Northiam Church of England Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Northiam Church of England Primary School and Nursery Main Street, Northiam, Rye, East Sussex TN31 6NB

p.1

Outcome

Northiam Church of England Primary School and Nursery has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

p.1

Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Julia Bray. This school is part of Diocese of Chichester 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 (CEO), Mark Talbot, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nick Taunt.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this friendly, welcoming village school. Children get off to a strong start in the early years. The addition of a Nursery since the last inspection has strengthened this. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly. Appropriate support is in place to make sure they feel valued and included. The school’s values of fellowship, trust, thankfulness, compassion, humility and courage are understood by everyone and referred to every day. As a result, pupils are happy and feel safe.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has clear expectations around behaviour. Pupils are keen to live up to these. Older pupils talk proudly about being role models for younger children. Pupil leaders, such as the reading champions, value their responsibilities. There is a carefully considered wider curriculum offer. The ‘Focus Fridays’ create planned opportunities for pupils to learn through an extensive range of activities beyond the curriculum offer. This has created aspirations for the pupils beyond their school. Parents and carers feel fully included in school life.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. This starts in Nursery, where children are eager to learn. The majority of pupils achieve well, particularly those with SEND. 4 March 2025

p.1

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

The school has designed a sequenced curriculum tailored to the pupils in the school. Knowledge is planned to build clearly over time. Staff benefit from high-quality training. This gives them secure subject knowledge that they use effectively to design learning for pupils. However, during some lessons, there are missed opportunities for pupils to deepen their thinking. This is because some of the tasks pupils complete are not precise enough. As a result, some of the learning does not allow pupils to make clear connections with what they have previously been taught. Tailored support for pupils with SEND is effectively planned and implemented. The school is currently developing how to check what pupils know and understand throughout the lesson. Where this is already embedded, it supports pupils in remembering what they are taught.

p.2

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

Pupils at Northiam love to read. The school has prioritised the importance of reading to enable pupils to access the rest of the curriculum. Pupils learn to read successfully. Pupils who are struggling to read are given expert support to catch up. As a result, pupils quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident readers. This starts in Nursery and provides children with a secure foundation. Pupils experience and learn a wide range of vocabulary. This has been strengthened in the early years by the addition of the Nursery. Carefully selected text choices expose pupils to a range of diversity and promote equality.

p.2

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

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They are polite and respectful. Learning is rarely disrupted by the behaviour of other pupils. If this does happen, staff are quick to reinforce their expectations. Staff treat pupils fairly and consistently. Pupils confidently identify trusted staff and talk positively about the support they receive. This starts right from the early years, where staff are skilled at developing children’s independence. During child-led learning, children stay focused on tasks for extended periods. The newly developed environment across the early years provides rich learning experiences for all children. It is accessible to all pupils and adapted for pupils with SEND. Attendance has improved significantly this year as a result of the focus of leaders. However, there are still some pupils who do not attend school regularly enough. This means that they are missing out on key learning.

p.2

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

Pupils are proud to contribute to the school community as play leaders and in the school council. They have a well-developed understanding of fundamental British values through the work they do in these roles. Pupils are taught explicitly about respecting each other’s opinions and faiths and standing up for what they believe is right. During the ‘Friday focus’ learning, pupils learn in mixed age groups. This allows staff and pupils to build positive relationships across the school. Pupils’ passions and interests are incorporated into these activities. They also inspire pupils to identify future careers and training they could undertake. Pupils with SEND are fully included in this offer.

p.2

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

Workload and well-being of staff are reviewed regularly. Since joining the trust, the support for teachers and leaders has been developed further. This has enabled staff to share workload and gain expertise beyond the school. Those responsible for governance 4 March 2025

p.2

3

know the school well. They challenge and support the school effectively and are rigorous in carrying out their statutory duties to provide a high-quality education for pupils.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of the curriculum, the learning activities are not precisely designed. As a result, some pupils are missing out on key learning opportunities. The school should ensure that lessons are constructed in a way that supports pupils to develop sufficient knowledge and deepen their understanding across the whole curriculum.  Some pupils are not attending school as often as they should. This means that these pupils are missing out on key learning. The school should strengthen the work already in place to support all pupils to attend school so that they are able to learn the intended curriculum successfully.

p.3

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 good for its overall effectiveness.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2019.

p.3

4

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.

p.4

4

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 4 March 2025

p.4

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 This school is part of the Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust.  The school has a Nursery provision for two-year-olds that has opened since the last inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision  This school’s Church of England character was last inspected in June 2024 under section 48 of the Education Act 2005.  Northiam Church of England Primary School and Nursery converted to become an academy school in January 2022. When its predecessor school, Northiam Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision 4 March 2025

p.5

6

 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.  During the inspection, the inspectors spoke to leaders of the school, members of the governing body and representatives of the trust.  The inspectors considered the staff and pupil surveys and the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The inspectors 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 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.

p.6

Inspection team

Emma Law, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Jo Brinkley His Majesty’s Inspector 4 March 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7