East Wittering Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: East Wittering Community Primary School Stocks Lane, East Wittering, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 8NH

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Outcome

East Wittering Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at this inclusive and nurturing school. In the words of the school’s vision, pupils are happy to be ‘growing together’. Leaders know the pupils and their families well. One parent commented, reflecting the views of many, ‘It is a lovely school with caring teachers. My children are very happy at the school.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve their best, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders’ high aspirations for pupils are underpinned by the school’s values of ‘Be kind. Be Confident. Be Creative. Be Happy. Be Safe’. Teachers provide pupils with a huge range of exciting learning activities based on these values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well around the school. Pupils are polite and kind to each other during break times. They do not worry about bullying because it rarely happens. When bullying does happen, staff listen to pupils and are swift to deal with any concerns. Pupils feel safe in school. They are calm, respectful and engage well with their teachers in lessons. Pupils work hard and are serious about their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of leadership roles that develop their confidence. Examples of these include pupils leading breaktime activities as playground leaders or older pupils supporting Reception children in the dining hall. In addition, pupils take their responsibility for the local environment seriously, and many are enthusiastic ‘eco-warriors’ or ‘ocean cleaners’. These experiences prepare them well for later life when working with different people.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that sets out the precise knowledge pupils will learn. Teachers know what pupils have already learned, so they can build on this and make connections with new learning. Teachers are effective in adapting activities well to make sure that all pupils, including those with SEND, 21 and 22 March 2023

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understand and remember new knowledge. Teachers use resources skilfully to ensure pupils gain confidence. There are clear systems in place to identify and meet the needs of pupils with SEND, so they engage well with their lessons and learn effectively.

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Leaders have made sure there is a consistent approach across all subjects for teachers to check pupils’ understanding. Teachers frequently check if there are gaps in pupils’ learning before moving on to the next steps. As a result, pupils progress well through the curriculum overall. However, there are some inconsistencies in teachers’ subject knowledge. Consequently, not all pupils are achieving as well as they could across the curriculum. Leaders know this and are organising training to improve teachers’ subject knowledge.

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Leaders are passionate about prioritising reading. Most teachers have a secure understanding about the sounds, words and texts pupils should be able to read. Pupils read books that are carefully matched to the phonics sounds that they know. Teachers listen to pupils read frequently and quickly identify pupils who are beginning to fall behind. Teachers provide these pupils with effective support so that they catch up quickly. The majority of pupils develop into confident, fluent readers. However, there are some relatively minor inconsistencies in the teaching of reading that mean that some pupils do not learn to read as rapidly as they could.

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Good-quality books are central to each topic that pupils study. Teachers routinely read to pupils from a carefully chosen selection of books. As a result, many pupils develop a love of reading and talk with enthusiasm about the learning that is sparked by different texts. In Reception, for example, pupils learn how to paint cross-sections of fruit after reading ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ wider development. Pupils are encouraged to become responsible and active citizens. Pupils are taught about equality and diversity and are prepared well for life in modern Britain. Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to develop their interests. For example, many enjoy opportunities to keep themselves physically fit by taking part in the school’s ‘daily mile’ fitness challenge or ‘skip to be fit’.

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Staff enjoy working at this school. Leaders have appointed a staff ‘well-being lead’ to ensure workload and well-being are considered in all decisions. Staff value this. The headteacher and senior leaders know what the school needs to do to improve and are implementing strategies to ensure all pupils can achieve success. There is a healthy collaborative ethos in the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Leaders, staff and governors are fully aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. All staff know what to do to raise concerns about pupils’ safety. Leaders have set up clear and robust systems for recording and monitoring pupils who might be at risk. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to ensure families get help when they need it. Leaders have ensured that statutory training has been kept up to date. 21 and 22 March 2023

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Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. For example, they know not to share personal information online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A few staff members are not fully equipped with the knowledge to teach early reading. This means that some pupils do not learn to read as quickly as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff are provided with high-quality training so they have the essential skills to teach phonics effectively so that all pupils make strong progress in reading.  Some teachers’ subject knowledge is stronger in some subjects than others. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could across all subjects. Leaders should continue to deepen teachers’ subject knowledge in all subjects so that pupils will be able to achieve exceptionally well across the curriculum.

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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 June 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. 21 and 22 March 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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The headteacher started in her post in 2018.  Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes in Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6, and in Reception as a stand-alone year group.  The school uses one unregistered 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.  The inspector met with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, subject leaders and seven members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The inspector also met with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample 21 and 22 March 2023

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of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records, interviewing staff and through discussions with pupils.  The inspector considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. The inspector gathered the views of pupils and staff through interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspector reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self-evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings, local authority school improvement partner reports and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Paul McKeown, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 March 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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