St John the Baptist CofE Primary School

Inspection of St John the Baptist CofE Primary School School Hill, Findon, Worthing, West Sussex BN14 0TR

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 26 and 27 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this friendly school. They understand the school’s values of wisdom, hope, community and respect. Pupils benefit from positive and caring relationships with staff. They feel safe and appreciate the school’s ethos of shared respect. Open and honest communication between pupils and staff builds strong, caring relationships. If pupils have worries or concerns, they are assured that staff will help them. Pupils typically behave well and are kind to each other. They demonstrate the inclusive spirit of the school and show a high standard of manners and politeness.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. The ambition for children in Reception is exceedingly strong. Pupils love learning and relish the opportunities to demonstrate their understanding. As a result, pupils usually achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their school. There is an enthusiasm for the learning which is evident throughout the school day. They relish opportunities for pupil leadership. From Reception onwards, the pupils aspire to positions of responsibility, such as looking after the school chickens. Pupils recognise how the broad range of trips and experiences link to what they learn. This includes trips to Butser Hill’s neolithic settlement and Bignor Roman Villa.

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better?

In Reception, the curriculum is of a remarkably high standard. Staff are exceedingly ambitious for all children, including those who are disadvantaged. They prioritise developing children’s language and communication skills and skilfully use every opportunity to promote children’s learning. This leads to children being highly motivated to learn. Consequently, children achieve exceptionally well. The school has established effective support for children who need more help. This means that children in Reception with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve the best possible outcomes. Elsewhere in the school, pupils with SEND have their needs identified swiftly and usually learn well, but this is not yet consistent.

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better?

The school has introduced a highly ambitious curriculum. In most subjects, the school has identified and sequenced the vital knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn to be ready for the following stages of education. Staff receive high-quality training which ensures they develop strong subject knowledge. As a result, this enables them to provide clear explanations and check pupils’ understanding carefully. They are swift to identify and address any gaps in pupils’ learning. This helps pupils to usually learn and remember well across the curriculum.

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better?

The teaching of reading is a strength of the school. Staff are experienced and effective at following the sequenced phonics programme. Pupils get the best possible start in their reading from the very beginning of Reception. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged and those with SEND. The books that pupils read 26 and 27 September 2023

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match the sounds they have learned. Staff routinely use careful checks to identify pupils’ gaps in learning and provide effective support for struggling readers. Pupils across the school are enthusiastic readers keen to discuss their favourite books at every opportunity. Staff share this enthusiasm for reading and expertly share a rich range of book types with their classes from various cultures and time periods. Consequently, pupils develop into fluent and accurate readers.

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Pupils behave consistently well in this supportive school community. They are friendly and play kindly together at playtimes. Pupils benefit from very positive attitudes to learning. Expert staff guide pupils who need additional social and emotional support to help them manage their emotions and social situations. This enables these pupils to successfully engage in broader school life.

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Pupils’ personal development is a priority of the school. Leaders are committed to ensuring that pupils benefit from a rich spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They provide a broad range of experiences and trips to support learning in school and enable pupils to explore their talents and interests. This includes opportunities such as leading an extracurricular coding club, singing at the O2 arena and visiting local secondary and independent schools to explore music and computing. The school positively develops pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values, including through a visit from a local magistrate. As a result, pupils develop into well-informed and mature modern citizens. The school makes positive efforts to support parents and is a hub for community activity.

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Governors know the school well. They are increasingly effective at working to further improve the school for the benefit of all pupils. However, governors recognise that there is more work needed to strengthen their understanding and skills at holding leaders to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a couple of subjects, the curriculum requires further refinement. This means that pupils do not consistently build on their prior learning. The school should ensure that they continue their work to identify and sequence the precise knowledge and skills they intend pupils to learn and remember across all subjects.  The support for a few pupils with SEND is variable from Year 1 onwards. As a result, these pupils do not always learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff consistently and effectively adapt their teaching so that these pupils are supported to learn well across the curriculum 26 and 27 September 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school is a Church of England school and is part of the Diocese of Chichester.  The school’s last section 48 inspection was in May 2018

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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.  The inspection team met with the headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and pupils. The lead inspector met with the members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and representatives of the local authority and diocese. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing and art. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, 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 discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils, and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspection team observed behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day. They considered the

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views expressed on Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors spoke with groups of staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Toby Martlew, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Vickie Farrow Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 September 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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