Medmerry Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Medmerry Primary School High Street, Selsey, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 0QJ

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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Outcome

Medmerry Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Dave Lott. This school is part of Schoolsworks Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Cathy Williams, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Norman Rose.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their school. They feel safe. Pupils trust adults implicitly to help them with any worries or concerns. Pupils are polite and articulate. They behave respectfully towards each other and towards adults. At breaktimes, they socialise well together. Older pupils willingly help the younger children to enjoy using a wide range of outdoor games and play equipment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults in the school aspire for all pupils to achieve their very best. The school was disappointed with its recent key stage 2 national test results. However, pupils are benefitting well from swift and decisive improvements to the curriculum. These have had a positive impact. Pupils now learn an age-appropriate curriculum and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from many visits to areas of interest beyond their community, such as to museums in nearby Chichester and further afield. Pupils are also encouraged to learn about and make a positive contribution to their local community. For example, they enjoy taking part in beach cleaning activities and supporting the local food bank. In addition, pupils learn how to keep safe in their coastal location, through working with the local lifeboat station to learn about water safety. 19 and 20 November 2024

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

The school has made sure that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn a broad curriculum that prepares them well for life beyond primary school. Support for pupils with SEND is a particular strength. The school uses a wide variety of effective strategies to identify the specific help that pupils with SEND need. This ensures that pupils with SEND are given necessary tools and support to access the curriculum independently.

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

The school rightly prioritises teaching pupils to read and write. Pupils learn to read using a well-structured programme. In addition, highly trained staff provide effective support for those pupils who need extra help with reading. This includes for pupils in key stage 2. Here, a recently introduced approach is enabling weaker readers to catch up quickly with their peers. A consistent approach for teaching writing ensures that all pupils learn to write with confidence and write well. This includes broadening pupils’ vocabulary and knowledge of how language works. Pupils are encouraged to use accurate technical vocabulary when talking about their work. This enables them to explain their ideas clearly, remember their learning and achieve well.

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

Teachers know the curriculum well. They are clear about what pupils must know and remember at each step of their learning. Teachers present new information confidently using a variety of thoughtful and well-constructed approaches. For example, pupils value the opportunity to take part in practical activities in science that deepen their learning. Furthermore, pupils appreciate learning new information through discussing their understanding each step of the way. On occasion, however, activities that pupils complete do not enable them to learn the curriculum as well as they could. For example, some activities do not allow pupils to explain what they know about a topic sufficiently well or enable pupils to be fully engaged in class discussions.

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

Pupils behave well. They have positive attitudes to learning and they work hard. The school has strived to improve pupils’ attendance. The school monitors attendance regularly and is relentless in following up poor attendance. Swift, effective action has ensured that more pupils are attending school regularly.

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

The school is determined to ensure that all pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. The school’s values of ‘connect, collaborate and challenge’, thread through the curriculum. This develops pupils’ character highly effectively. Pupils explain eloquently what these values mean and what they look like in practice. Pupils benefit from a range of wider opportunities, such as participating in local singing competitions and performing in front of live audiences. Through the curriculum and through carefully planned visits from organisations, such as the police and the fire brigade, pupils learn how to recognise risks to their well-being. Pupils have impressive knowledge about how to keep themselves safe, both online and when out and about in the community.

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

All leaders, including leaders from the multi-academy trust, work well together to continue to improve the school. Trustees know the school well and carry out all their statutory duties effectively. Staff are passionate about doing their very best for the pupils in the 19 and 20 November 2024

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school. Close working relationships and regular training ensure that all staff receive the support they need to do their jobs well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some lessons, teachers do not use the most effective strategies to deliver the curriculum. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school needs to continue to improve teachers’ subject and pedagogical knowledge so that it enables pupils to engage well in lessons and learn subject-specific knowledge effectively across the whole curriculum.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in December 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. 19 and 20 November 2024

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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

Date of previous inspection 11 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-the-average primary school.  The school is part of the Schoolsworks multi-academy trust.  The school currently uses two unregistered providers of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher and senior leaders. The inspector also met with the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer from the multi-academy trust. 19 and 20 November 2024

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the views of parents and carers through their responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. They also gathered the views of pupils and staff through Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys, as well as in-person discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspector reviewed a range of the school’s documents, including self-evaluation reports, minutes of trust board meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Sue Keeling, lead inspector His Majesty’s 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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