Cradle Hill Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Cradle Hill Community Primary School Lexden Road, Seaford, East Sussex BN25 3BA

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Outcome

Cradle Hill Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at school. They enjoy learning how to look after their physical and emotional well-being. For example, by learning how to talk about their emotions and how to use self-regulation techniques.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide many opportunities to develop pupils’ character. Pupils can be involved in initiatives such as beach safety, forest school, careers workshops and sustainability lessons. Pupils gain knowledge of and develop a deep-rooted appreciation for the environment. It is common for pupils to volunteer for projects promoting eco-friendly practices. These include recycling and reducing local area pollution. Leaders ensure that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils, benefit from the school’s wider opportunities. Leaders have high expectations of every pupil. They help pupils meet these expectations by providing timely support when needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well around the school. They show high levels of respect for one another and staff. Pupils value the ‘compliment boxes’. This encourages positive interactions between pupils and fosters a sense of belonging. Bullying is rare. It is not tolerated. Anti- bullying ambassadors support pupils and model expected behaviours. Leaders promote an inclusive environment where pupils feel supported well.

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

Leaders have introduced a well-designed and ambitious curriculum across the whole school. This curriculum begins right from the start of early years. In all subjects, leaders have identified the precise knowledge that pupils need to learn and when they need to learn it. However, the curriculum is at varying stages of development. In some subjects, some pupils do not always achieve as well as they could. Furthermore, last year, the school’s published test results were not as strong as they could be. However, leaders have taken the right actions to review and refine the curriculum. This is already helping pupils to learn the curriculum more effectively. 3 and 4 July 2023

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Teachers have good knowledge of the subjects they teach. They routinely review what pupils have learned, check their understanding and address misconceptions swiftly when they arise. Staff are trained well to identify pupils with SEND. Teachers support all pupils to access the full curriculum well.

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Leaders prioritise reading. Staff encourage and support pupils to read widely. They select a range of high-quality texts for pupils to read. Pupils learn phonic knowledge using a well-structured programme. This begins as soon as children start in Reception. Leaders identify pupils who need extra support with reading early. These pupils receive the support they need to catch up quickly. Staff receive effective training to ensure that pupils learn to read fluently and with confidence.

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In early years, leaders ensure a rich experience for all pupils. In Reception, well-trained staff promote a love of reading, igniting children’s imaginations and language development. In mathematics, children are engaged through hands-on learning experiences. They develop mathematical understanding in a variety of ways, including through high-quality hands-on activities. In both Reception and Nursery, the learning environment promotes problem-solving and resilience through well-planned learning opportunities.

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Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, and low-level disruptive behaviour is not tolerated. Pupils are calm and behave well throughout the school.

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Pupils’ wider development is a real strength of the school. Pupils are proud to be part of this community and thrilled to have so many opportunities to help them understand local and national issues. Pupils learn about fundamental British values such as the rule of law and democracy. They also have a strong knowledge of different faiths and cultures. Pupil voice is important to leaders. The student parliament meet to discuss improvement areas for the school. Its most recent achievements have been organising a whole-school marathon to raise funds for a new part of the playground. Pupils enjoy the many clubs on offer and are encouraged to set up their own clubs at lunchtime. As pupils move through the school, they take part in careers fairs. This helps to build aspirations for the future and prepares them for the next stage of their education.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. This is evident in the length of time in which staff remain employed here. They feel that leaders support them well and ensure a realistic work–life balance. Staff value the way that leaders promote their well-being and appreciate that decisions made are in the best interest of the pupils at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff identify potential risks of harm to pupils rigorously. Diligent record-keeping enables leaders to identify vulnerable pupils swiftly. Leaders communicate well with external agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get the support that they need. 3 and 4 July 2023

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The school completes thorough background checks on all adults who work in the school to ensure that they are suitable to work with children.

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Pupils learn the necessary knowledge to keep themselves safe, both in their daily lives and online. They know how to identify and manage potential hazards. This empowers them to make informed decisions about safeguarding their own well-being.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, recent changes to the curriculum content that pupils need to learn are not yet fully implemented. This means that some pupils have gaps in their understanding and do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that teachers implement the intended curriculum effectively and support all pupils to achieve well across the whole 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2014.

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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. 3 and 4 July 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. 3 and 4 July 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use an alternative provision.  The school has set up a nursery provision for two-, three- and four-year-olds since the last inspection.

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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 with the headteacher, other senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with members of the local governing committee and local authority representatives.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education and science. 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 pupil’s work. Inspectors also listened to pupils read. 3 and 4 July 2023

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 Inspectors considered the effectiveness of the safeguarding arrangements in the school by speaking with leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with the safeguarding team to examine their knowledge. During these meetings, the lead inspector scrutinised records and sampled case files to explore how the school identifies and supports pupils at risk of harm. Inspectors reviewed a range of documents provided by the school. These included: the school’ self-evaluation; the school improvement plan; the pupil premium statement; and minutes of the governing body’s meetings.  The views of parents, staff and pupils were considered through Ofsted’s online surveys and conversations during the inspection. An inspector spoke with small groups of parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Michael Eggleton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Tash Hurtado Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 July 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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