St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath

St Wilfrid’s CofE Primary School, Haywards Heath Eastern Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3NL

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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 Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Determined leadership by the headteacher has put the school firmly back on track. He has secured wide-ranging improvement to teaching and learning since the previous inspection.  Governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and provide leaders with rigorous challenge to secure further improvement.  Teachers are extremely proud to work at St Wilfrid’s. They have embraced leaders’ culture of high expectations and share a determination to raise standards still further.  Parents and carers are very supportive of the school. They appreciate the improved quality of education that the school provides.  Leaders and staff have made significant improvements to the way they assess and check pupils’ achievement. They use this information well to make sure that pupils make good progress in English and mathematics.  Although teaching is typically good, the strong practice evident in most classes is not fully

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

embedded across the school.  The caring relationships between adults and pupils support pupils’ good personal development and welfare. Pupils behave well.  The curriculum provides interesting learning activities across a broad range of subjects. However, there is more to do to ensure that pupils deepen their skills, knowledge and understanding in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Children learn well in the early years. They enjoy the wide range of activities that adults provide. As a result, they make good progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Share the existing strengths in teaching across the school so that all teaching is of a consistently high quality.  Ensure that pupils deepen their learning across the full range of curriculum subjects.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Since joining the school, the headteacher’s resolve to build a culture of high expectations to provide the best for pupils and staff has paid off. His clear vision for the school is shared by all staff and governors.  Leaders’ view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school is accurate. School improvement planning is based on rigorous monitoring and evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning.  The headteacher, ably supported by his deputy, has successfully developed the skills of other leaders in the school. As a result, leaders at all levels contribute increasingly well to the school’s ongoing improvement. For example, leaders ensure that all staff consistently implement school policies and procedures. This has made a particularly strong contribution to improving the behaviour of pupils, as well as to the quality of teaching and learning.  Leaders have embedded a rigorous system of assessment. They use this effectively to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

keep a close eye on the achievement of pupils. Additional support is provided to help those pupils in danger of falling behind. Leaders evaluate this support frequently to make sure that it has the positive impact needed on pupils’ learning.  The headteacher has cleverly managed the introduction of increased demands on staff. He has been focused and clear about the priorities. This has meant that the pace of change has been manageable. This has been an important factor in the school’s continuing improvement.  Leaders provide a range of good support for staff, including peer reviews, coaching and whole-school professional development. Staff value this support. They feel motivated, respected and valued. Morale is high.  The leadership of the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. Pupils’ needs are correctly identified and funding is used effectively to support their progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 A review of the use of pupil premium funding was carried out following the previous inspection. However, once in post, the headteacher initiated a second review to improve the use of funding still further. Actions and recommendations from these reviews have been fully adopted. Leaders make sure that the precise academic and personal development needs of disadvantaged pupils are identified and appropriate support is provided. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make increasingly good progress.  Leaders have a strong commitment to ensuring that the use of the sport premium funding leads to an increased emphasis on pupils’ health and fitness. This commitment is paying dividends. There is now a significant increase in the proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, who take part in sports, tournaments and competitions.  There are strengths in the curriculum, particularly in the way in which it enables pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

to practise and develop their writing across different subjects. However, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum supports pupils’ deep understanding of subject-specific knowledge, skills and understanding in a broad range of subjects. This is an aspect of the school’s work that leaders are yet to tackle.  Parents, like staff, are very supportive of the improvements since the previous inspection. They value the work of the headteacher and staff. All parents who spoke with inspectors during the inspection, and nearly all who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, agree that the school is well led and managed. Typical comments included ‘I couldn’t ask for a better school’ and ‘Both of my children are extremely happy and thriving at this school.’  The school’s values of inquire, share, care, hope, aspire and respect are embedded throughout the school. This results in a strong commitment by everyone to the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

promotion of equality. This is a very welcoming, happy school.

