Setting

Simon Liley Headteacher The Angmering School Station Road Littlehampton West Sussex BN16 4HH

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of The Angmering School

Following my remote inspection with Sue Cox, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) of your school on 23 February 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to provide education to all pupils during the current circumstances.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of The Angmering School

This monitoring inspection was conducted under section 8 (2) of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections remain temporarily suspended. It was additional to the usual monitoring process for schools that are judged to require improvement.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of The Angmering School

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, this monitoring inspection was carried out remotely. As such, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would normally be the case during an on-site inspection. As a result, this letter provides a more limited level of assurance than our usual monitoring reports.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of The Angmering School

The inspection took place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement. The school’s most recent section 5 inspection took place in June 2019.

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Additional, remote monitoring inspection of The Angmering School

Having considered all the evidence and taking into account the impact of COVID-19 on the school, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

to provide education in the current circumstances. Ofsted

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 continue to improve the level of challenge that governors are able to offer leaders about their planned curriculum developments and provision for all pupils

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 ensure that the website provides parents, particularly those of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access to up-to-date information about the curriculum and policies of the school.

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Context

 Since the previous inspection in June 2019, you have changed the structure of your senior leadership team and appointed a new assistant headteacher with responsibility for SEND. Three governors have left and been replaced.

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Context

 Last term most pupils attended regularly. Approximately one third of pupils had to access their education remotely for short periods of time.

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Context

 At the time of this inspection, approximately one in ten pupils were being educated on site for all or part of each week. This included half of the vulnerable pupils and a small number of pupils with educational, health and care plans. Most of the pupils who usually attend the Lavinia Norfolk Centre, the school’s specialist SEND resource provision for pupils with physical, medical or sensory difficulties, were learning at home.

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Main findings

 You have high expectations and ambitions for all pupils at The Angmering School. Following the previous inspection, subject leaders reviewed their curriculum planning. This means pupils learning at home and in school continue to receive a suitably broad curriculum based on their usual timetables. Teachers work in close-knit teams to adapt their subject planning to better support remote learning. Appropriately, they have opted to delay some practical learning until later in the year. In place of some experiments in science, or fieldwork in geography, teachers have filmed and modelled demonstrations.

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Main findings

 Subject leaders are sustaining Year 11 and Year 13 pupils’ learning momentum by revisiting key knowledge and providing additional assessment opportunities. Despite the uncertainty of how the qualifications will be assessed, teachers ensure pupils are being kept informed of any developments.

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Main findings

 The care and support of vulnerable pupils is given top priority. Since the last inspection, you have restructured the pastoral support teams and devised new systems to strengthen the school’s provision. Consequently, staff now have a stronger understanding of pupils’ wide-ranging vulnerabilities. Daily tutor time and contact with staff mean any concerns can be picked up promptly. Where needed, concerns are escalated and referred to senior leaders and relevant professionals.

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Main findings

 Staff are alert to any pupils who are experiencing anxiety or struggling to engage with their learning. Leaders have put in place a raft of support and guidance for pupils and their families. This support is well thought out and crafted around pupils’ specific needs. Vulnerable pupils who are attending school benefit from increased oversight, support and guidance from the staff that are available in school.

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Main findings

 Since the previous inspection, you raised the profile of reading and promoted reading for pleasure, particularly in Years 7, 8 and 9. This work continues, and leaders are taking action to address weaknesses in some pupils’ understanding and use of vocabulary. They recently introduced a new programme focused on the precise vocabulary that pupils need to learn in English and in other subjects. However, leaders have not yet had sufficient time to evaluate in depth the impact of this new programme.

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Main findings

 Leaders work in close partnership with families and professionals to assess need and plan support for pupils with SEND. Their risk assessments are central to the school’s arrangements for these pupils this term. Specialist school staff, health professionals and therapists have modified the way they work. Some pupils learning at home currently receive remote therapy, while others attend appointments in the school’s centre.

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Main findings

 Teachers work with specialist staff to adapt resources so that they are accessible to pupils, including those with a sensory impairment. During online lessons, teaching assistants offer individual guidance to pupils with SEND. This enables these pupils to follow the school’s planned curriculum alongside their peers.

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Main findings

 Governors are a committed team who understand and fulfil their statutory responsibilities. Following the last inspection, they refined their committee structure and ways of working. However, governors do not have a secure understanding of leaders’ curriculum developments. This means that they do not have the knowledge they need to provide sufficiently in-depth challenge as well as support to leaders.

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Main findings

 Leaders have improved many aspects of communication with parents since the last inspection. For example, newsletters and regular contact home help keep parents up to date during the current circumstances. However, although the school website has recently been refreshed, some information and policies are out of date. This includes the statutory information that relates to pupils with SEND. You have plans to address this.  You and your team are outward-looking and work in partnership with other local schools and networks to access relevant staff training. The local authority has worked with leaders to improve attendance. Local authority visits to the school have supported leaders’ curriculum monitoring. They have brokered targeted subject curriculum support, but this work has been delayed and only recently started.

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Evidence

This inspection was conducted remotely. We spoke to you, other senior leaders, staff, four members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss leaders’ actions to provide education to all pupils during a national lockdown.

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Evidence

We looked at examples of teachers’ planning and recordings of remote lessons and met remotely with a small group of pupils. We also took account of the 166 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and 129 responses to the online survey Ofsted Parent View as well as the school’s own parent and pupil surveys.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, 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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