Jolesfield CofE Primary School

Inspection of Jolesfield CofE Primary School Littleworth Lane, Partridge Green, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 8JJ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 11–12 December 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a welcoming, happy environment. Pupils feel safe. They enjoy learning and having challenging tasks to do. They respond well when teachers have high expectations of them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get on well with each other and adults at the school. They are well cared for. They behave in a calm, orderly way throughout the school day. A few pupils sometimes challenge teachers, but teachers deal with it well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have supported pupils to produce a definition of bullying for the school. Everyone knows what it means and they work together to make sure that it does not happen. Pupils sometimes fall out with each other, but adults help them to make up.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Music plays an important part in pupils’ experience. They have regular opportunities to sing and attend music festivals. All pupils have the chance to represent the school in sporting festivals.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children get off to a flying start in the Reception class. As pupils move up through the school, some start to struggle. They do not always gain the knowledge and skills they need in some subjects, including reading.

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better?

Leaders have a clear vision for the school based on Christian values. They have built strong relationships with parents. One parent said: ‘The new head is excellent and I have seen a lot of positive change.’ Leaders respond to concerns. For example, they have set up an ‘Early Start Club’ to support pupils who find coming into school difficult.

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better?

Some teachers’ subject knowledge is not deep enough. This means that pupils become confused, for example in science. Teachers have implemented the new curriculum more effectively in some subjects than others. Pupils learn more successfully in mathematics and art.

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better?

Leaders, supported by governors, have taken significant steps to improve the quality of education. They are aware that pupils do not achieve as well as they should in some subjects. Leaders have mapped out the sequence of skills pupils should learn over time. They recognise that this work is in its early stages and they need to map out subject-specific knowledge as well. Not enough pupils achieve the standard expected in the phonics screening check. Too many pupils leave Year 6 without being able to read well and without a good grounding in a range of subjects. This means that they have gaps in subject-specific knowledge and skills required to do well at secondary school. 11–12 December 2019

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In reading, children get off to a strong start in the Reception class. The teaching of phonics is more effective in the early years than in key stage 1. Some pupils begin to fall behind in Years 1 and 2. They struggle to read the books staff give them. Leaders are aware that early reading books do not match the sounds pupils know. They have plans to improve the stock of early reading books and have already improved the library. Teaching assistants have not had the training they need to help weaker readers to keep up. Leaders have planned further staff training.

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Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) varies too much, especially in mathematics. This is because some staff do not yet provide effective support for pupils with SEND. As a result, a number of SEND pupils lack the ability to complete tasks. In some year groups, pupils with SEND have a lot of ground to make up. Leaders are aware of this and are providing extra support. Pupils have not yet caught up.

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Leaders provide well for the personal development of pupils. Pupils contribute to the life of the school through the school council. The school provides positive role models through visits by, for example, lifeboat crew members and local paramedics. The curriculum gives them opportunities to think about global issues. It inspires them to find out more. For example, one pupil presented an assembly about plastics in the environment. Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils have positive attitudes and behave well in class.

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The early years leader is knowledgeable about how best to help children learn. She is ambitious for all the children. She plans the curriculum and the learning environment so that it is engaging. Adults support children to speak and use vocabulary well. Staff plan mathematical activities that sustain children’s interest and develop their knowledge of number.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff and volunteers have a clear understanding of their responsibilities for ensuring the safety and well-being of pupils. Staff are regularly trained to ensure that they understand the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They know and follow the procedures for referring any concern they may have to the designated safeguarding lead (DSL).

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Safeguarding

The DSL works well with local children’s services and makes prompt referrals when necessary. The DSL maintains up-to-date records of referrals he has made and is vigilant in following them up. The school also arranges support for vulnerable families from outside agencies. 11–12 December 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have clearly set out the progression of knowledge and skills in phonics and early reading. Teachers have the necessary subject knowledge and teaching skills to teach this curriculum well. However, if pupils start to struggle, staff are not well enough trained to deliver effective support to help them catch up. Leaders need to train staff in providing bespoke support for weaker readers so that they can keep up and learn to read fluently and confidently. Books provided to support the teaching of early reading are not well matched to the phonics pupils have learned. Leaders need to ensure that reading books match the phonics skills of pupils, so they can develop fluency and confidence.  Leaders should train staff so that they have greater expertise in supporting pupils with SEND. Leaders need to ensure greater consistency in the quality of support provided for pupils with SEND, so that they can fully access the curriculum and

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

make good progress through it.  Leaders have improved the curriculum, clearly setting out the intended progression of skills. They now need to ensure that the progression of knowledge is equally clear. In subjects, such as science, where implementation is less effective, leaders should make sure that teachers have the necessary subject knowledge to teach the planned curriculum successfully.

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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. 11–12 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111128 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 18–19 July 2017

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Information about this school

 Jolesfield CofE Primary School is a smaller than average-sized primary school. It is a Church of England voluntary controlled school. It was last inspected, under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, in July 2016.  Since we last inspected the school, a new headteacher and deputy headteacher have taken over the leadership.  The school has recently undergone significant restructuring of staff and classes. Some classes are now in mixed-age year groups.  The school offers an Early Start Club for pupils at the start of the school day.

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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 held meetings with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), the chair of governors and four other members of the governing body.  I held a discussion with a representative of the local authority. I spoke to the 11–12 December 2019

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senior adviser at the Diocese of Chichester by telephone.  We conducted deep dives in these subjects: reading, art, mathematics and science. When focusing on these subjects, we held discussions with the subject leaders responsible for the subjects, visited lessons in several year groups, including the support provided to pupils with SEND, looked at pupils’ work, and held discussions with pupils and teachers.  We inspected safeguarding by reviewing the arrangements for pre-appointment checks carried out by the school, including the school’s single central record of these checks. We spoke to staff about their training and understanding of the school’s safeguarding procedures. We held discussions with the designated safeguarding leader, and reviewed case files and records held by the school, including records of staff training.  We held discussions with parents at the start of the school day. We considered

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121 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 15 free-text comments. We considered 120 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. We considered 14 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and we held discussions with staff about their work.

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Inspection team

Peter Wibroe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Liz McIntosh Ofsted Inspector 11–12 December 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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