Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School East Grinstead Road, North Chailey, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 4DB

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 17 and 18 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this warm and welcoming school. They love the many games and activities available on the field at lunchtime. They appreciate the care and support they receive from staff. Pupils know there is someone they can talk to if they are worried about anything. As a result, they feel happy and safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils. It aims to give them ‘roots to grow and wings to fly’. Children in Reception get off to a very strong start. They settle quickly because routines and expectations are clear and well established. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in every aspect of school life. Older pupils behave well and show a keen interest in their learning. However, the school recognises that outcomes in national assessments in English and mathematics are not high enough. It is working hard to improve pupils’ achievement in this area.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a rich and extensive wider curriculum. Pupils act as ‘courageous advocates’ in social action projects for nature preservation and animal protection. They support older members of the local community by serving them food at the intergenerational lunch club. Pupils in Year 6 visit the famous local opera house to watch live opera.

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

The school has put in place an effective approach to reading. From their first days in Reception, children begin to learn and practise phonics knowledge. Staff deliver the phonics programme with precision. They are quick to spot and remedy any gaps in pupils’ reading development. The school makes sure that pupils read a rich set of texts, for example, in the inviting, well-stocked library. All of this supports pupils to become fluent, confident readers.

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

The school has designed a broad and enriched curriculum. The development of pupils’ language and vocabulary is a key focus. For example, older pupils learn words such ‘exquisite’, ‘radiant’, ‘intricate’ and ‘mystical’, which they then use in their own descriptive writing. In most subjects, the curriculum identifies what teachers need to teach and when. For example, in mathematics pupils progress from counting objects to understanding place value, decimals, fractions and negative numbers. Eventually, they learn to solve multi-step calculations confidently. However, in a few subjects, the curriculum is not clear enough about the core knowledge that pupils must learn. The school has tried to include too much and sometimes does not implement the curriculum in a way that supports pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils do not have enough opportunity to revisit core knowledge and sometimes forget what they have learned.

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

The number of pupils identified with SEND across the school is increasing. Staff receive regular training and expert guidance to identify, understand and meet pupils’ needs. They use this knowledge to provide effective support, ensuring that pupils can access learning successfully. Those with more significant needs benefit from targeted support from skilled staff. 17 and 18 June 2025

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Provision in the early years is exceptional. Staff create a stimulating and purposeful environment. For example, children learn to use a hammer and saw safely in the woodwork area. They practise making bread in the ‘bakery’. No opportunity is lost to develop children’s communication and language, for example when pretending to sell ice creams to staff in the ‘ice cream parlour’. This lays a very solid foundation for children’s future learning.

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Behaviour in lessons and around the school is calm, caring and harmonious. Pupils learn how to recognise and manage their emotions. Most pupils have good attendance. There is effective support in place for those whose attendance needs to improve.

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The wider personal development of pupils is a considerable strength of the school. The school outlines ’10 Things to Do Before You Leave Chailey St Peters’. Pupils visit places that enrich their understanding of the curriculum and broaden their horizons. These include museums, wildlife reserves and activity centres. All pupils take part in lessons about nature and the outdoors. Pupils feed the chickens and tend to the vegetables on the school allotment. Disadvantaged pupils are fully included in this extensive provision.

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The school’s personal, social, health and economic programme ensures that pupils have a strong understanding of equality and diversity in modern Britain. They learn how to keep safe, including online. Teachers explain sensitive topics, such as healthy relationships, with care.

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Leaders and governors are highly committed to the school. Staff value the benefits of the school’s joint working with two local schools also led by the executive headteacher. They appreciate leaders’ support for their workload and well-being. Most parents are very supportive of the school. One parent summed up the views of many when they described it as ‘such a lovely little school’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few foundation subjects, the school has tried to include too much in the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not have enough opportunity to revisit and review previous learning, which limits their capacity to embed the learning in their long-term memory. The school should review the selection and sequencing of core knowledge in the curriculum in these subjects, in order to support pupils to know more and remember more over time.  In some foundation subjects, the curriculum is sometimes not implemented in such a way as to embed the learning in pupils’ long-term memory. As a result, pupils struggle 17 and 18 June 2025

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to recall important knowledge in those subjects. The school must ensure the curriculum is implemented with greater precision to embed learning over time.

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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). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Jenny Barnard-Langston

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School details

Headteacher Gemma White (executive headteacher) Debbie Livings (head of school) Website www.chaileystpeters.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 March 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Bluebell Federation, which includes two other schools and is overseen by an executive headteacher and deputy executive headteacher. One governing body oversees the federation.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  This is a Church of England primary school. The last Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools took place in June 2023.  This school runs its own breakfast club and after-school club.

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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. 17 and 18 June 2025

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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. The 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 met with the executive headteacher, deputy executive headteacher, head of school, a selection of subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met with those responsible for governance, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative from the local authority and a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, early reading and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about

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their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to pupils’ wider development, behaviour and attendance. They also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around school and during breaktime.  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 considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Christian Hicks, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Giles Osborne Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 June 2025

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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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