Stedham Primary School

Stedham Primary School School Lane, Stedham, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 0NY

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher and governing body are determinedly improving the school. Together, they are successfully addressing issues that caused dips in pupils’ achievement. As a result, pupils’ progress is sound and improving.  Pupils are well behaved and polite. They enjoy their time in school and are well supported by staff.  Parents and carers are strongly supportive of the school. They and staff recognise that the school has improved since the last inspection.  Strong and imaginative teaching is leading to improving outcomes for all pupils. Well- thought-out lessons and effective support from adults ensure that pupils make secure progress in their learning.  Governance is strong. Governors are highly ambitious for all pupils at the school. The governing body ensures that pupils are safe and well cared for.  Children make secure progress and achieve good outcomes in the early years. This is because of the effective teaching they receive.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Expectations of the most able pupils are not high enough. They do not always receive the challenge they need to do as well as they could. As a result, the most able pupils do not make enough progress.  Attendance is improving but remains lower than the national average. Consequently, pupils who miss too much school do not make enough progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of pupils who reach the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics by: – making sure that all lessons contain sufficient challenge to stretch the most able pupils – ensuring that leaders use assessment and tracking information to accurately identify pupils who should be making more progress.  Governors should improve their knowledge and oversight of pupils’ attendance and progress, to more effectively hold leaders to account for the outcomes of all pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher and governing body have strengthened senior leadership since the last inspection. They have a good understanding of the school’s current strengths and weaknesses and are taking appropriate action to tackle areas that need to be better. A good example of this is the work to tackle the poor performance in phonics in Year 1. Actions taken to address the aspects of teaching that needed to improve have resulted in significantly improved outcomes for pupils.  The role of senior teachers has been strengthened. The most experienced teachers now play a more significant part in school improvement and are having a greater impact on outcomes for pupils. A good example of this is the work of the senior teacher responsible for the progress of disadvantaged pupils. As a result of her leadership, pupils are making more progress because the support these pupils receive is more effective.  Leaders have strengthened the support for pupils who have special educational needs

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

(SEN) and/or disabilities. Leaders make sure that the extra help pupils receive is making a difference. The accurate identification of pupils’ needs and effective monitoring of the impact of support mean that these pupils make sound progress.  Additional funding is used effectively to enhance the progress that pupils make. The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium is leading to improved skills and a greater range of sporting opportunities and activities. Both the funding to support disadvantaged pupils and that for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are used effectively. Consequently, outcomes for these pupils are improving.  The curriculum is broad and balanced, and parents appreciate the information they receive about what their children are learning. Pupils enjoy the range of activities on offer and particularly enjoy the forest school. The curriculum provides pupils with good

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

opportunities to learn about British values and for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, some pupils talked passionately about the importance of equality while describing their work about disability and discrimination.  Subject leadership is improving. Such activities as the tracking of additional support available to pupils in English and mathematics are developing subject leaders’ understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in their subject. Consequently, subject leaders are developing their knowledge of how effectively their subject is taught in the school.  Leaders successfully use information about what pupils know and can do to ensure that they make strong progress. However, leaders, including subject leaders, are not sufficiently focused on challenging the most able pupils in each year group to progress rapidly and reach the higher standards.  The local authority is providing effective support for leaders. Regular visits and precise

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

monitoring from the local authority’s staff ensure that leaders remain focused on the key areas of school improvement.

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Governance of the school

 Governance is strong. The governing body has changed significantly and almost all members are new, since the last inspection. Together, governors have taken firm action to identify and tackle the main issues facing the school. They have listened carefully to the views of parents and staff and have acted decisively to address weaker aspects of the school’s provision. A good example of this are the higher expectations of pupils’ behaviour, which were introduced following concerns raised in a parent questionnaire. Governors now need to use this successful approach to improve attendance and the progress of the most able pupils.  For a period following the last inspection, the governing body did not pay enough attention to the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning. During this time, leaders were not held sufficiently to account. As a result of this, some pupils, particularly the most able, did not make as much progress as they should. Governors now need to ensure

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Governance of the school

that they meticulously hold all leaders to account for the progress pupils make from their starting points.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The safety and well-being of pupils are taken very seriously. Systems to record concerns are thorough, and staff understand how to deal appropriately with any concerns they may have about a pupil’s safety. Members of the governing body check this aspect of the school’s work stringently. Procedures to ensure that visitors to the school do not present a risk to pupils are thorough. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, and have an appropriate knowledge of safe practice when using the internet.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers plan engaging activities that are well matched to what most pupils know and can do. A good example of this was observed in a mathematics lesson based on a letter received from a zoo. Pupils were highly motivated by the carefully planned activities. As a result, they made good progress in the skills they were learning. This effective and confident teaching enables pupils to make strong progress in lessons.  Parents are happy with the education their children receive. They appreciate the information the school provides and the range of activities on offer to their children.  Teachers have secure subject knowledge and teach the basics of English and mathematics well. They plan sequences of learning that effectively build pupils’ skills and confidence. This can be seen in lessons and in the work pupils have completed in their books. In the Years 5 and 6 class, for example, pupils were engaged in a series of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

