Shalfleet Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Shalfleet Church of England Primary School Station Road, Ningwood, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 4NN

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Outcome

Shalfleet Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘We have come so far because of our teachers.’ This view of one Year 6 pupil sums up the warm and welcoming ethos that pervades throughout this school. Staff get to know pupils well in order to meet their needs. Pupils look after each other and enjoy spending time with their friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff consistently have high expectations of pupils in both their learning and behaviour as part of the school’s ‘conscious community’. Staff expect pupils to show respect, build resilience and develop strong relationships. As a result, pupils are morally grounded and make the right choices. They know staff will help them with any difficulties or worries that they may have. The children in Reception love being in class and are eager to learn. They are well supported and guided effectively by adults in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy and benefit from a variety of school visits, clubs and activities. Pupils say there is something for everyone to do. The vast majority of older pupils have had the opportunity to represent the school at a sport. Staff consider each pupil’s cultural experiences and aim to offer personalised opportunities for disadvantaged pupils who would benefit most.

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

The school has developed a curriculum that is ambitious and prepares pupils for their next stages of learning. Most pupils achieve well. The curriculum sets out clearly the essential knowledge pupils should learn and the order in which they should learn it. Typically, teachers deliver the curriculum skilfully.

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

The school demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusion. They engage with external specialists to identify pupils’ specific, additional needs and provide the timely support that pupils require. There is a mantra of ‘the child should not adapt to us, we will adapt for them.’ As a result pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well 4 and 5 June 2024

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supported to access the same curriculum as their peers, where this is possible. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Where the curriculum has been in place for some time and training for staff made a priority, the impact on pupils’ learning is impressive. Pupils take pride in their work. For example, in mathematics and in art and design pupils take the time and care needed to produce accurate, precise and high-quality work. Teachers use a variety of checks to see how well pupils are learning. They usually act swiftly to address any gaps or misconceptions. However, while most pupils receive a strong, broad curriculum, there are some minor inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum. This is because learning activities are not always well matched to pupils’ needs. As a result, at times some pupils find work too hard or are not challenged enough in class which affects how much progress they make through the curriculum.

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Reading is given high priority. Staff teach phonics well. Pupils at risk of falling behind are swiftly identified and additional support helps them to catch up. Pupils in the early stages of reading have books that match the sounds they know. As pupils go through the school, they are exposed to ambitious texts that broaden their language and understanding of key aspects of the curriculum. As a result, pupils read with increasing accuracy, fluency and confidence over time.

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There are many pupil leadership opportunities available to give pupils a bigger voice in the school. ‘Learning leaders’, ‘sports crew’, ‘peer mentors’ and the ‘spirituality group’ all help to enhance day-to-day provision. The school are conscious to ensure these are representative of the groups of pupils at the school. For example, a quarter of the pupils on the ‘Junior Leadership Team’ are pupils with SEND.

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Pupils’ behaviour in school is calm and orderly. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes and are friendly towards each other in class, at lunch or on the playground. Attendance is an ongoing focus for the school. The school works closely with external agencies to improve the attendance of pupils who have unauthorised absence. They rightly provide appropriate challenge and support to parents and carers to promote the importance of regular attendance.

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Governors and staff are united by the school’s vision across the school and federation. This has been further strengthened in recent years. The school is streamlining some processes to make them clearer and more effective. Staff feel valued and are proud to work at the school. The good quality of provision is appreciated by many parents. For example, one said, ‘The school, teachers and everyone are brilliant and I can’t fault them. My son loves going to school. I am always recommending others to send their children to Shalfleet.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 4 and 5 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, some pupils are given work that does not accurately meet their needs. This means that pupils can overly rely on adult support or not be challenged enough. The school should ensure that all pupils are given work that meets their needs and enables them to build the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that they are capable of.

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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 November 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). 4 and 5 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 November 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is federated with Freshwater & Yarmouth Church of England Aided Primary School.  School leaders and governors are also responsible for the on-site pre-school that has pupils from age 0 to 4.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Portsmouth. Its most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in November 2022, when it was judged to be good.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 4 and 5 June 2024

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 inspector also looked at additional curriculum plans for computing, history and physical education (PE).  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy head and other leaders within the school and federation. The lead inspector also met with six members of the governing board including the chair, and educational representatives from the diocese and local authority.  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.  The inspector reviewed a range of the school’s documentation including minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.  The inspector considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View and also talked with parents on the second morning of the inspection.  The views of staff were gathered through interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection, as well as the staff survey.  The inspector gathered pupils’ views throughout the inspection, including through discussions, during classroom visits and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Chris Parker, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 4 and 5 June 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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