Setting

Nick Sharp Headteacher Bishop Tufnell Church of England Primary School Pennyfields Felpham Bognor Regis West Sussex PO22 6BN

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England Primary School

Following my remote inspection with Lee Selby, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), of your school on 30 March 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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England Primary 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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England Primary School

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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England Primary 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 September 2018.

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England Primary School

Having considered all the evidence and taking into account the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) 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

 identify and sequence explicitly what pupils are expected to know and do across all areas of the wider curriculum

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 check comprehensively what pupils know and can do and use this information to inform future teaching

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 ensure that all staff are trained to implement the school’s chosen phonics programme accurately, and that books are accurately matched to pupils’ reading ability.

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Context

 Since the monitoring inspection in December 2019, two new key stage leaders have been appointed. There have been several changes to the membership of the governing body within the same time period.

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Context

 Approximately 50% of pupils were educated at home when the school was only open to some children due to COVID-19 restrictions at the start of the spring term. Approximately 90% of vulnerable pupils and over 50% of those pupils with an education, health and care plan were educated on site during that time.

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Context

 At the time of this inspection, nearly all pupils have returned. A small number of pupils have returned on part-time timetables and a few pupils are self- isolating due to COVID-19.

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Context

 A small proportion of staff were absent due to COVID-19 at the time of this inspection. Teacher absence is being covered by long-term supply.

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Main findings

 Leaders have ensured that pupils continue to experience the full range of subjects and learning identified in the school’s planned curriculum. At the time of the inspection, too many pupils were attending school part time because leaders were unable to meet their needs.

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Main findings

 Since the last monitoring inspection, leaders have started work to review the curriculum. This work has slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some subjects are more developed than others and leaders have made careful decisions about the most important knowledge to be taught. They have also considered the best order in which to teach that knowledge. For example, in science, leaders have identified precise subject vocabulary that pupils need to be taught to learn well. They have identified where this vocabulary will appear within the curriculum. Other subjects, such as modern foreign languages and music, are at an earlier stage of development.  Where leaders have thought more carefully about the order in which they teach topics, pupils are more likely to recall key knowledge. This helps pupils make links between their learning. For example, in mathematics, pupils knew which skills and calculations they needed to solve area and perimeter

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Main findings

problems. In history, older pupils could recall knowledge about the Mayans and link this to previous learning on Ancient Egypt.

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Main findings

 Since the school reopened to all pupils in March 2021, teachers have been using various approaches to check what pupils have learned and remembered. In some subjects, for example design technology, leaders are making amendments to the current curriculum to ensure that important knowledge is not missed. However, not all assessment precisely identifies what pupils have remembered and can do. Leaders have more work to do to monitor how curriculum plans and teaching approaches are adapted in light of what pupils already know.

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Main findings

 Leaders ensured that phonics teaching continued during the period when the school was only open to some children due to COVID-19 restrictions. They have put in place additional phonics sessions to support pupils to address any gaps that have arisen. Leaders recognise the importance of all pupils having access to high-quality texts to read and have plans to broaden their current offer.

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Main findings

 Leaders have not ensured that all staff are using one consistent approach to the teaching of early reading. Despite reading being a priority, not all staff have been adequately trained in this area. Leaders have not ensured that pupils at an early stage of learning to read have books that are accurately matched to the sounds that they are learning.

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Main findings

 Teachers adapted their teaching during the COVID-19 restrictions to enable pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access the curriculum. Pupils with SEND who attended school during this time received more individualised adult support with their learning.

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Main findings

 Leaders responsible for pupils with SEND are working with staff to make the curriculum more inclusive. However, not all pupils with SEND are having their needs fully met in school full time.

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Main findings

 Governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s priorities and what leaders are doing to address them. They have adapted their work to provide stronger support and challenge to the school during COVID-19. For example, governors used the school website to support conversations about the curriculum. They also used online surveys to seek the views of staff and parents.

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Main findings

 The local authority has provided useful support and challenge to leaders, including training opportunities for subject leaders and support to develop the English curriculum. The local authority is continuing to work closely with leaders to secure the necessary improvements to the curriculum and subject leadership.

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Evidence

This inspection was conducted remotely. We spoke to you, other senior leaders, pupils, staff, representatives of those responsible for governance, a representative of the local authority and a representative from the Diocese to discuss leaders’ actions to provide education to all pupils during a national lockdown.

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Evidence

We also listened to pupils read to a member of staff and observed short recordings of the phonics remote learning provision. We considered various school documents and policies relevant to the focus of this inspection. We looked at responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 21 free-text responses, and 45 staff questionnaires.

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Evidence

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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