Clapham and Patching CofE Primary School

Inspection of Clapham and Patching CofE Primary School The Street, Clapham, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3UU

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 12–13 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school where all have high expectations for every pupil. Staff and governors are determined that everyone will do the best they can. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Everyone is focused on pupils’ best interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe. Adults take time to know each pupil and care for them as individuals. Pupils follow adults’ examples and look after each other. For example, when a young girl fell over in the playground, I saw an older pupil quickly help her to her feet and check that she was unhurt. Pupils also behave well in lessons. They listen to adults and work well with their classmates.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are, at times, fallings-out among pupils, but these are infrequent and quickly sorted out. Pupils know the difference between occasional thoughtlessness and bullying. They know exactly what to do if bullying does happen but say that it is rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are full of praise for everything that is being done to help their children to flourish. Parents who moved their children from other schools are particularly positive. They have seen their children become much more successful in school.

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better?

The headteacher, teachers and governors have designed a curriculum to meet the needs of pupils. It covers the national curriculum, but also uses the local area to bring learning to life. It is planned carefully so that pupils, including those with SEND, build knowledge and skills over time.

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better?

Reading sits at the heart of the curriculum. Wherever you look in the school, there are books attractively displayed. One teacher explained, ‘If you learn to read, you can do anything.’ Right from the time that children join Reception, they start on the journey to learn to read. Most pupils become confident, fluent readers. Those with SEND receive extra help and support to help them catch up and keep up. The curriculum in mathematics is also strong. It helps pupils to become confident and to improve their knowledge and skills as they move through the school.

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better?

The wider curriculum enables pupils to achieve well. Teachers plan subjects carefully so that new ideas build on previous learning. Pupils achieve very well in art because teachers build pupils’ skills over time. Teachers introduce pupils to different artists and art from diverse cultural backgrounds, including the Aborigines. In geography, teachers make sure that pupils remember earlier lessons before they move on to new learning. For example, older pupils were learning about the continent of Africa. The teacher first checked that pupils had remembered about the earth’s hemispheres and the equator. Pupils then went on to learn about the tropics and 12–13 November 2019

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how to locate places using latitude and longitude.

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Most subjects are planned and taught well. However, there is still work to be done to make sure that the curriculum is as consistently strong in all subjects. Weaker subjects include languages, and design and technology.

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Everyone has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. As a result, pupils behave well both in school and at free times. Almost all pupils are well behaved and respectful. There are some pupils with SEND who provide the school with significant behaviour challenges. Staff manage these pupils effectively. Pupils want to do well, work hard and are proud of their achievements.

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Leaders have focused on making sure that pupils attend regularly. As a result, attendance is improving, especially this year. However, some pupils are still absent without good reason. Leaders need to continue their work to improve attendance even more.

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A wide range of activities supports pupils’ wider development. They go on visits to exciting places. In particular, pupils love learning in the woodland area of the school. They learn valuable life lessons such as resilience and cooperation while having fun.

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Children in the early years receive a strong start in school. Although they all come from different pre-school settings, they settle in quickly. Children are friendly, confident and articulate. They take turns and cooperate, sharing ideas and resources with each other. Children learn well indoors and outside because adults understand how to help children learn from play. Staff respond quickly to children’s interests. For example, a girl brought in a spider from outside. Before long, the teacher had children drawing pictures of spiders’ webs and making models of spiders. Others were practising writing about their findings.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school and pupils are safe here. Staff have all received up-to-date training. They are vigilant to signs of harm, such as changes in a pupil’s appearance or behaviour. Staff report any concerns promptly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn to stay safe, including online. They know to keep personal information private and not to trust people unless they are completely certain who they are.

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Safeguarding

The administration of some aspects of safeguarding has not been strong until this academic year. The headteacher, supported by the local authority, has now sharpened the school’s record-keeping. 12–13 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum helps pupils to learn well in most subjects because it is carefully sequenced and structured. However, the curriculum is not as strong in some subjects, such as languages and design and technology, as it is in most. The school should continue its work in developing the curriculum so that pupils can improve their knowledge and skills in all subjects.  Staff have worked hard to improve pupils’ attendance. There is clear evidence that their efforts are starting to have positive results. Leaders and governors should continue to improve pupils’ attendance.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111127 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20–21 June 2017

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Information about this school

 Clapham and Patching CofE Primary is designated as a Church of England voluntary-controlled primary school. Its most recent section 48 inspection took place in December 2016. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place in 2021.  In October 2019, the local education authority launched a public consultation to consider the future of this and four other small schools in the area.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher regularly throughout the inspection. Meetings were held with four governors, including the chair of the governing body. We met with a representative of the local authority. We also spoke to a representative of the local diocese on the telephone.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, geography and art. We met with leaders of these subjects. We visited lessons in all classes. We also spoke to pupils and teachers from these lessons and looked at their work with 12–13 November 2019

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subject leaders.  We spoke to the headteacher, pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding. We looked at various documents relating to safeguarding, including a case study of a vulnerable pupil.  We considered 30 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. We spoke to parents at the start of the day. We also considered a letter received from a parent and had a telephone conversation with another parent. In addition, one response to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire was taken into account. We had meetings with six individual members of staff. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Bruce Waelend, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kevin Parfoot Ofsted Inspector 12–13 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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