East Hoathly CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: East Hoathly CofE Primary School Church Marks Lane, East Hoathly, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 6EQ

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Outcome

East Hoathly CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are excited by learning at East Hoathly Primary School. They participate in lessons enthusiastically and are keen to share their learning with staff. Pupils achieve well and work hard to meet the high expectations of staff. They demonstrate this through their positive attitudes to learning and high-quality work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are caring and respectful at this inclusive village school. They are kind to each other, and pupils of all ages play together happily. Pupils behave very well. They know the school’s expectations and follow them consistently well. Pupils also know where to go if they require additional support to improve their behaviour. Pupils know that staff will keep them safe and all pupils benefit from support from trusted adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn a range of skills alongside the knowledge that they gain in class. They learn how to become effective speakers and listeners, and the importance of ‘aiming high’. Staff value pupils’ opinions and they are encouraged to participate in regular debates. For example, a group of pupils discussed the relationship between science and faith with the local priest. As a result of the school’s ‘courageous advocacy’ approach, older pupils feel confident challenging injustice and have mature attitudes to views that differ to their own.

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

The school’s ambitious curriculum is well-designed and logically sequenced. Pupils build on their prior learning well. As a result, their skills and knowledge become increasingly sophisticated. Leaders have prioritised identifying pupils’ needs accurately. Staff know pupils well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They use their understanding of pupils’ needs to plan a range of effective adaptations and support.

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

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They explain learning clearly and design activities that interest pupils and deepen their learning over time. Teachers are confident to respond to pupils’ needs during lessons and amend activities to ensure that they 13 June 2024

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address gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly. Teachers model ambitious language in all subjects so that pupils develop their subject-specific vocabulary well as they move through the year groups. Teachers also use assessment well. They check pupils’ understanding carefully in lessons and address misconceptions swiftly so that pupils build on their learning. In formative assessments, teachers ensure that pupils know what they have to do next to build on their learning further.

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The school prioritises reading. This starts in nursery, where children begin to develop a love for stories, songs and rhymes. In previous years, teachers have not delivered phonics well enough, and this has resulted in too many Year 1 pupils not learning to read at the required standard. Leaders have prioritised improvement in this area and the phonics curriculum is becoming increasingly well embedded. Staff work hard to ensure that those pupils who need to catch up do so. Older pupils are encouraged to read widely. They recall stories that they have read in prior years and talk about them passionately.

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The school is calm and orderly. Classes are focused and purposeful. Pupils listen intently to staff and complete their work with high levels of concentration. Breaktimes are happy occasions. Staff have clear, warm relationships with pupils and encourage them to participate in a range of activities. The school has clear processes for managing attendance. Leaders provide a range of support to help pupils attend more frequently. This is improving rapidly for most groups of pupils.

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The school enhances pupils’ learning through a range of activities. For example, they share their views about learning with pupils in Malawi and visit local historic sites. Staff have designed a high-quality programme of personal, social and health education. Pupils develop age-appropriate attitudes towards the important concepts that they learn about, such as online safety and healthy relationships. Pupils benefit from the opportunities on offer that help them to develop their skills and talents. They take part in a range of sporting clubs and represent the school in several sports.

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Staff are very positive about the school. They benefit from the high-quality training across the federation. As a result, staff deliver the curriculum confidently. Governors have a clear sense of purpose and share the high expectations of leaders. They hold leaders to account well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils who are weaker readers have not learned to read as quickly as they could because the phonics curriculum has not been embedded or implemented well enough in the past. The school is aware of this and has begun to make improvements in this area. Leaders should continue to embed the phonics curriculum and provide teachers 13 June 2024

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with the support that they need to ensure that all pupils learn to read confidently and fluently.

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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). 13 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher James Procter (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Website www.easthoathly.pioneerfederation.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  East Hoathly Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled school. The school’s most recent section 48 Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools took place in May 2016.  The school is part of the Pioneer Federation. The federation has a single governing body and is made up of East Hoathly, Chiddingly, St Mary the Virgin and Park View schools.  James Procter acts as executive headteacher of the federation. Alice Briley is head of school at East Hoathly.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of the school’s education provision.  This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 13 June 2024

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 The lead inspector met with the headteacher as well as with other leaders and staff. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority and diocese.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, science and art. 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 lead inspector 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 inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the

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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

Gavin Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rosemary Keen Ofsted Inspector 13 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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