All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of good school: All Saints’ and St Richard’s Church of England Primary School School Hill, Old Heathfield, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 9AE

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Outcome

All Saints’ and St Richard’s Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All Saints’ and St Richard’s is a small, friendly school with a Christian ethos. Pupils love coming to school. Parents, pupils and staff often describe the school as being ‘like a family’ because staff know pupils very well. Strong relationships between staff and pupils mean that pupils feel safe and well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations and are passionate about providing the best education for all pupils. The improved curriculum means that pupils really enjoy learning. Pupils value the range of extra-curricular activities on offer. Many pupils attend sports clubs after school. They are eager to play a part in the running of the school, whether that involves being part of the pupil council or helping to run the school library during lunchtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well in lessons and around school. They play calmly together during social times and pupils know that unkindness towards each other is not tolerated. There are very few incidents of bullying. If bullying does happen, then it is dealt with quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that their well-being is at the heart of what the school stands for. The school’s therapeutic approaches have supported pupils in managing stress, solving problems and thinking positively.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have worked hard to improve the curriculum since the last inspection. They have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn. Curriculum planning has been particularly effective in mathematics because teachers teach topics in a logical order. They provide activities that are appropriate for pupils’ ages and stages of learning. 6 May 2021

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Teachers also keep a close eye on pupils’ understanding and adapt activities if necessary. This allows pupils to build up their knowledge and understanding of complex mathematical concepts. In a small number of subjects, such as geography, the order in which subject knowledge is taught is not yet planned well enough. As a result, pupils do not know and remember as much as they should.

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Reading is a priority. From Reception Year, children immediately start to learn phonics. Staff are trained well and support children effectively in the early stages of learning to read. This prepares children well to move into Year 1. Those children who do not learn phonics well enough by the end of Reception Year get extra support in Year 1. Most pupils catch up quickly. As pupils progress through the school, they develop a love of reading and an appreciation of different kinds of books and authors. By the end of Year 6, almost all pupils become confident and fluent readers.

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Children develop character and confidence well because of the rich opportunities available to them. Pupils enthuse about many of these, including looking after the school’s baby chickens, nurturing plants in the class garden or learning in the forest school. Disadvantaged pupils, in particular, benefit from the wide range of learning experiences on offer.

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Leaders plan spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of the curriculum adeptly. Pupils enjoy learning about philosophy and debating important issues. Leaders are steadfast in ensuring that pupils have a good understanding of equality and diversity. Teachers began teaching the relationships and sex education (RSE) curriculum in September 2020. This has enabled pupils to develop their understanding of RSE, including the importance of respecting others.

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Knowledgeable staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Teachers ensure that the curriculum is carefully adapted. This helps pupils with SEND achieve their best. In Reception Year, children with SEND embrace learning because staff understand their needs.

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Lessons are calm and purposeful. All staff apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently. This means that everyone understands the rules. Pupils who are new to the school are brought up to speed quickly with staff’s high expectations.

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Staff feel that leaders have their best interests at heart and appreciate the leaders’ actions taken to reduce staff workload. Staff also feel that leaders ‘invest’ in their development by providing high-quality training. The school is part of the Sussex Spires Federation. This benefits staff by providing them with opportunities to share expertise with staff from another school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are well trained in keeping pupils safe. Staff are vigilant in looking for signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. Recording of concerns is appropriate 6 May 2021

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and precise. Leaders work with external agencies to access support for pupils who need extra help. Governors check that the school’s records on the suitability of staff to work in school are well organised.

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Pupils understand how to keep safe online. The school’s e-safety education has helped pupils to build their knowledge of who to tell and what to do if they are concerned about something while online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

◼ The curriculum is well developed in most subjects. However, it is not planned and sequenced well enough across all subjects. Consequently, in some subjects, such as geography, pupils do not build their knowledge and understanding securely enough. Leaders are in the process of addressing these deficiencies. They must ensure that all curriculum subjects are planned equally well.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good school could now be better than good, or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 12 July 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 6 May 2021

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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. 6 May 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10192878 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 12 July 2016

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Information about this school

◼ The executive headteacher was made substantive in her post in April 2019. The head of school was appointed in September 2019. ◼ The school joined the Sussex Spires Federation in February 2019. ◼ The school is a member of the Diocese of Chichester and has a Christian character. ◼ A section 48 inspection was carried out in June 2017.

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Information about this inspection

◼ This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation. ◼ Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school, who is also the special educational needs coordinator, the deputy head of school, subject leaders, governors, a representative from the diocese and a representative from the local authority. 6 May 2021

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◼ Inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. In each subject, inspectors met with subject leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at pupils’ work. ◼ Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, including the central record of recruitment checks on staff. ◼ Inspectors took into account 33 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including 22 free-text comments. Inspectors also met with parents at the beginning of the day. Inspectors considered the views of staff from meetings with groups of staff and from the 10 staff who responded to the confidential questionnaire. ◼ Inspectors scrutinised documentation, including the school’s plans for improvement, its self-evaluation, reports on behaviour, records relating to pupils’ safety, and minutes of governors’ meetings.

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Inspection team

Harry Ingham, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alice Roberts Her Majesty’s Inspector 6 May 2021

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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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