate fully in the learning activities provided. They told the inspectors, ‘Learning is fun’ and ‘Our teachers encourage us to do well.’  In lessons, pupils display enthusiasm for learning and respond well to their teachers. In assembly, they appreciate and celebrate their own and others’ achievements. Pupils thrive on the encouragement and praise provided by the school staff.  Leaders and staff have established high expectations of behaviour and very positive relationships with pupils. As a result, pupils behave well in the classroom, the dining hall, in assembly and around the school. The school’s records of incidents indicate that behaviour is typically good over time.  Not all pupils are taking sufficient care and pride in their handwriting and in their presentation of their work.  Throughout the school, pupils are friendly, kind and helpful, and show consideration and respect for

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Behaviour

others. They understand the importance of rules and laws in our society. Through their studies, they have developed an appreciation and a good understanding of different religions and cultures.  The school works effectively to promote good attendance. Attendance levels are close to the national average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Almost all of the parents who completed the online survey, Parent View, stated that their children were happy at school, felt safe and were well looked after.  The headteacher, other leaders and staff take effective measures to ensure that all pupils are well cared for and protected. Pupils say they feel safe at school and that they are very well looked after by the staff. They demonstrate a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe at school, in the home and in the community. For example, they show a good understanding of e-safety when using computers and the internet.  Discussions with pupils show that they have a very clear understanding of bullying and the different forms it can take. They informed inspectors that there is very little bullying in the school. They are confident that should any bullying occur, it would be quickly dealt with by staff and successfully resolved.

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Safety

 All staff have had recent training in safeguarding and child protection. The school’s effective systems for checking and recording safety matters ensure that any concerns are dealt with promptly. Leaders and governors ensure that rigorous pre-employment checks are carried out before new staff are appointed to the school.  Security in the school is effective. Leaders and other staff carry out regular risk assessments and make sure that the buildings and grounds are safe places for pupils to learn and develop .

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching enables most groups of pupils to make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Lessons have a clear purpose. Pupils know and understand what they are expected to learn. Teachers and teaching assistants establish very positive relationships with pupils and manage them well. Teachers successfully create a classroom atmosphere that is conducive to good learning.  In most lessons, teachers use assessment information well to plan teaching and to help ensure that learning activities are suitably challenging for different groups of pupils. As a result, pupils are engaged in their learning and their interest is sustained. They make good gains in acquiring new knowledge, deepening their understanding and applying skills.  Occasionally, work is not set at the right level of difficulty for pupils. In particular, work is not always demanding enough to extend the learning of the most able. When this happens, pupils do not progress as

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The quality of teaching is good

well as they should.  Teachers use questioning effectively to challenge pupils’ thinking and to check that they have understood. Pupils respond well to questions and are keen to share their knowledge and express their opinions.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well taught and supported. Learning activities are well suited to pupils’ specific needs and enable them to make good progress. Teaching assistants provide good guidance to pupils.  The teaching of phonics is an area that leaders are striving to improve because pupils’ outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening tests have been lower than average. Older pupils apply their reading skills well to find useful information.  In English lessons, pupils are provided with good opportunities to write for different audiences and purposes. For example, they write letters, character descriptions, explanation texts, poetry, play scripts,

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The quality of teaching is good

news reports and balanced arguments. Pupils are given clear guidance to help develop their writing skills.  However, pupils are not always writing in sufficient detail, particularly when applying their writing skills in topic work. Pupils’ ability to write in detail and in depth is underdeveloped, especially for the most able writers.  The quality of pupils’ handwriting and their presentation of work vary across the school because there is not a consistent approach to the teaching of these areas.  In mathematics, teachers use explanations and demonstration successfully to promote pupils’ understanding of calculation and mathematical methods. Pupils gain key knowledge and deepen their understanding of mathematical ideas. Opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge and skills to solve relevant mathematical problems have been increased.  The marking of pupils’ work is effective. Teachers provide praise and encouragement for good work and

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The quality of teaching is good

constructive comments to help pupils improve.

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The achievement of pupils

 Pupils make good progress overall and achieve well. Over the years, attainment by the end of Year 6 has been above average. In 2014, Year 6 attainment was above average in grammar, punctuation and spelling and in writing. It was just above average in reading and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because activities and the support provided are well suited to their specific learning needs.  In 2014, the Year 6 pupils supported by the pupil premium attained slightly higher standards than their classmates in reading. They attained similar standards in writing but were about six months behind the others in mathematics. Remaining gaps are closing.  When compared with pupils nationally, disadvantaged pupils at The Glebe attained similar standards in reading and slightly higher standards in writing. Pupils were about six months behind in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils

Disadvantaged pupils made good progress in reading and writing. Their progress in mathematics was as expected. Gaps are closing, particularly in reading and writing.  The achievement of the most able pupils is not consistently good. In 2014, the proportion of pupils in Year 2 who attained the higher levels was below average in reading and just below average in writing and mathematics. The school is on course to improve on these outcomes in reading and mathematics but too few pupils are currently attaining the higher levels in writing. By the end of Year 6 in 2014, an above average proportion of pupils attained the higher levels in writing and a broadly average proportion attained the higher levels in reading and mathematics.  Pupils’ progress in Years 1 and 2 is not as rapid as in the early years and in Years 3 to 6. Standards by the end of Year 2 are broadly average.  The proportions of pupils who reached the nationally expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check were

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The achievement of pupils

below average in 2013 and 2014. However, pupils attain average standards in reading by the end of Year 2.  Most pupils make good progress in writing, particularly in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Pupils write effectively for different audiences and purposes. However, pupils are not always writing enough, especially when applying their skills in subjects other than English. Currently, too few pupils attain the higher levels in writing.  Pupils’ handwriting and the quality of their presentation are not consistently good throughout the school.  In mathematics pupils make good progress. They acquire a good knowledge and understanding of calculation and mathematical operations. Pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills are developing well. For example, pupils in a Year 6 group applied their knowledge of algebra effectively to find the value of different shapes.

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The early years provision

 Good leadership, good teaching and an interesting range of learning activities ensure that children have a good start to school. There are effective procedures for checking and recording children’s attainment.  Children enter the Reception classes with knowledge, understanding and skills typical for their age. However a significant number have lower than typical attainment, particularly in the areas of communication, reading, writing and self-care.  By the end of Reception in 2014, an average proportion of children attained a good level of development. However, girls had attained higher standards than the boys. Positive steps are being taken to tackle this issue and the gap is closing. Interesting learning activities are provided to motivate boys and adults give focused support where needed.  Children make good progress because they receive good teaching and support. They make good progress in early reading skills, including phonics, and enjoy the range of books provided.

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The early years provision

 They make good progress in working with number and in solving mathematical problems. For example, children show a good understanding of doubling numbers to 20. They made good progress in finding the different combinations of ice cream that could be made using different flavours and three scoops to one cone.  Children make good progress in writing familiar words. The most able are beginning to write interesting sentences about their learning. For example, some wrote clear instructions on how to make a magic salad.  Just occasionally in Reception activities are not demanding enough to challenge the most able children. Teachers are extending opportunities for children to practise numeracy and writing skills in outdoor activities.  Children make good gains in their personal and social development. Adults establish very positive relationships with the children. The children relate well to others and their good behaviour supports their

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The early years provision

learning well. Children are safe and very well cared for. They are well prepared for Year 1.

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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 125913 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 449661

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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 416 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Simon Whitmore Headteacher Jo Kelly Date of previous school inspection September 2009 Telephone number 01273 592163 Fax number 01273 870169

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Email address

office@glebeprimary.co.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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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

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