Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Jeremy Wong Headteacher Broadwater CofE Primary School Rectory Gardens Worthing West Sussex BN14 7TQ

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No formal designation inspection of Broadwater CofE Primary School

Following my visit with Christopher Donovan and Stephanie Scutter, Ofsted Inspectors, on 31 October to 1 November 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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No formal designation inspection of Broadwater CofE Primary School

This inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for inspecting schools with no formal designation. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector was concerned about outcomes for pupils at the school.

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Evidence

Inspectors met with you and members of your leadership team. A meeting was held with a group of governors, including the chair of governors. I also met with a school improvement adviser from West Sussex local authority. Inspectors observed learning in all classes and year groups. We reviewed the school’s analysis of previous published outcomes and considered information about the progress and attainment of pupils currently in the school. We looked at a sample of pupils’ work and analysed a range of the school’s documentation, including your evaluation of the school, the school improvement plan and governors’ minutes. Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the second day. We met groups of pupils formally and spoke to pupils during lessons. We visited assemblies in both key stages. Inspectors scrutinised the single central record and other documents relating to safeguarding and child protection arrangements. Inspectors also considered 91 responses from

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Evidence

parents to the online survey, Parent View, alongside their 55 free-text comments.

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Context

Broadwater CofE Primary School is larger than the average primary school. The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is smaller than average. An average proportion of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities attend the school. The school was previously inspected in 2011 when its overall effectiveness was judged to be outstanding. You and the chair of governors were in post at the time of the last inspection. The school was previously a first and middle school, catering for pupils up to the age of 12, but since the last inspection the school has been redesignated as a primary school, in line with local authority reorganisation.

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Inspection findings

There is no complacency in this outstanding school. Leaders’ assiduous attention to detail and considerable knowledge of every pupil have ensured that teaching, learning and assessment are exceptionally strong, leading to excellent progress.

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Inspection findings

Leaders at all levels are guardians of the school’s values and ethos. Parents and carers value the school and its excellent reputation. The school is genuinely inclusive and welcoming to all. Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. They show consideration and kindness to each other and full respect towards staff.

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Inspection findings

Distinguished and experienced governors oversee the school’s work with impressive strategic insight. They pose difficult questions to leaders and are dedicated champions for children. Inspiring leadership in the school is fully recognised by the local authority. You have recently been supporting another primary school, while your deputy headteacher ably and effectively took responsibility for leading Broadwater. You and your senior team have ensured that staff are given time to develop their skills and leadership and participate in planning for the school’s future.

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Inspection findings

Leaders and staff proudly maintain a deep focus on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils enact the school’s strong Christian values in practical community and charity work. You make sure that tolerance is actively promoted and sustained. Different cultures are celebrated to enhance pupils’ experiences. Pupils also benefit from a vibrant and inspiring curriculum, which vividly demonstrates the wonders of the natural, scientific, historical and technological world.

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Inspection findings

Parents are very positive about what the school offers. One parent commented on the school’s ‘outstanding moral values’. Pupils told inspectors about how highly they rate the school. They firmly believe that the school is ‘special’ because ‘Work is fun; we are challenged in our learning, staff sort things out when we’re struggling or if someone hurts your feelings.’ Other pupils commented that ‘Everybody is included, and everybody is happy.’ A very small number of parents expressed some dissatisfaction with communication from the school. However, these concerns were not supported by the inspection evidence. It is clear that the school’s outstanding provision has helped to raise parents’ expectations and aspirations for their children.

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Inspection findings

Your evaluation of the school’s previous dip in results in writing has been typically honest, but you are justifiably confident that improvements have been made. Leaders have correctly identified that a small group of pupils, including some who are disadvantaged, struggle to establish habitual accuracy in their spelling, punctuation and grammar when writing independently. Leaders have ensured that these pupils benefit from high-quality day-to-day teaching of reading and writing, with additional support and intervention at the earliest opportunity. Pupils’ provisional results for 2018 clearly demonstrate the impact of your work to improve writing.

