Nyewood CofE Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Nyewood CofE Junior School Brent Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO21 5NW

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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Outcome

Nyewood CofE Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love to learn in this highly inclusive school. They feel safe and cared for. As one pupil said, ‘everyone is equal and supported here’. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from learning across a broad curriculum. The school celebrates pupils’ achievements both academically and for embodying the school’s values. Pupils enjoy receiving tokens for demonstrating honesty and respect to their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and courteous and behave well. They relish taking on roles of responsibility in the school. ‘Sports leaders’ and ‘happiness heroes’ make a positive contribution to the school community and ensure that playtimes are an enjoyable experience for all. Newly purchased equipment provides pupils with fun and stimulating activities. When pupils need a quieter space, they visit the calming Centenary Garden.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Weekly Values Worship is highly regarded by pupils. In these assemblies, they learn important principles, such as a respect for the rule of law. The school regularly welcomes interesting guests to speak to pupils. The fire service, who visited during the inspection, provides pupils with valuable learning about keeping safe. Thoughtfully planned trips enhance pupils’ learning, such as going to Hastings when studying William the Conqueror.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum built around exciting topics. High-quality books are matched to these and bring learning to life. For example, when studying the heart in science, pupils read ‘Pig Heart Boy’ in their English lessons. In many areas, the key steps of knowledge that pupils should learn are carefully identified. This helps pupils to build understanding securely over time. However, in some subjects, work is ongoing to identify precisely what pupils need to learn and specifically when teachers will teach this. In these subjects, the activities that teachers select do not always help pupils to learn as much as they could. 20 and 21 February 2024

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Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They use this to introduce new learning clearly. The school places strong emphasis on retrieving prior learning. This helps pupils to remember what they have learned before and apply it to new topics. Staff check pupils’ learning frequently and adapt lessons accordingly. Teachers know the individual needs of their pupils very well. Pupils with SEND receive the support that they need to be successful. This includes additional modelling of new methods and strategies in mathematics.

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Reading is a well-established part of school life. Daily guided reading sessions help pupils to develop their comprehension of complex texts. Teachers regularly listen to pupils read and check how well they are improving. Most pupils develop into confident and fluent readers. Those who need further help receive support to recap the sounds and words that they need to learn. However, some phonics interventions are not always delivered as effectively as leaders intend. This means that some pupils at the earlier stages of reading do not catch up with their peers as quickly as they might.

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Staff have consistently high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils understand classroom routines. In lessons, they work diligently and with focus. Around the school site pupils act responsibly, having warm relationships with staff. Most pupils attend school regularly. The school works collaboratively with families and external agencies to encourage all pupils to attend often and punctually.

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The school places great importance on the programme for pupils’ personal development. Specific lessons about different faiths and cultures help pupils develop their understanding of how to be respectful of each other’s differences. Pupils have enjoyed recent learning about the role that Rosa Parks played in making American society more equal. Clubs are numerous and leaders respond to pupils’ interests by providing new opportunities when requested. Many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, participate frequently in the interesting extra-curricular activities on offer.

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Governors take their responsibilities seriously and provide challenge to further improve the school. Leaders are mindful of staff well-being. They consult well with staff to minimise the impact of new initiatives on their workload. This includes the recently redeveloped marking and assessment policy which is focused on helping staff to identify and address any gaps in pupils’ learning more rapidly.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is some variability in the quality of interventions and support provided to help a small number of pupils learn to read. Consequently, these pupils do not develop into 20 and 21 February 2024

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confident and fluent readers as quickly as they could. The school should ensure that staff get the training that they need to lead phonics interventions consistently well.  In some subjects, leaders have not yet precisely identified and sequenced the detailed knowledge that they want pupils to learn. This means that teachers do not always know exactly what knowledge pupils should learn or select activities that best help build understanding. Leaders need to ensure that across all subjects learning is coherently planned and sequenced to ensure that pupils learn as much as they can.

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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 March 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.

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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). 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

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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). 20 and 21 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 July 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there have been a number of changes in staff. The headteacher was appointed to his role in 2023. There have been many other changes in senior leadership.  The school is a Church of England junior school within the Diocese of Chichester. The school’s religious character was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in January 2018.  The school currently uses two unregistered alternative providers to support the education of a small number of pupils.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school. 20 and 21 February 2024

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the leader responsible for pupils with SEND, other teachers and support staff.  The inspector met with governors and had conversations with representatives of the local authority and the Diocese of Chichester.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 pupils’ work. The inspector also reviewed curriculum plans in history and science.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils and staff to hear their views.  The inspector considered the responses to the confidential Ofsted surveys for staff and Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Martin Smith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 20 and 21 February 2024

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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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