Oak Tree Primary School

Inspection of Manor Field Primary School Junction Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0PZ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 5 and 6 April 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and they feel safe. As one parent said, ‘the teachers at the school care about the children and know them well’. Pupils speak positively about the opportunities they have to develop their talents and interests within and beyond the taught curriculum. They particularly enjoy raising money for charities of their choice and taking on leadership opportunities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils study a wide range of interesting and exciting topics. Leaders have thought carefully about what knowledge pupils have learned and what they need to learn next. Pupils confidently discuss what they are learning about and the books that they read.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for behaviour. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and positive. However, not all pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. Too many lessons in key stage 2 are interrupted by low-level disruption.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel that staff take bullying seriously and they are confident that adults are good at preventing it from reoccurring. Leaders are fully committed to providing a safe environment for all pupils. Pupils demonstrate an age-appropriate understanding of tolerance and diversity. However, there are not yet consistent approaches to effectively support all pupils to meet leaders’ high ambitions for inclusivity and respect.

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better?

Leaders have made effective improvements to the school curriculum. There are high expectations for staff to teach ambitious content that builds on what pupils know and can do. Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure and many use effective modelling and questioning to support pupils’ understanding. This helps pupils to develop their knowledge of increasingly complex concepts, for example in mathematics. Pupils enjoy a variety of lessons and can confidently discuss links between the subjects they learn about. For example, some pupils confidently described how their learning in personal, social and health education (PSHE) was revisited and built upon in both science and history lessons. Pupils also spoke enthusiastically about the school values and what they had been learning about democracy and tolerance during lessons.

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better?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff use a range of effective strategies from the Reception classes upwards to support all pupils to grasp important knowledge. This includes regular revisiting of key content and additional targeted support for mathematics and reading. Many pupils with SEND successfully access the curriculum and achieve well. The newly appointed special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has 5 and 6 April 2022

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further plans in place to ensure that the support given to all pupils is carefully matched to their needs.

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Children in the early years foundation stage (EYFS) make a good start to their school life. They are well supported by knowledgeable adults. Reading is prioritised and leaders have put into place a number of approaches to support pupils who struggle to read. Adults regularly check what pupils know and can do which means that those who require additional support receive it at the right time. Across other areas of learning, children enjoy a range of activities that help them to learn the knowledge they need to succeed. This includes carefully selected vocabulary to develop their language and social interactions. Children in the Reception classes benefit from clear structures and routines in place that help them to become more confident and independent.

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Despite successful improvements within the curriculum, leaders’ expectations of positive behaviour have not been clearly communicated and understood across all areas of the school. Many pupils demonstrate positive and respectful interactions in class and during free time. However, the approaches to manage behaviour are inconsistent and are not yet always having the impact that leaders desire. A small number of older pupils told inspectors that some pupils use derogatory language in the school. The curriculum proudly promotes inclusivity, and most pupils understand and show an appreciation of difference. However, leaders must take further action to ensure that all pupils understand the implications of the language they choose to use.

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Staff value the continuing professional development opportunities they have. They also acknowledge where leaders have effectively considered well-being and workload. Leaders are keenly supported by the local governing body. However, many governors are new to their roles. They do not yet have an accurate view of the strengths and areas for development of the school. They bring a wealth of experience to the school and are ready to support and challenge leaders through regular monitoring and review visits.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff are alert to any signs of concern, and they report these in a timely manner. Leaders responsible for safeguarding respond swiftly to secure the support that pupils at risk might need. Leaders know their pupils well and use the services available to them accordingly to seek the guidance they might need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to stay safe. They also know that they have trusted adults in school that they can speak to if they have any worries. However, there are some minor weaknesses in the recording of actions after incidents of a safeguarding nature have occurred. Leaders recognise that they need to ensure that all actions are carefully and accurately recorded. 5 and 6 April 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Low-level disruption in some classes interrupts teaching. Leaders have not provided a clear definition of what behaviour is acceptable and not acceptable. This means that there are varying expectations of appropriate learning behaviours in class and inconsistent approaches to managing behaviour across the school. Leaders must clearly set out high expectations of positive behaviours for learning with fair and consistent approaches to manage behaviour.  A large majority of the governing body are new to their roles. They do not yet have a detailed picture of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. They must put into place appropriate structures to check what leaders tell them is correct.  Some safeguarding and behaviour records are not sufficiently detailed. This means that it is not always clear what actions have been taken to address and monitor some incidents. Leaders should have rigorous checks in place to ensure

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

that all incidents of a safeguarding nature, and resulting actions, are accurately recorded.

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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.

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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 .

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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. 5 and 6 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227342 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 20 May 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the second 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 reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation, the school’s development plan and relevant school policies.  Inspectors met with senior leaders and subject leaders. Inspectors also met remotely with members of the local governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors did deep dives in early reading, mathematics, music and history. This involved inspectors talking to subject leaders, class teachers and pupils, visiting 5 and 6 April 2022

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lessons, looking at pupils’ work and listening to pupils read. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation for the teaching of computing and PSHE.  As part of inspecting early years, inspectors met with the early years leader and made visits to the Reception classes.  Inspectors reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising relevant documentation, staff recruitment checks and training records. Case files were also sampled to explore how the school identifies and supports pupils at risk of harm. Inspectors also talked to pupils and staff about what behaviour is like at school.  The inspectors took account of the views expressed by 32 staff and 64 parents through survey responses, including 43 parents’ free-text comments. Inspectors also spoke to parents and carers at the start of the first day of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Hanna Miller, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Morgan Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 April 2022

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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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