Pevensey and Westham CofE Primary School

Inspection of Pevensey and Westham CofE Primary School High Street, Westham, Pevensey, East Sussex BN24 5LP

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at school keen and ready to learn. They delight in the company of their friends and form very positive relationships. One parent echoed the views of many, commenting, ‘The school is like one big, happy community.’ Pupils behave exceptionally well. They are kind and courteous. Older pupils take on roles of responsibility. They take pride in supporting younger pupils. For example, ‘eco champions’ collect litter and ‘buddies’ help younger children at playtime. Adults show a deep care for the pupils and support their emotional needs sensitively. This means that pupils feel safe and are happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils and, as a result, pupils achieve well. Children in the early years have a positive start to their life in school and settle into routines swiftly. Pupils develop a broad body of knowledge and interest across a wide range of subjects. Their learning is enhanced by a range of opportunities that go beyond the classroom. For example, pupils develop their problem-solving skills in the school’s forest school. Pupils uphold the school value of ‘resilience’ well. As one pupil said, ‘It’s good to know the teachers understand how hard I try, it makes me keep going.’

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

The school provides an engaging and ambitious curriculum. The school ensures that this curriculum provides clarity to teachers about the knowledge that pupils need to learn. The curriculum for early years links meaningfully to what pupils learn in key stage 1. This prepares children well for the transition into Year 1. Staff are well trained to deliver the curriculum effectively. The school supports staff by finding ways to reduce their workload, thus enabling teachers to focus their time and energy in class productively.

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

Teachers support pupils to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. They ensure that pupils remain focused on their learning. Teachers ask questions that help pupils to develop their understanding. In many subjects, teachers regularly check what pupils know and understand. This helps teachers to ensure that pupils embed knowledge gained. Teachers involve parents and carers in their children’s education and provide them with helpful information about their children’s learning.

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

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. It provides staff with a wide range of strategies to support these pupils in class. The school recognises the urgency in making the improvements needed. However, at times, these strategies are not used as well as they are intended. This means that some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should in some subjects.

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

Pupils achieve well across a broad range of subjects. They develop their knowledge and skills with confidence. From an early age, children develop their reading skills well. Adults support pupils who have fallen behind in their reading to catch up well. As pupils move through the school, the rich variety of books on offer helps them to develop a love of reading. Children in the early years develop their understanding through play well. They explore their knowledge gained in class through well-constructed opportunities in the outside area. Older pupils apply their knowledge across the curriculum effectively. They 1 and 2 October 2024

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write confidently and produce work to a high standard. However, in some subjects, pupils struggle to remember what they have learned. This is because the school’s approach to supporting pupils to reflect on what they have learned previously is not fully implemented.

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Pupils behave exceptionally well and are keen to attend. Children in the early years gain the language to articulate their feelings. This helps them to recognise their own emotions and respect the feelings of others. Older pupils show compassion towards their peers. They manage their own emotions and support others to behave well. While attendance has been low in the past, the school has addressed this diligently. As a result of the school’s high expectations for behaviour, pupils demonstrate highly positive attitudes to their time in school.

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The school provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to support their local community and to learn about being global citizens. Pupils’ moral development is enhanced through opportunities for charitable giving. For example, pupils raise funds to support a school in Tanzania. The school welcomes visitors from their locality. This develops pupils’ cultural understanding well. For example, members of the emergency services visit the school to speak to pupils about their roles in the community. This helps pupils to develop their understanding of fundamental British values.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not consistently check that pupils’ recall of prior knowledge is secure in some subjects. This means that some pupils struggle to draw on what they have previously learned in order to apply this to new learning. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped with appropriate strategies to enable pupils to embed knowledge gained.  Teachers’ strategies to adapt their delivery of the curriculum to meet pupils’ SEND needs are not fully implemented. This means that some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could. The school should embed strategies so that all pupils are supported to make progress through the curriculum.

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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. 1 and 2 October 2024

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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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 January 2022, under section 5 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.  A section 48 inspection to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of Pevensey and Westham Church of England Primary School took place in March 2017. The next section 48 inspection is due this year.  The school provides a breakfast club and after-school childcare on site.  The school does not currently 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 1 and 2 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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, geography, science and art and design. 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 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspectors spoke to staff and pupils during the inspection and took account of staff and pupil responses to

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Ofsted’s online 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

Caroline Clarke Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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