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Governance of the school

 Since the previous inspection, governors have worked well to develop the effectiveness of the governing body. As a result, governance is now strategic and focused on the important priorities.  Governors know the school well and have identified aspects to develop. They have high expectations for continued improvement and are committed to ensuring that the school provides the best possible education for each pupil in its care. Governors strike the right balance between being supportive of leaders and providing appropriate challenge.  Governors make frequent visits to the school. They evaluate the impact of policies on everyday practice. They ensure that additional funding is spent effectively so that it improves the academic and personal development of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders and staff place an appropriately high priority on keeping pupils safe. As a result, there is a culture of vigilance in the school. All staff agree that pupils are kept safe in school.  Staff know what to do if they have a concern about a child. They receive comprehensive up-to-date training. Leaders ensure that new staff are fully inducted into the school so that they understand their role in keeping pupils safe.  Leaders are dogged about pursuing support from outside agencies for vulnerable pupils. Referral procedures are meticulously followed and records are securely kept and fit for purpose.  All pupils spoken with during the inspection said they feel safe in school. They trust the adults to help them if they need it. The vast majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey agree that their children feel safe in school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 As a result of the effective support provided to teachers, the quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now good overall.  Teachers adhere to leaders’ expectations of what the classroom environment should include. For example, each classroom provides pupils with prompts, vocabulary and useful ideas to support their learning. Displays around the school celebrate pupils’ learning and reflect the high expectations that staff have of all pupils.  Teachers support pupils’ learning by ensuring that they know what they are learning and how they can be successful. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils used the teacher’s clear guidance to help them to successfully solve fraction problems.  Teachers have strong subject knowledge in English and mathematics. They use this well to question pupils and check their understanding. For example, in a Year 6 English lesson, pupils were prompted to identify how dialogue is used to portray emotion.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

Sensitive questioning by the teacher resulted in misconceptions being addressed and pupils being able to write high-quality dialogue.  Teachers use their understanding of what pupils can do to make sure that work is well matched to their needs. The most able pupils are challenged to think hard. Teaching assistants provide effective support, usually to lower-attaining pupils, which allows them to be successful.  Although teaching is typically good, some inconsistency remains. The strong practice evident in many classes has not been shared fully across the school.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The school’s values are reflected in the pupils’ attitudes to adults and to each other. Pupils are justly proud of their school and the opportunities it provides.  Older pupils help the younger ones. Pupils happily take on responsibilities around the school. Pupils told inspectors about their work as ‘eco-warriors’ and the importance of being part of the ‘dream team’ or participating in the school council to share their ideas for improving school life. These types of activities help to promote pupils’ self-esteem.  Staff keep a close eye on pupils’ well-being and have made sure that there are ways in which pupils can let staff know if they have worries. Pupils gave inspectors examples of when adults had responded quickly to their concerns.  Pupils say that bullying rarely happens in their school. They trust adults to deal with it

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Personal development and welfare

quickly when it does occur. School records support this view.  Pupils talk confidently about how to keep safe, especially when using the internet. Year 6 pupils told the inspectors about some of the different types of bullying and how, for example, homophobic bullying would be unacceptable.  Relationships across the school are strong. These help to promote a sense of care across the school. Staff keep a close eye on pupils’ well-being and quickly provide the support to pupils who need it.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are polite. They are welcoming to visitors. Pupils usually behave well in lessons, although, at times, when teaching is not sufficiently engaging, pupils lose focus and chat.  Pupils behave well at playtimes, in the lunch hall and around the school. They are well supervised and play sensibly together.  All staff who responded to Ofsted’s online survey agree that behaviour is well managed in school. Most parents also agree.  Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their rate of attendance is better than is typical in schools nationally.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 As a result of decisive action by leaders, outcomes at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 have improved since the previous inspection. In 2018, the proportion of pupils who reached age-related expectations in the combined measure of reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 was higher than the national average.  Pupils’ achievement in reading is a strength of the school. In 2018, pupils made strong progress and the proportion of pupils who reached the higher standard in reading was nearly twice the national average.  Pupils currently in school make good, and often strong, progress in reading. Leaders, rightly, give reading a high priority. Pupils have plentiful opportunities to read for pleasure and to listen to the teacher read at the end of the day. Pupils make good use of the library and enjoy recommending books to their friends. Younger pupils use their phonics to read unfamiliar words. Older pupils learn to read challenging texts. They talk

