Georgian Gardens Community Primary School

Inspection of Georgian Gardens Community Primary School Guildford Road, Rustington, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN16 3JJ

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 1 and 2 March 2022

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at school. They enjoy their lessons and feel that everyone is included and treated fairly. Pupils feel safe. They understand and follow the school rules of ‘ready, respectful, safe’. They are confident that school staff would always listen to any worries they had and get them any help they needed.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Since her arrival in 2018, the headteacher has established the same high expectations for every pupil in the school. All staff now understand these expectations.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Children in Reception have quickly settled into classroom routines. They listen attentively to adults and are keen to join in and have a go. Lessons for older pupils are calm and settled. Pupils want to be successful in their learning. They told inspectors that children at their school are kind and considerate. Pupils are confident that if bullying was reported to staff, concerns would be quickly and effectively addressed.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Parents recognise the dedication of the headteacher, and the staff, to the welfare and education of every pupil. They feel that their children are known, nurtured, respected and valued. Parents are particularly appreciative of how their children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported, and also of the positive approach to inclusion that sits at the heart of the school’s vision and ethos.

p.2

better?

Since 2018, senior leaders have focused on the quality of education provided to pupils. They have ensured that there is a broad and balanced curriculum in place for all. They have worked to develop teachers’ knowledge and expertise, particularly in mathematics and English. A new mathematics curriculum was introduced for key stages 1 and 2 in September 2019. Staff across the school have worked together to break the curriculum down into manageable chunks of learning for pupils. If pupils fall behind, they receive additional, targeted support to help them catch up. Children in Reception work from a different mathematics curriculum, that leaders feel is more suited to their needs.

p.2

better?

A new phonics programme was introduced in September 2021. Senior leaders have ensured that all staff have received training to support them in teaching phonics. Children in Reception quickly begin to learn letter-sound correspondences. Leaders have ensured that younger pupils read books that match the sounds they are learning. Careful assessment is used to ensure that pupils who fall behind are identified. Intervention is in place for those who are behind. However, not all staff have the expertise they need to support pupils with SEND and pupils who struggle to learn to read to catch up. Leaders are aware that further training is needed.

p.2

better?

The wider reading curriculum has been carefully developed since 2018. Staff have received training to develop their knowledge of children’s literature and so they 1 and 2 March 2022

p.2

3

know how to teach reading to a whole class. Leaders have been supported by the local authority to develop teachers’ understanding of how to teach writing effectively. This work is well developed. Leaders have begun to develop a core of high-quality and ambitious texts for all year groups to strengthen further the teaching of reading and writing.

p.3

3

Senior leaders have introduced a new curriculum for each foundation subject, with the clear ambition to ensure that all pupils, especially pupils who are disadvantaged or who have SEND, have the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to succeed in life. They have carefully considered the context of their school, and the range of experiences that they want their pupils to have. These rich experiences have been carefully threaded through the curriculum, right from the beginning of Reception. Senior leaders know that not all subjects are coherently planned and sequenced towards a clear end point. They have plans in place to complete this work.

p.3

3

Throughout their work to develop the quality of education that pupils receive, leaders have kept the needs of pupils with SEND and pupils who are disadvantaged at the heart of their thinking. The special educational needs coordinator works very effectively with staff to identify when a pupil has SEND and to ensure that pupils get the right support within school, and from external experts where appropriate.

p.3

3

Leaders have carefully considered how they support pupils’ personal development. All pupils are assessed twice yearly to identify if they need support with their emotional development or well-being. Pupils appreciate the wide range of opportunities the school provides, for example, to compete in sporting events or to take on a ‘pupil governor’ role within the school. The school’s ‘education for safeguarding’ curriculum teaches pupils how to keep themselves safe.

p.3

3

Since the last inspection, an external review of governance has been carried out. Governors have been very quick to respond to recommendations. They have recruited additional governors with the expertise necessary to drive the school forwards. They have restructured the governing body to ensure that they are able to support the school in providing pupils with an ever-improving quality of education. Governors and the local authority have high levels of confidence in the school’s leadership team.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders have trained staff so that they are able to identify pupils who might be at risk. Staff and leaders alike recognise indicators of risk and understand their wider significance. Careful tracking and recording means that they have a broad picture of vulnerable pupils, their presenting behaviours and patterns over time. Leaders ensure that pupils get the help they need, making referrals to external safeguarding partners appropriately. There is strong support for families. However, leaders do not allow the pursuit of positive relations with families to distract them from their 1 and 2 March 2022

p.3

4

safeguarding responsibilities. Pupils at the school feel safe and say they would be confident about talking to school staff about any worries they might have.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders know that too many pupils are still persistently absent. Leaders must continue their work to improve the attendance of these families, working with external partners as appropriate.  Leaders have developed or adopted a curriculum for each foundation subject. These curriculums are ambitious and designed to give all pupils, especially pupils who are disadvantaged or who have SEND, the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. However, in some foundation subjects, leaders have not been sufficiently precise in setting out the key concepts and knowledge that pupils need to learn over time. This means that the curriculum in some foundation subjects has not been fully sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills. Leaders need to continue their work to fully develop the sequencing of the curriculum for each subject. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders introduced a new phonics programme in September 2021. Staff have had training to ensure that they understand the programme and how to deliver it. However, at present, not all staff have sufficient expertise to be able to effectively support the weakest readers to learn to read. Older struggling readers do not always read books that match the specific sounds they are learning and need to practise. Leaders must ensure that staff are trained to support all pupils to learn to read at an age-appropriate level, and that all readers at an earlier stage of learning to decode have a well-matched book.  Leaders have begun to map out the core texts that underpin the English curriculum. The sequence of books that pupils will read over time, and how children will be taught to recognise themes in what they read, are not fully developed and sequenced. Leaders need to develop the sequencing of the English

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

curriculum to ensure that pupils are supported to engage with increasingly complex texts across a wide range of genres.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

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 . 1 and 2 March 2022

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.5

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. 1 and 2 March 2022

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.6

School details

Co-chairs of governing body David Marsh Pat Doherty Headteacher Amie Bowers

p.6

School details

Website www.georgiangardens.w-sussex.sch.uk/

p.6

School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.6

Information about this school

 The school is using one unregistered alternative provision.

p.6

Information about this inspection

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

p.6

Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, and other members of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, history and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to pupils of all ages reading and talked to pupils across the school about their love of reading. 1 and 2 March 2022

p.6

7

 Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about a range of additional national curriculum subjects.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about the curriculum in early years. They visited Reception to understand how plans were being implemented.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors checked the single central record and spoke to leaders, staff and pupils. Throughout the inspection, leaders considered and checked the culture of safeguarding within the school.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including school improvement plans and minutes from recent governors’ meetings.  Inspectors talked to pupils formally and informally about their learning, what behaviour is like at school and whether they felt safe at school.  Inspectors reviewed pupil, staff and parent surveys and also spoke to parents and carers at the start of the first day of the inspection.

p.7

Inspection team

Alice Roberts, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.7

Inspection team

Michelle Lower Her Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 March 2022

p.7

8

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.

p.8

8

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

8

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

8

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

8

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8