All Saints CofE Junior Academy

Inspection of a good school: All Saints Church of England Junior Academy Githa Road, Hastings, East Sussex TN35 5JU

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 January 2023

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Outcome

All Saints Church of England Junior Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this school. They have positive relationships with staff, who know them well. Pupils are happy and feel safe. They listen carefully to each other and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. These expectations are applied consistently across the school. Pupils are polite and considerate and behave well. Playtimes are sociable and harmonious occasions, with pupils from all year groups playing well together. Bullying is rare and, if it does occur, pupils are confident that it will be dealt with swiftly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the extensive range of after-school clubs, which includes clubs for sporting activities, cookery, art and ‘chillax’. Pupils enjoy assuming leadership roles, such as those of school councillor, eco-councillor or member of the worship group supporting collective worship. Leaders have pledged that all pupils will complete 50 enrichment activities before they move to secondary school. There are planned activities to support this, including visiting an art gallery, learning fitness exercises based on Latin American dance movements and visiting Chichester Cathedral.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils rise to the academic challenges set by their teachers. They enjoy lessons. They particularly enjoy reading. One pupil said, ‘Reading is better than film – you can dive into your imagination and picture it how you want.’

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

Leaders have created a culture of high ambition where all pupils progress through the planned curriculum and learn well. Leaders have developed a broad and interesting curriculum for all, including for those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. In most subjects, such as reading, mathematics and history, the curriculum is well sequenced. In these subjects, pupils learn well. For example, the detailed and well- structured history curriculum enables pupils to develop a clear understanding of how life 11 and 12 January 2023

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has changed in Britain over time. However, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum needs further refinement so that teaching helps pupils to remember more and integrate new knowledge into larger ideas.

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Pupils in all year groups enjoy reading and achieve well. Leaders have established a well- structured reading programme with high-quality texts that has supported the development of a love of reading across the school. Staff are confident in teaching reading due to thorough and well-structured training. The minority of pupils who find reading more difficult receive help quickly. Staff support them well to become confident, fluent readers. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the books they are reading and unanimously say that ‘reading is fun.’

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Pupils are keen mathematicians. This is because teachers have thought carefully about how best to support pupils’ mathematical thinking. Teachers strive to present information clearly and take time to recap prior learning at the start of each lesson. Pupils talk confidently about how they are building on the knowledge and skills learned in previous years. They said that the work each year is harder, but they are supported to learn well.

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Teachers check what pupils know and can do through careful questioning. They use this information to adapt planning, so that any gaps in pupils’ learning are closed. Teachers give pupils frequent opportunities to revisit and embed their learning through planned recapping at the start of lessons.

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Pupils are excited to learn. They demonstrate positive behaviours in lessons because of high expectations and well-established routines. Staff help pupils to become confident young people. Pupils enjoy many experiences that aid their understanding of the world. They learn to play musical instruments and engage in a range of sporting and creative activities. The school’s values of kindness, hope, resilience, respect and generosity underpin all aspects of everyday life. However, despite the school’s efforts, too many pupils are persistently absent and so miss these experiences and opportunities.

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The school is well led and managed. Staff well-being is important to leaders. They make sure that the workload for teachers is manageable. Staff and leaders have worked together to reduce the intensity of marking, which helps teachers to manage their time well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have developed a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff receive high-quality training and are vigilant in relation to potential risks. They know how to report concerns. Detailed safeguarding records show swift and appropriate responses to concerns. Leaders make use of support from various agencies so that pupils and their families receive the help they need. Leaders ensure that all relevant checks are completed to confirm that all adults are safe to work in school. 11 and 12 January 2023

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Pupils feel safe and know that adults take their concerns seriously. They know that they can use the ‘message monster’ to share their worries and that staff will help them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of foundation subjects, the key knowledge that pupils need to learn is not yet identified clearly. Pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum builds carefully to support pupils to remember more and join their knowledge up so that pupils learn well in all subjects.  Leaders know that persistent absence is very high. Pupils miss too much learning and do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should continue to focus on reducing absence, supporting parents and carers to ensure that their children attend school regularly.

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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 January 2018.

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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.

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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. 11 and 12 January 2023

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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. 11 and 12 January 2023

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Chair of trust

Archdeacon Luke Irvine-Capel (Chair of Trustees), Zoe Doye (Chair of Governors) Headteacher Katharine Hurd

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Chair of trust

Website www.allsaintscejunioracademy.org

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Date of previous inspection

9 and 10 January 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England controlled junior school in the Diocese of Chichester. It is part of the Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust (MAT).  The school’s most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools was on 19 October 2017.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.  There is a breakfast club run on site by the school.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector completed deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. As part of each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders and spoke to staff and pupils. The inspector also visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. 11 and 12 January 2023

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 The inspector scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement. The inspector met with senior leaders, a selection of subject leaders and teachers.  During the inspection, the inspector spoke with the chair of the local governing body, two trustees and the chief executive officer of the MAT.  The arrangements for safeguarding were reviewed by scrutinising records and through discussions with staff and pupils.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in class and at other times of the day.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were considered through discussions and a review of Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Debbie Bennett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 January 2023

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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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