West Hove Infant School

Inspection of West Hove Infant School Portland Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 5JA

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since December 2013. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 19 and 20 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils aspire to be the best that they can be. Staff are passionate about pupils’ learning and development. They have exceptionally high expectations of pupils’ focus on learning and behaviour. Pupils rise to meet these expectations. They are motivated to do so by the exceptional level of care and devotion the adults around them demonstrate. This is a much larger infant school than most. Pupils say that they are known and heard by all adults. Pupils have worked with adults and made meaningful changes to the school’s policies. For example, pupils’ creation of the inclusive ‘voice box’ provision has been hugely influential to pupils’ well-being. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who feel valued in the school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Classrooms are a joy to visit. Pupils are happy and engaged. They feel empowered to take risks in their learning and ask highly relevant questions. Pupils can organise themselves effectively, and their highly positive outlook on learning keeps them focused. Pupils love to get feedback on their learning and feel it helps them to improve. Pupils see their work as a source of pride. As a result of this and the school’s great curriculum offer, they achieve well.

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

The school provides an education of the highest quality. There has been a methodical approach to identifying what pupils must know. The school has meticulously identified the order of what pupils learn from Reception onwards. The school has an innovative approach to training. This means all staff support pupils across the school with remarkable quality and consistency. The school’s systems for checking what pupils know and remember are highly effective. Staff’s expectations of pupils are reflected in their ambitions and motivations to be the very best they can be. Pupils with any form of disadvantage are the centre point of all the school’s efforts. Consequently, the work in pupils’ books is exceptionally strong across the school.

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

Children in the Reception class quickly become fluent and accurate readers. The school has a sense of urgency about the approach to reading. They see reading as the gateway to all learning and make it a school priority. Staff are given thorough coaching in how and what to teach. Consequently, there is a remarkable consistency across the school. Children in the Reception class can independently recall and dramatise their favourite tales and rhymes. There is an exceptionally detailed focus on pupils who read less frequently at home. Staff rigorously check pupils’ reading. There are highly effective early interventions for those needing more help. As a result, pupils, particularly those with any disadvantage, achieve well in their reading.

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

Pupils’ respectful actions and attitudes are universally evident across the school. There is no disruption of lessons. Children in the Reception class have superb language skills. This helps them to negotiate and resolve any disagreement. The school has developed an exceptionally strong culture of positivity. This is reflected in pupils’ and staff’s well-being. The school makes effective adjustments to routines and systems to support pupils with SEND. Attendance is a strength of the school. The tracking of attendance is thorough. 19 and 20 November 2024

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This helps the school to work with families to make sure all pupils are attending as often as possible.

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Pupils have a deep understanding of equality and kindness. The school is rightly proud of the high-quality personal development offer. The school’s expertise is evident in the depth and quality of its work. Pupils not only feel safe but have the means to understand their own emotions and strategies to resolve and improve their mental health. Pupils’ knowledge of spirituality and fairness is consistently applied and communally understood. Pupils with SEND are provided with the means to flourish. Consequently, pupils are more than ready for life in modern Britain and are accepting of all differences.

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The school’s leaders at every level are determined in their efforts to secure the highest- quality education for all pupils. Their sense of urgency and determination to ensure the best for all pupils is clear throughout the school. The school sees all leaders as leaders of SEND. This means that pupils’ needs are swiftly identified and exceptionally well supported. The school’s offer also demonstrates genuine care and attention to staff’s workload and well-being. Governors are thorough and insightful. As a result, there is a genuine sense of cooperative accountability that drives school improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 December 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates from two sites. One is based on Portland Road and the other on Holland Road.  West Hove Infant School is federated with Hove Junior School. Hove Junior School is also based at Portland Road and Holland Road.  The executive headteacher and governing body work across both schools.  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. 19 and 20 November 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.  The inspection team met with the executive headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and pupils. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design, history and geography. For each deep dive, 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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single

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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 inspection team observed behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day. They considered the views expressed in Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors spoke with groups of staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Toby Martlew, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Bateman Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 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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