Punnetts Town Community Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of Punnetts Town Community Primary and Nursery School Battle Road, Punnetts Town, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 9DE

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school at the heart of its community where pupils feel happy and safe. Staff prioritise getting to know every family individually and are ambitious for every pupil to succeed. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in school life. Adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum and to the environment work effectively to support all learners. As a result, most pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the school’s high expectations for their behaviour. They behave well and develop positive attitudes to learning. The federation’s values of love, care, respect and friendship are fully integrated into school life. Pupils understand how these values help them to be successful, for example by focusing on supporting each other on a recent residential trip.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s recent addition of a Nursery has strengthened practice in the early years. Children are well prepared to start in the Reception Year. The curriculum across all subjects starts from the early years. Wider opportunities are planned to enhance pupils’ learning and, where possible, link to the local context. Pupils are keen to represent their school in a variety of ways. Leadership roles such as the school council and librarians provide a real-life context for pupils to learn about democracy.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious and well ordered in most subjects. Writing has been a whole-school focus and is enhanced through other subjects such as history and science. In those subjects where the curriculum is less developed, leaders are working to build on stronger practice. Staff have strong subject knowledge and are confident in teaching the curriculum. This has been supported by the federation.

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

Activities for each subject are generally well matched to the intended learning. This is more successful in those subjects where the curriculum is clearly mapped out. In these subjects, pupils build and remember their knowledge over time, for example their understanding of chronology in history. This starts right from the early years where both the indoor and outdoor learning environments enhance all areas of learning. The checking of what pupils remember is also stronger in these subjects.

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

The teaching of reading has been a whole-school priority. All staff are effectively trained in the approach to phonics. This, alongside the ‘five-a-day’ approach to sharing books, ensures children get off to a strong start with their reading. Most pupils learn to read confidently and accurately and are enthusiastic about reading. The school’s library provides an enticing space for pupils to enjoy books. The school gives the weakest readers extra help. However, this is not precise enough. This means that some of the weakest readers are not learning to read as well as they could.

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

Pupils enjoy school. There are strong relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and concentrate well. Their learning is rarely disrupted by the behaviour of other pupils. Pupils are treated fairly and consistently by staff. The 8 and 9 October 2024

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school has prioritised attendance. Pupils, parents and carers and staff understand the importance of good attendance.

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The whole-school approach to pupils’ personal development has been well thought through. The school’s values are explicitly taught to all pupils, alongside a well-developed understanding of fundamental British values. As a result, pupils learn to value and respect difference. This starts from the beginning of the Nursery Year. Trips and visitors are linked to the curriculum. This supports pupils to remember and understand their learning. Leadership opportunities for pupils are meaningful. They ensure pupils have ownership of changes that happen at their school. The school council’s development of the playground is one example of this.

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The school’s vision is well embedded and understood by all stakeholders. This extends beyond the academic provision. The school has taken swift and effective action to refine much of its curriculum. It is clear about the improvements needed in the few remaining subjects. Staff spoke positively about the support they receive, including those who are new to teaching. Workload and well-being of all staff are considered thoughtfully. Those responsible for governance know the school well. They challenge and support the school effectively and are rigorous in carrying out their statutory duties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The order of learning in a few subjects is not yet fully developed. This means in these subjects, pupils do not build on or remember knowledge over time. The school should identify and carefully map out the specific knowledge to be taught in these few remaining subjects.  The support for the weakest readers is not precise enough. As a result, some of these pupils cannot blend accurately. This hampers their ability to read with fluency and comprehension. The school should strengthen its approach to supporting the weakest readers to enable these pupils to catch up and keep up with their peers.

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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. 8 and 9 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). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.punnettstown.e-sussex.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average-size primary school.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  This school runs its own breakfast and after-school clubs.  The school is part of The Woodlands Federation, a federation with one other primary school. The federation has one governing body, which has responsibility for both schools.  The school runs its own Nursery with provision for two-year-olds. This has opened since the last inspection.

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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 8 and 9 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics 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 heard

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pupils read to a member of staff. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspectors met with leaders, staff, pupils and those with responsibility for governance, including the chair of the governing body. The inspectors also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors observed breaktimes and lunchtimes and the start and end of the school day.  The inspectors scrutinised minutes of the governing body meetings.  The inspectors met leaders to discuss the provision for pupils with SEND. They visited lessons to look at the support these pupils were receiving.  The inspectors considered the responses to the confidential staff and pupil surveys. They took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Emma Law, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kirstine Boon Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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