lessons that securely developed their skills in, and understanding of, persuasive writing.  Teaching assistants provide effective support and help pupils move their learning forward. The work of additional adults is most effective when they understand teachers’ expectations for presentation and the amount of work that should be completed by pupils.  Systems to assess and monitor the progress that pupils make have been significantly improved since the last inspection. Teachers are now using careful tracking of assessments to ensure that pupils make strong progress. However, they are not using this information to identify any pupil who is not making sufficient progress quickly enough.  In some lessons, the most able pupils make rapid progress because activities challenge them to stretch their learning. However, this is not consistent across the school. In lessons that lack challenge, pupils do not make as much progress as they could,

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Parents said that their children are happy and enjoy coming to school. Pupils are happy at school and feel safe.  Pupils said that bullying and bad behaviour are rare. They are confident that staff will take good care of them. Staff reported that behaviour is well managed and that the school is calm and orderly.  Pupils have regular opportunities to develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They enjoy activities such as the forest school and the play activities organised by older pupils in the school.  Older pupils are encouraged to be role models of good behaviour for younger children in the school. Through such roles as play leaders, older pupils take on additional responsibilities and support younger pupils to learn and develop.  Not all pupils feel that they have enough challenge in their lessons. Some pupils feel

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Personal development and welfare

that teachers understand what they can do and have high expectations of their work. However, this is not the case for all pupils.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well in and around the school. They are polite to staff and to each other. Recent moves to raise expectations of pupils’ behaviour have taken affect and low-level disruption in lessons is now very rare. Exclusions are clearly recorded and carefully overseen by the governing body.  Attendance is lower than the national average. This is partly because of some significant and unavoidable periods of absence for a small number of pupils. Leaders and governors know that attendance needs to improve. As a result, the headteacher provides regular and detailed information to the governing body. However, governors are not evaluating the effectiveness of the school’s efforts to promote good attendance for all pupils. Nor are governors effectively holding leaders to account for this important aspect of the school’s work.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Almost all pupils currently in the school are making good progress from their starting points. Accurate tracking information and the work in pupils’ books indicate that pupils’ progress is sound, and improving in reading, writing and mathematics.  The proportion of pupils who reach or exceed the expected standard in English and mathematics fluctuates each year. This is because of the small number of pupils in some year groups. It is also because of the relatively small proportion of pupils who achieve the higher standards. Improvements to teaching and assessment are leading to increased rates of progress for pupils.  The very large majority of pupils currently in Year 1 are on track to achieve the expected standard in phonics. The proportion of pupils who reach the standard is improving each year.  Teachers use accurate information about what pupils know and understand to set appropriate targets for each pupil. Leaders have strengthened the extra support that

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Outcomes for pupils Good

some pupils receive. As a result, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are making better rates of progress.  The number of pupils who achieve the higher standards is lower than it should be. This is because the most able pupils are not challenged enough to make rapid progress. The expectations of quality, and the amount of work that the most able pupils should produce, are not consistent across the school.

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Early years provision Good

 Children make strong progress in the early years. They enter the school with levels of achievement that are broadly typical for their age. As a result of the broad range of well-thought-out activities they experience, they start Year 1 with levels that are broadly in line with the national average.  Children engage enthusiastically in the activities on offer. The teacher skilfully engages children in these activities through very effective questioning. Consequently, children are making good progress. An example of this was the teacher’s use of photographs of the children at work, to get the children to think about their own next steps for their learning and development.  Outcomes for children are good across all areas of learning. This is because the teacher closely monitors the progress of each child and plans carefully for their next steps.  Disadvantaged children and those who have SEN and/or disabilities make progress that

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Early years provision Good

is equal to, or better than, that of their classmates because the teacher plans for each child individually.  Relationships with parents are strong. Parents are well informed about the progress of their children, and appreciate the time spent to ensure that their children start school successfully.  Some activities lack sufficient challenge to stretch the most able children. These children would benefit from being expected to complete more activities at a higher level.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address head@stedham.w-sussex.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 ─ 30 April 2014

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The number of pupils in each year group changes each year. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and the proportion of disadvantaged pupils are very different in each class.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector took into account 45 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, including 22 free-text comments. The inspector also considered two responses to the pupil questionnaire and 12 responses to the staff questionnaire.  A range of documents were considered, including: the school’s self-evaluation information; records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour and safety; and the school’s information about pupils’ achievement.  The inspector observed teaching and learning in 11 lessons and parts of lessons, four of which were carried out jointly with senior leaders. The inspector scrutinised work in pupils’ books.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff, pupils and five members of the governing body. The inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.

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Inspection team

Phil Minns, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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