Walberton & Binsted CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Walberton and Binsted C of E Primary School The Street, Walberton, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 0PH

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 September 2022

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Outcome

Walberton and Binsted C of E Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff want what is best for pupils at this school. The school’s Christian values are embraced by all and form a strong basis to support pupils’ understanding of the world. The relationships between pupils and staff are strong, starting in the early years. Pupils are kept and feel safe because staff know them so well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard to meet the high expectations leaders have of them. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other. They are attentive in class and learn well. Pupils enjoy each other’s company and are supportive of each other, both in and outside of the classroom. Leaders take bullying very seriously. If it happens, it is dealt with effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy and appreciate the wide range of opportunities they have at school. They talk with enthusiasm about trips such as the visit to Bignor Roman Villa and how this helps their learning. There is also a range of clubs pupils can attend, such as first aid, as well as a variety of sports clubs. Pupils are proud to represent their school in sporting competitions. Many pupils learn to play an instrument and enjoy performing in the ‘Walberton’s Got Talent’ show.

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

Staff have created a culture where reading is valued. Pupils learn to read fluently. This is because staff are well trained and confident in teaching phonics. As soon as children start Reception, they learn the sounds that letters make. Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds they know. This helps them read with fluency and increasing confidence. Teachers make good use of information from ongoing assessment. Pupils at risk of falling behind with their reading are given the help they need to keep up because staff know exactly what to focus on. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to practise reading, and they listen to stories read by staff throughout the day. Pupils enjoy reading and are keen to recommend books and authors to their peers. 21 and 22 September 2022

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Leaders and staff have worked together to develop a comprehensive curriculum. As part of leaders’ review of the curriculum, they have considered the important information pupils are to learn in most subjects. This is well sequenced from the early years onwards. Pupils are taught to understand more complex ideas by building on what they have learned before. For example, in mathematics, pupils in year 6 apply their growing understanding of place value to round numbers up to 10 million.

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However, leaders are still clarifying what teachers must teach in some foundation subjects from Reception onwards. In history and geography, leaders are still identifying the important knowledge pupils are to learn, including the most important vocabulary. This means that sometimes teachers give pupils work which is too difficult and not focused on what pupils need to know.

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Teachers’ use of ongoing checks on pupils’ learning is effective in the most part. This helps teachers swiftly identify those pupils requiring help. Across the curriculum, pupils needing extra help are quickly identified and are well supported in lessons or provided with short, sharp interventions later on that day. This ensures that pupils are ready for new learning. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly and accurately identified. Most thrive. This is because teachers and support staff know them well and understand what helps them to learn. During learning, staff make thoughtful adaptations to tasks to ensure all pupils are able to access the curriculum.

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Pupils behave well during lessons and around the school. Each year, pupils use the ‘Golden 5 Promises’ to write their class charters to follow. This means that learning is rarely interrupted. Most pupils attend school very regularly. They value their learning and are keen to share their work. However, a small number of pupils are absent too frequently. These pupils miss important aspects of their learning and do not learn as well as they could.

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There is a strong focus on pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn to respect others’ faiths and cultures. Leaders ensure that pupils have the opportunity to learn about different types of relationships and how to identify those that are risky. Pupils develop character and responsibility through the range of leadership opportunities, including house captains and representing their class on the school council. Pupils are taught about democracy through voting for many of these roles. They understand that democracy is the view of the many, but others may hold different opinions.

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Staff feel valued by leaders who have invested in their development. Leaders, including governors, are mindful of staff workload and well-being. Leaders are improving the curriculum by developing staff leadership. Leaders work in teams and benefit from sharing each other’s expertise. Governors and leaders work together well to address the school priorities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 21 and 22 September 2022

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There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders, including governors, ensure that the health and safety of pupils is given the highest priority. Pupils are taught to identify risk and explore scenarios to understand the consequences of their decisions. They also contribute to risk assessments for their play equipment, learning how to spot potential hazards.

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Staff are well trained to spot signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. They know what to do if they have concerns. Leaders act on these swiftly. They work closely with external agencies and are tenacious in ensuring that pupils and their families get timely and effective support.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ work to review the curriculum is not fully complete. In some subjects, leaders have not yet identified all the knowledge pupils should learn. As a result, teachers do not focus sufficiently on important concepts. Leaders should ensure that teachers understand the precise knowledge pupils need to learn so that their understanding builds cumulatively over time.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that gaps emerge in their knowledge and they fall behind in their learning. Leaders are working hard to address this but should continue to work with these pupils and their families to improve attendance.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 21 and 22 September 2022

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

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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. 21 and 22 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240253 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 Reverend Tim Ward

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 May 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Chichester. The last inspection of its religious character was in March 2020.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. She also met with members of the governing body, representatives of the local authority and the diocesan adviser.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 21 and 22 September 2022

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 During the inspection, the inspector met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to them informally during social times.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised a wide range of information, including a selection of the school’s records. The inspector spoke to staff and pupils about safeguarding and looked at how pupils learn to keep themselves safe. The inspector spoke to the safeguarding leader about the recording and reporting of safeguarding incidents.  The inspector met some parents to gain their views of the school. She reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. The inspector also took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Laura James, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 21 and 22 September 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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