Slindon CofE Primary School

Inspection of Slindon C of E Primary School Meadsway, Slindon, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 0QU

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 October 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 22 and 23 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

A warm welcome awaits all who walk through the doors of this small but wonderfully inclusive school. Pupils happily come to school due to the positive relationships that they build with friends and nurturing staff. Pupils learn to care for each other and their wider community. Opportunities to raise money for charity help pupils to know the importance of being a good citizen. Pupils learn and play cooperatively together. They learn to share, take turns and help each other feel included. They are keen to let visitors know that they ‘love their school’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school because clear and consistent routines help them know what to expect. Pupils learn to be reflective, developing an astute awareness of their own emotions and the impact of their behaviour on others. Staff consistently help pupils to settle any disagreement between them effectively. Pupils are very kind and polite, making the school a calm and orderly place to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning because teachers make it memorable. Pupils try hard to achieve the high expectations that staff have of them. A wide range of trips and visits to places such as local farms complement what pupils learn in the classroom. This helps pupils develop a richer understanding of topics and concepts.

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

The school has undergone a number of recent changes. Most staff are very new. However, an unwavering commitment for pupils to learn a high-quality curriculum remains constant. The school has developed strong partnerships with other local schools and stakeholders, such as the diocese and the local authority. These partnerships ensure all staff receive high-quality training to support pupils to learn well. Governors regularly visit the school to check that staff are providing pupils with the education they need for the future. Many parents and carers speak positively about the recent changes. Many commented that they ‘feel part of the school family’.

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

Pupils learn to read as soon as they start school. Staff help pupils learn new letters and corresponding sounds in an ordered way. This helps pupils learn to read with increased confidence and fluency. Those who need additional help receive this. Interesting texts provide pupils with inspiration they can use in their written work. The school focuses on developing pupils’ ability to write with greater depth and complexity.

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

In most subjects, the curriculum identifies the important knowledge and skills that pupils need. There is a clear focus on developing pupils’ accurate use of subject-specific vocabulary. The school is refining the curriculum in some subjects to ensure it builds on prior learning. In some of these subjects, teachers do not always ensure that pupils are sufficiently knowledgeable before moving on to new learning. This means that some pupils struggle to make connections between ideas and remember learning.

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

Staff do not always have the expertise that they need to make learning accessible for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teaching is not 22 and 23 October 2024

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consistently designed to help some pupils process and remember new information. This means some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could. The school is aware of this and is providing staff with training to address this issue.

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Many pupils attend school very well as they do not want to miss important learning. Sensitive support is effective in removing barriers to regular attendance. The same thoughtful approach helps pupils who struggle to manage their feelings and behaviour. The school is swift to provide support that pupils need to help them flourish.

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The school provides extensively for pupils’ wider development. After-school clubs, such as philosophy club, and residential trips enrich pupils’ learning in the classroom. Pupils purposefully debate important questions such as ‘Would you still be good if there were no laws?’ Pupils learn to develop strong morals and are respectful of differences. The school is focusing on developing pupils’ awareness of different cultures. The school is relentless in making sure that pupils are well prepared for life ahead.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not always suitably tailor adaptations to learning to meet the individual needs of pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils do not access the curriculum as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers have the expertise they need to adapt learning that enables all pupils with SEND to access the curriculum successfully.  Learning is not always suitably adapted to close gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills. This means some pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that all staff have the training that they need to routinely identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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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. 22 and 23 October 2024

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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). 22 and 23 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 30 April and 1 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Chichester. The last section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in September 2024.  At the time of inspection, only four children are on roll in the early years foundation stage. The inspection team has not made a separate provision judgement for early years. The team has considered the provision for these children when grading all other key judgements.  The school does not make use of 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. 22 and 23 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.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of the governors. They also spoke to a representative from the Diocese of Chichester and from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, the inspectors 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 also

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listened to some pupils read aloud to familiar adults. In addition, inspectors sampled pupils’ writing and visited a number of other lessons across the school to evaluate the curriculum.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences of school life. They also took account of the views of parents, carers and staff through conversations and responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Michelle Payne, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Linda Appleby Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 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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