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Outcomes for pupils Good

confidently about the styles of different authors and can explain why they like particular genres.  In 2018, pupils’ attainment in writing at the end of Year 6 was in line with the national average. However, this did not represent good progress from pupils’ starting points. As a result of raised expectations and the improvements in teaching and learning, pupils currently in school achieve well. Pupils develop a secure understanding of phonics and spelling. They learn to write convincingly for different audiences and in different styles. Pupils build their stamina by writing at length. By Year 6, pupils use a wide range of punctuation and an increasingly complex vocabulary.  Pupils achieve well in mathematics. Learning routines are well established. Pupils develop a secure understanding of number and calculation. They use this knowledge with increasing confidence to solve problems. For example, during the inspection, Year

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Outcomes for pupils Good

6 pupils learned about positive and negative numbers and related this knowledge to bank statements.  In 2018, the proportions of pupils who reached the higher standards in writing and mathematics were lower than the national averages. The books of the most able pupils currently in school show that most teaching now provides the appropriate level of challenge. As a result, the most able pupils make good progress in writing and mathematics, as well as in reading.  Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND also make increasingly good progress. This is because leaders make effective use of additional funding to provide carefully targeted support.  Although pupils learn knowledge across a wide range of subjects, they do not build this knowledge sufficiently progressively to secure and deepen their understanding. Activities often lack the challenge necessary for pupils to make the strong progress they should in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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Early years provision Good

 Effective leadership has led to a significant improvement in the quality of teaching in the early years since the previous inspection. Teaching is now typically good.  Staff know the children well. They make accurate assessments of children’s learning so that they know what children need to learn next. Staff plan activities which are enjoyable and support children’s good progress.  Children play happily and safely in the early years. Staff have created a stimulating learning environment, both inside and outside. Activities are engaging and so children sustain their interest in their play. During the inspection, children were keen to make rockets from junk materials, write sentences using ‘tricky’ words and take part in role play in the puppet theatre.  Adults extend children’s vocabulary effectively. For example, during the inspection, children were encouraged to use correct language, such as ‘audience’ when talking

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Early years provision Good

about their puppet show and ‘atmosphere’ during a phonics session.  Clear and well-established routines mean that children know what is expected of them. As a result, they behave well and learn to play cooperatively. Children are friendly to adults and to each other. Children happily tidy away at the end of a session and learn to wash their hands before eating lunch.  Children are well cared for. Relationships with staff are strong. Adults make good links with pre-school settings and take extra care with children with additional needs. Home visits and good links with parents enable children to settle quickly into school.  Additional funding is used well to support disadvantaged children and children with SEND. As a result, all children make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1.  Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths of the teaching in the early years. They recognise that, as elsewhere in the school, there are some inconsistencies

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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 office@stwilfrids-hh.school

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–16 February 2017

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Information about this school

 St Wilfrid’s is a Church of England primary school. A section 48 inspection was carried out in October 2014.  The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. Children in the early years are taught in two full-time Reception classes.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than the national average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is slightly higher than the national average.  Most of the pupils are White British.  There has been a high turnover of staff since the previous inspection, with most of the teachers new to the school since then. The headteacher joined the school in April 2018. The deputy headteacher was appointed to the post soon after.  The breakfast and after-school clubs are run by external agencies.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors evaluated pupils’ learning across the school. Most lessons were visited jointly with the headteacher, deputy headteacher or inclusion leader.  Inspectors looked at a large sample of pupils’ books across a range of subjects to evaluate pupils’ learning in English, mathematics and the wider curriculum.  Inspectors talked to groups of pupils to gather their views of school life and their learning. Inspectors listened to pupils read, and observed assembly, lunchtime and playtime. An inspector had a tour of the school with a group of pupils to evaluate the impact of the curriculum on their learning. Discussions were held with senior and middle leaders, newly qualified teachers and a group of governors. An inspector had a telephone conversation with representatives from the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors considered the views of parents gathered from the 115 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, and the 49 free-text responses. Inspectors

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Information about this inspection

also had conversations with parents at the start of the school day and took account of the 30 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including documentation relating to school improvement, governance and attendance.

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Inspection team

Joanna Toulson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mrs Fisher-Pink Ofsted 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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