Ore Village Primary Academy

Inspection of Ore Village Primary Academy Rye Road, Hastings, East Sussex TN35 5DB

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 February 2024

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Jo Campbell. This school is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Dr Karen Roberts, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gaenor Anne Bagley. 21 and 22 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this school. Adults rightly take a keen interest in the welfare of pupils. Pupils trust adults and are looked after well. They form very positive relationships with one another and show a genuine care for their friends. Pupils appointed as ‘well-being ambassadors’ and ‘big buddies’ support younger pupils at playtimes. All this contributes to pupils feeling happy, safe and part of the school family. As one pupil said, ‘This school is fun and caring.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The trust supports the school to ensure that there are high expectations for all pupils. Pupils experience a vibrant and interesting curriculum that inspires them to learn. As a result, pupils thrive and develop a wide range of knowledge and skills across the curriculum. Although some pupils fell behind in their reading and mathematics in the past, the school has acted swiftly and effectively to help these pupils to catch up.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They uphold the school value of respect. For example, they move around the school in a thoughtful and orderly manner. While some pupils can occasionally be unkind, adults deal with this quickly and effectively to help pupils to learn how to behave well.

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better?

The school provides an ambitious curriculum. Staff match the curriculum to the needs and interests of pupils. For example, pupils learn about a range of local artists and historical figures from their community. Teachers receive training that helps them to refine and develop their teaching. Teachers are clear about what to teach. Teachers make sure that pupils remember what they have learned. While pupils in mixed-age classes develop their knowledge well overall, this is at times not as challenging in other subjects as it is in English and mathematics. This means some older pupils in mixed-age classes do not learn as deeply as they could.

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better?

The school ensures that pupils learn to read and develop their mathematical knowledge well. Pupils are catching up quickly after the low attainment seen in the school’s results in 2023. Governors and trustees diligently make sure that the school makes necessary improvements. The trust supports the school in the effective delivery of phonics, helping teachers to improve outcomes for pupils. Staff workload is carefully reviewed to make sure that they are not overwhelmed and can focus their efforts fully in the classroom. Staff check what pupils know and provide helpful additional support for pupils who need to catch up. Children in the early years develop a love of stories and learn how to count with confidence. Adults help them to explore what they learn in class through a range of activities that reinforce their understanding. Teachers select texts that support older pupils to improve their reading fluency and comprehension.

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better?

Teachers identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Pupils in the school’s ‘Reef’ class receive an individualised 21 and 22 February 2024

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curriculum that supports their needs effectively. Adults support pupils in class when they find learning difficult. This is more established in reading and mathematics. In subjects beyond these, teachers do not routinely think through the adaptations needed to meet pupils’ needs. As a result, some pupils struggle to access work independently without additional support from adults in class.

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Pupils behave well in class. While attendance is low for some pupils, the school ensures that poor attendance is not tolerated. The school supports pupils to make improvements in their attendance. This includes linking with outside agencies who support both pupils and their families. As a result, pupils’ attendance is improving.

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The school provides a wide range of opportunities to nurture, develop and stretch pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils learn about the school’s values of cooperation, achievement, respect and empathy through a wide range of activities. For example, pupils learn about the importance of democracy in history. They can articulate the importance of the values that drive life in modern Britain. Pupils who are appointed to the ‘junior leadership team’ meet with the headteacher. They discuss improvements that pupils would like to see in the school. The many roles such as these help pupils to have a genuine voice in the running of the school. The school provides pupils with a wide range of clubs and activities. These ensure that all pupils develop their wider interests and skills well. For example, pupils in the choir participate in a range of performances in their locality.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects beyond English and mathematics, the curriculum for older pupils in mixed-age classes sometimes lacks enough challenge. This means that pupils do not always deepen their learning as much as they could. Teachers should ensure that older children in mixed-age classes are challenged to develop the knowledge and skills so that they achieve highly across the curriculum.  While adults respond to the needs of pupils with SEND in English and mathematics well, support is less effective across other subjects. As a result, some pupils with SEND struggle to learn without the support of an adult. The school needs to ensure that teachers use and apply a range of strategies to adapt teaching to support pupils with SEND more effectively so they achieve their full potential.

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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 21 and 22 February 2024

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Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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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 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). 21 and 22 February 2024

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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School details

Website https://sites.google.com/tkat.org/ore- village-primary-academy/home Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of The Kemnal Academy Trust, a large national multi-academy trust with 45 academies.  The school runs a nursery on the school site.  The school provides breakfast and after-school wraparound care on site for up to 30 pupils.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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. 21 and 22 February 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders, and a range of staff at the school. The inspectors met with representatives from the trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and design, history and physical education. For each deep dive, the 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 pupils’ work. The inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.  The inspectors considered the views of parents and carers through their

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responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors spoke to staff and pupils during the inspection and took account of their responses to Ofsted’s online staff surveys.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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.

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Inspection team

Graham Chisnell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Catherine Hylands Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 February 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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