North Heath Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: North Heath Community Primary School Erica Way, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 5XL

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Outcome

North Heath Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and secure at North Heath Community Primary School. They grow in confidence during their time here because they are valued and listened to. Pupils know that they are expected to work hard and behave well. They strive to meet these expectations. Pupils are clear about the school’s values such as respect and happiness. They can give examples of what this means to them. Pupils say that their school is a kind place. This is evident in the warm and nurturing relationships throughout.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. The school is a calm and orderly environment. Social times are well organised and run smoothly. Everyone knows and follows the routines. This helps lunchtime and playtimes to be a hive of happy activity. Pupils are confident that adults will support them and deal with any unkind behaviour. Any incidents of bullying are responded to quickly and resolved.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the positions of responsibility they have, for example as members of the school council or as house captains. They enjoy helping organise charity days and being consulted on new playground equipment. Pupils are proud of opportunities to represent the school by being on one of the many sports teams, such as cross country.

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

Leaders and governors bring both ambition and experience to their roles. Staff are highly supportive of leaders. They value the structures that have been created, such as the curriculum teams, to help support their workload and develop the curriculum. Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders have ensured that the school regularly works with other local schools. Staff benefit from the projects and links they develop as a consequence.

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

Ensuring that pupils learn to read quickly and well is of central importance here. This starts right from the beginning in Reception with the well-established phonics programme. Staff are experts in the teaching of early reading. A rigorous assessment system quickly 13 and 14 March 2023 identifies any pupils at risk of falling behind or who need additional support. Carefully matched reading books ensure that pupils experience success and grow in confidence.

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

Pupils read well. They value reading and enjoy the books that they read and enjoy listening to stories. Children in Reception visit the local library. Pupils across the school are excited by the new library space in school and the wide range of books that are available to help support their learning across the curriculum.

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

The curriculum in other subjects is ambitious. It has been well developed in clearly sequenced steps. This starts in Reception and enables children to build strong foundations for future learning in key stage 1. Pupils build on knowledge well as they move through the school. Teaching connects ideas and revisits concepts appropriately to help pupils to remember and link their knowledge. Pupils explain their learning clearly and develop a depth of understanding which prepares them well for the next steps in their education. However, sometimes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not have their barriers to learning considered carefully enough. When this happens, learning for these pupils can slow.

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

Pupils enjoy their learning. In mathematics, they are inspired to learn their tables by using the ‘multicoloured multiplication’ challenges. Their secure understanding of these facts and a range of methods helps them tackle increasing complex problems with enthusiasm and accuracy. In subjects such as geography, they develop a secure understanding of their locality and can compare this to the wider world. Pupils apply their geographical learning well through activities such as orienteering and regular fieldwork.

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

In classes, pupils mostly behave well. They listen to their teachers and each other. They like learning together. Pupils are inspired by the house points they earn for working well. They try their best and are keen to learn and achieve.

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

The curriculum for personal development is well considered and adapted to meet pupils’ needs. Pupils have a well-developed sense of equality. They apply this to their own lives, for example in playground games. Pupils also extend this to others through being welcoming and inclusive. They are well informed about a range of cultures and beliefs. This helps them to be considerate of others and interested in the wider world.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that comprehensive training enables staff to identify pupils who may be at risk and report any worries promptly. Leaders respond appropriately and swiftly to any concerns. They seek advice and support for pupils and families, when appropriate. Governors check safeguarding records and systems. All necessary pre-employment checks are completed.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. They adapt the curriculum to respond to any needs such as pupils using certain apps. Pupils 13 and 14 March 2023 feel safe. They are confident in reporting any concerns through using systems such as the worry boxes, which are checked regularly by staff.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes pupils with SEND do not have their needs considered precisely enough. This means that pupils needs are not always supported in lessons, and therefore, they do not learn as much as they could. Leaders should ensure that support for all pupils with SEND is tightly aligned with their needs.

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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 November 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.

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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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256477 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The previous special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) left in December 2022. A new SENCo has been appointed with increased hours and will take up post in April 2023.  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 the evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met regularly with school leaders. The inspector also met with representatives from the governing body and had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their 13 and 14 March 2023 learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to pupils read to an adult from the school.  Safeguarding records were reviewed, including the single central record and

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Information about this inspection

appointment procedures. The inspector spoke to staff about safeguarding and spoke to pupils about the support they have in understanding how to keep safe.  The inspector reviewed responses to Ofsted’s parent, pupil and staff surveys.  The inspector talked to staff to gather their views about the school, including about their workload and well-being. The inspector met with several groups of pupils, as well as speaking to pupils during lessons, at lunchtime and during a tour of the school.

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Inspection team

Deborah Gordon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 March 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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