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Inspection findings

The school is filled with pupils’ superb writing. The youngest children quickly acquire confidence and enjoyment in forming letters, words and sentences. They soon understand the pleasure gained from writing well. Older pupils are rightly proud of the exquisite topic books they create across different curriculum subjects, demonstrating a wide range of writing styles, purposes and formats. Through these topic books, it is clear to see the impressive progress that pupils make. They take full responsibility for diligently editing, refining and polishing their work into a precious record of knowledge and skills.

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Inspection findings

Pupils’ reading strongly supports their writing. Phonics and early reading are taught very well. Books chosen as class readers and for the library are of high quality and challenging. Storytelling for younger pupils and reading for all are encouraged by staff and loved by pupils.

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Inspection findings

Unexpected events also inspire excellent writing. For example, pupils were recently concerned that their much-loved crossing patrol supervisor was not going to be replaced when she retired. They wrote persuasive letters to the press and their member of parliament. This was an opportunity not to be missed: a real-life pretext for writing a sophisticated and mature letter to help pupils realise how powerful the written word can be.

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Inspection findings

Many pupils can identify exactly what impact different grammatical structures and punctuation have on the tone and feeling in their writing. They are also adept at applying a range of spelling strategies to support them with unfamiliar words. As one older pupil said, ‘We like to take control of our learning.’ However, a very small number of the most able pupils are not quite reaching their potential as writers, because they do not understand deeply enough the effect of the techniques they are learning. In short, these pupils do not always consider the impact that they are making on the reader. This is holding back their achievement.

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Inspection findings

Pupils make excellent progress in mathematics. Teachers are extremely skilled in ensuring that pupils’ misconceptions do not become ingrained but are challenged and understanding is mastered. A highly efficient system of identifying gaps in pupils’ understanding enables teachers to quickly pick out what to work on, without creating unnecessary burdens of assessment. Pupils love challenges in mathematics and revel in practising their times tables and working out answers to problems. Following the previous inspection and as a result of your own analysis of teaching and learning, you have further strengthened the teaching of mathematics. There is clear evidence in books that pupils are conscientiously applying their mathematical reasoning and problem solving across different curriculum subjects.

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Inspection findings

The school is understandably proud of its commitment to pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, are disadvantaged, or are being supported by other agencies. All pupils benefit from excellent teaching, strong care and thoughtful planning to ensure that their needs are met. As a result, pupils make excellent progress from their starting points, notwithstanding their additional needs. In reading and mathematics, the very small group of pupils who are disadvantaged outperform their peers because of the excellent day-to-day teaching and additional support where needed.

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Inspection findings

All safeguarding arrangements in the school are effective and meet requirements. Staff are alert to signs that may indicate a pupil is at risk of harm. Checks on staff working in the school are meticulously overseen by governors and the local authority. The school’s partnership with other agencies who protect children is productive, putting children first. In characteristic fashion, leaders are never complacent and have recently improved the system that staff use to raise concerns.

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Inspection findings

Leaders are committed to considering safeguarding from a child’s point of view. They are reviewing their planning for pupils’ personal, social and health education (PSHE), in order to prepare them better for the challenges of staying mentally healthy while growing up in modern Britain. Leaders’ work on safeguarding and child protection has had a notable impact on pupils. They talked to inspectors about how they felt safe in school and learned important lessons about life through the assembly programme and visiting speakers. Parents, too, endorse the safe environment in the school.

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External support

School leaders make the most of the support and challenge from their school improvement adviser. Her oversight has confirmed leaders’ analysis of why a few pupils are not reaching the expected standard in writing. She also maintains a rightful focus on the groups of disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. The school is highly regarded in the West Sussex local authority area. Officers commissioned you to support a nearby school. The school is a forward-looking hub of the community, seeking out strong relationships with children’s services, the church, diocese, parents and secondary schools.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Improve outcomes in pupils’ writing by:  teaching lower-attaining pupils to become habitually and confidently accurate with their grammar, punctuation and spelling when writing independently  making sure that pupils, particularly the most able, consciously craft their writing to make maximum impact on the reader.

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Priorities for further improvement

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Chichester, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for West Sussex. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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