Heene CofE Primary School

Inspection of Heene CofE (Aided) Primary School Norfolk Street, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 4BB

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of education at Heene is not as strong as it should be for too many pupils at the school. Staff expectations of what pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) should achieve are inaccurate. These pupils do not receive a suitable education that prepares them for future success.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel that other pupils are typically kind and friendly. Pupils are keen to share their ideas and opinions in lessons. However, for too many pupils, low-level disruption by some other pupils causes learning to be lost or interrupted.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love to sing and many accompany this with British Sign Language in the signing choir. They participate in different sports tournaments with other local schools. However, other aspects of pupils’ personal development, such as developing resilience and independence, are not consistently improved through the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel that incidents of bullying have decreased since the current leaders joined the school. They are confident in raising any concerns with staff, although sometimes they do not get the help they need. Pupils do feel safe and are taught how to manage risks in the wider world and online.

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better?

The current senior leadership team, working with the local authority, has taken appropriate steps to begin improving the quality of education the pupils receive since their appointment in September 2021; however, serious weaknesses remain. Leaders have set the right priorities to drive improvement. However, much of this work is at early stages.

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better?

The curriculum is going through a process of revision. English and mathematics teaching is beginning to strengthen as plans are revised to help teachers know what to teach and when. In other subjects, teachers are sometimes not clear what knowledge needs to be taught or what pupils know already. Leaders have not yet provided training for teachers about how to use assessment to support pupils’ learning. Pupils do not know and remember more about what they have learned. Consequently, pupils do not have sufficient knowledge throughout the curriculum to achieve well.

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better?

Recent changes have improved the identification of and support for pupils with SEND. These changes mean that children with SEND entering Reception are quicky identified and helped. However, elsewhere across the school these plans have had little impact on the support pupils with SEND get for their learning. Not all staff routinely use this information to adapt learning. This means that some pupils with SEND struggle to take part in lessons. Sometimes they give up and their behaviour 5 and 6 April 2022

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deteriorates. Pupils with SEND do not achieve well. Many parents of pupils with SEND shared their concerns with inspectors.

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Leaders have brought in a new programme to teach phonics. However, not all teaching staff have yet had the training and support that they need to deliver it well. The new programme helps children to get off to a secure start in reading. Children take home the right reading books to help them to practise their skills. Further up the school pupils who fall behind do not get the support that they need to catch up. This has an impact on how well they access other areas of the curriculum.

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Not all pupils behave as well as they could. However, pupils are kind to each other. Pupils learn about different faiths and beliefs and are taught to respect differences. However, the curriculum does not help pupils to develop resilience, perseverance and independence. Some pupils are overly dependent on adult attention and are not able to get on with work by themselves. Pupils often lose interest in their learning because the work is not well matched to their needs. Staff and pupils have noticed an improvement in behaviour following the introduction of new expectations in recent weeks. Pupils are motivated by the rewards that have been introduced.

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Governors have guided the school through a period of considerable turbulence. They have undertaken training to help develop their skills. Governors have ensured that a new headteacher is in place for September and that key aspects of the school’s work around safeguarding have improved. However, there are still some aspects of governance, such as holding leaders to account for the effective use of additional funding, which are weak.

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Staff are positive about working at the school. They recognise that changes are needed and that these are underway. They appreciate that governors and leaders consider their workload alongside the drive for school improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have rightly made safeguarding a priority. They have strengthened systems and ensured that staff have the training they need to identify and report concerns. Governors are alert to issues. They ask the right questions of leaders to assure themselves that pupils are safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that pupils and their families get the help and support they need in a timely fashion. They work appropriately with other agencies to provide and review this help.

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Safeguarding

The school is a safe environment. The curriculum supports pupils in learning how to stay safe, both in school and in the wider world. 5 and 6 April 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not adapt the delivery of the curriculum sufficiently well for pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders should make sure that teaching staff have the expertise needed to identify, plan and deliver a curriculum that helps pupils with SEND to achieve well.  Leaders have not developed a well-sequenced curriculum in subjects other than English and mathematics. This means that teachers are not clear enough about the knowledge that they should teach and in what order. As a result, pupils do not build the important knowledge that they need to achieve well in all curriculum areas. Leaders need to develop a well-sequenced curriculum in all subjects.  Assessment processes are underdeveloped, including in early years. As a result, teachers do not know what pupils have remembered or understood. Leaders should ensure that teachers across the school have the expertise to assess pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

accurately so that they can address misconceptions and help pupils to remember key knowledge.  Not all staff are yet fully trained to deliver the phonics programme, and as a result are unsure how best to support pupils who fall behind. This means that some pupils are unable to read as well as they need to. Leaders should ensure that all staff are equipped to deliver the phonics programme and to support weaker readers to catch up.  A few pupils show a lack of respect for their peers and the adults who work in the school. Others lack resilience. Leaders should ensure that pupils behave well and develop independence and self-regulation as they move through the school.

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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. 5 and 6 April 2022

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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 10227344 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Freda Wimble and Chris Skilton

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School details

Headteacher Joy Waelend and Julia Sherlock

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 to 11 July 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current interim headteachers have been in post since September 2021. The special educational needs coordinator and several subject leaders are also relatively new in post.  A new co-chair of governors has been appointed since the last inspection.  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

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform. 5 and 6 April 2022

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  During the inspection, the lead inspector met regularly with senior leaders. The lead inspector met with a group of governors, including one of the co-chairs. The lead inspector also met with representatives from the local authority and the diocese.  The inspectors conducted deep dives into reading, writing, mathematics, geography, music and physical education. For each deep dive, an inspector met with subject or senior 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. The lead inspector listened to some pupils reading.  Records associated with safeguarding were reviewed, including the single central

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record and appointment procedures. The inspectors spoke to staff about their safeguarding training and spoke to pupils about the support they have in understanding how to keep safe.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s parent, pupil and staff questionnaires. An inspector spoke to some parents at the school gates.  The inspectors met with groups of staff to discuss their views about the school, including workload and well-being. The inspectors met with several groups of pupils, as well as speaking to pupils during lessons, in the playground, and around the school.

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Inspection team

Deborah Gordon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

James Broadbridge Her Majesty’s 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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