Icklesham Church of England Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Icklesham Church of England Primary School and Nursery High Fords, Icklesham, Winchelsea, East Sussex TN36 4BX

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Outcome

Icklesham Church of England Primary School and Nursery continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils delight in attending this friendly school. They are happy and feel safe. Older pupils care for younger pupils. For example, pupils run a lunchtime art club and others play games in mixed-age groups. As one pupil said, ‘I make great friends here.’ Pupils enjoy their time in the school’s swimming pool and discover wildlife in the nature pond.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for its pupils. They develop their individual character well and uphold the school’s vision to ‘let your light shine’. The school nurtures and celebrates pupils’ talents, whether that be academic, in the arts or on the sports field. Pupils develop their knowledge and skills across the curriculum well. The school supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. This ensures that they engage in the full life of the school and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and are courteous. They learn about how to manage their emotions. As a result, the school has a very calm and caring atmosphere. Pupils are respectful of the views of others and are happy to celebrate when others succeed. This helps to create a culture where all pupils feel that they belong.

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

The school provides a well-constructed curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. The curriculum matches the interests and needs of pupils well and has clearly defined end points. Staff in the early years provide a rich range of activities that prepare children well for their transition into key stage 1. The school provides training that supports teachers to know how to deliver the curriculum. While this is secure in many subjects, teachers’ subject knowledge in some subjects is less secure. This means that some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. 5 June 2024

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Teachers ensure that pupils become enthusiastic learners and that they are eager to know more. They help pupils to gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed. Teachers use questioning to check what pupils know in class. They guide pupils to recall what they have learned previously. This helps pupils to connect what they learn to what they already know. The school manages teachers’ workload well. They appreciate this and say that this allows them to focus on their pupils. Teachers identify the needs of pupils with SEND effectively and ensure that they are able to access their learning alongside their peers.

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Pupils develop their reading and mathematical knowledge well. Children in the nursery delight in hearing stories. Children in Reception class swiftly gain the knowledge to read simple words and to count with confidence. They apply what they have learned when at play, helping them to secure what they learn. Teachers question pupils in class to check what they know and understand. They support pupils who have fallen behind in their reading to catch up quickly. As such, pupils become increasingly confident readers as they transition to key stage 2. Older pupils read well and develop a love of reading. While the mathematics progress of pupils in national tests in 2023 was low, they now achieve well. This is because the school’s mathematics curriculum is now matched more closely to the needs of all pupils.

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Pupils behave well in class. The school encourages pupils to connect the school’s values to their actions. For example, the school’s values of love and forgiveness lead pupils to form strong and lasting friendships. On the rare occasion that pupils become distracted in class, with direction from their teacher, they settle back to their learning. The school places a high priority on school attendance. While the attendance of some pupils has been low in the past, it is now improving.

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The school develops pupils’ personal talents and interests well through a range of clubs and competitive sporting events with local schools. They experience trips linked to what they learn in class. For example, they visit a local opera house and castle. This helps pupils to explore their learning and connect to their locality. Pupils are given roles of responsibility. Those elected as school councillors support charitable events for local and national charities. Pupils appointed as sports ambassadors encourage active games during playtime. As a result, pupils have a voice in the school and develop a sense of responsibility.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, teachers do not always deliver the content of the curriculum with sufficient clarity. This is because their subject knowledge is not secure in some subjects. As a result, some pupils do not always embed the knowledge and skills 5 June 2024

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needed. The school needs to strengthen teachers’ subject knowledge to ensure that pupils achieve well in all subjects.

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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). 5 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England voluntary-controlled school and is part of the Diocese of Chichester.  The school provides a breakfast club and after-school provision on site.  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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. 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 5 June 2024

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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 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors spoke to staff and pupils during the inspection and took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  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

Lorraine Clarke OBE Ofsted Inspector 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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