St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, Burgess Hill

Inspection of St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School, Burgess Hill School Close, Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9RJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have very high expectations for pupils at this school. They are determined to prepare the pupils for life beyond the school. Pupils are put at the centre of all decisions made at the school. Pupils are polite, considerate and respectful. They demonstrate positive attitudes and high levels of motivation towards their learning. Pupils rise to the challenges set by their teachers. They show interest in what they learn, because they are supported and helped to achieve their best, no matter what their background.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ conduct is impressive here. The school’s approach to behaviour management is followed consistently by all staff. This helps to support pupils’ resilience and confidence around the school. Pupils feel safe and say that bullying rarely happens. Staff deal with their concerns immediately if there are problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and the opportunities they are given, including additional responsibilities in school, such as being ‘Sports Crew’ members. There is a wide range of after-school clubs for key stage 2 pupils, including football, basketball, netball and dancing. Younger pupils enjoy lunchtime activities such as singing, ballet and gardening.

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better?

School leaders have created a culture of high ambition and expectation, where all pupils, from Reception to Year 6, are enabled to progress and learn well. Staff have developed a broad and interesting curriculum for all, including for those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is well sequenced in the core subjects of reading and mathematics so that pupils build on their prior knowledge as they progress through school. This success is shown in published outcomes of national end of key stage 2 tests, where pupils attain well . However, some wider subjects, such as history and design technology, need further work to ensure that staff are aware of the key knowledge and skills pupils will be taught.

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better?

Reading is prioritised by leaders across the school. Pupils start learning phonics as soon as they start in Reception. The new phonics programme was chosen carefully, so that it meets the needs of the pupils well. Staff are confident when teaching phonics due to thorough and structured training. The phonics books that pupils read are well matched to the sounds that they have learned. Pupils with SEND and those who find reading more difficult receive the help that they need to keep up quickly. Subsequently, pupils in all year groups enjoy reading and achieve well.

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better?

Pupils are keen and confident mathematicians. The mathematics curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced across all phases of the school. Learning is well considered, with staff using published schemes to support their planning. Teachers strive to present information clearly and take time to recap prior learning at the start of lessons. Pupils draw on their knowledge well to solve mathematical problems. 8 and 9 February 2023

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Children in Reception delight in the practical aspects of finding different ways to make numbers.

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Teachers check what pupils know carefully, including through well-considered questioning. They use this information to adapt their planning and to put in place effective support so that any gaps in pupils’ learning can be closed. This is particularly successful for pupils with SEND.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is a great strength of the school. Leaders have taken deliberate actions to ensure that this is a real focus. They constantly adapt the wider curriculum to provide pupils with rich opportunities. From starting school in Reception, the curriculum supports pupils’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of different religions, cultures and beliefs. Leaders want all pupils to understand the importance of their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development and endeavour to make it relevant. Examples of this are the changes to the planned curriculum in response to the death of Her Majesty the Queen and after the start of the war in Ukraine.

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Not all subject leaders are as confident in leading their areas of the curriculum as they might be. They have high ambition but are not yet equipped to be the experts they need to be as subject leads. This is reflected in the fact that some of the subjects are not as well developed as leaders want them to be.

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Senior leaders are well aware that since September 2022 the school has experienced a lot of change. Governors are a great support for the new headteacher. Leaders, including those in positions of governance, understand the potential impact that change has on the workload of staff. They are considerate of their well-being. Because of this, staff are positive and feel valued for their work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Leaders have ensured that staff know how to identify pupils who are at risk. There is regular training on safeguarding, so staff are confident when reporting their concerns. Leaders take swift and effective action in response to these concerns. This means that pupils and their families get the help they need and in a timely manner.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They consider topics relating to safety and well-being, including what healthy relationships look like and how to keep themselves safe online

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 In some foundation subjects, the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn are not yet fully identified. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should continue to adapt and refine the curriculum so that all pupils learn well in all subjects.  Some subject leaders are not confident in their roles to ensure that the curriculum is delivered effectively. As a result, some pupils are not making as much progress as they could across the whole curriculum. Leaders and governors need to develop a strategy which enables subject leaders to develop their skills and knowledge to support teachers to deliver an effective curriculum.

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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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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. 8 and 9 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256369 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-wilfrids-burgesshill.w- sussex.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 24 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2022.  The school is a voluntary-aided Catholic primary school under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. As a school of religious character, the school was last inspected under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in June 2019.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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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 leaders, including the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the assistant headteachers and the inclusion leader. The lead inspector also met with 8 and 9 February 2023

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governors, a representative of the diocese and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, physical education and design technology. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors evaluated the effectiveness of the safeguarding arrangements in the school by speaking with the designated safeguarding lead and members of the safeguarding team about their work. They also spoke to staff and pupils. Inspectors also samples case studies and documentation, including the single central record.  Inspectors considered the views of staff through the confidential online staff survey.  Inspectors met with pupils formally and informally around the school, in lessons

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and at playtime.  Inspectors met with some parents and carers at the start of the school day and took account of responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey.

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Inspection team

Debbie Bennett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Paul Bateman Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gavin Evans Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 February 2023

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