Fletching Church of England Primary School

Fletching Church of England Primary School

Address: Church Street, Fletching, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 3SP Unique reference number (URN): 114503

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The school is deeply inclusive. A significant number of pupils with barriers to learning attend. Leaders have high ambition for all pupils. They provide them with an extensive range of support. This means that all pupils, including those with the most complex needs, can access learning and be active members of the school community. The well-trained staff have equally precise knowledge of pupils' needs. The high-quality support helps pupils to break down these barriers and make clear progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders identify pupils' needs precisely. This gives them a deep understanding of each pupil. This is particularly robust in terms of pupils who join the school during the school year. This helps leaders to identify the support that pupils may need swiftly. Leaders also ensure they monitor the impact of this work rigorously. As a result, they adapt the help that pupils require skilfully to match their emerging and evolving needs.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The school uses additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils very effectively, including identifying and targeting any hidden barriers to success. They develop strategies to help all pupils to flourish. This includes thoughtful use of alternative provision. This work helps pupils to improve their attendance and engagement. Leaders have clear processes to support pupils known to social care swiftly and sensitively. These pupils benefit from the same high-quality support as their peers.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Taking account of the school's context, pupils' attendance is improving over time, though it remains below national averages. A high proportion of pupils have significant barriers to attendance or historic low attendance. Leaders are relentless in their work to improve this. They track attendance very carefully and this helps them to identify those pupils who may need additional help. The school offers these pupils high-quality support. These actions are very effective, resulting in sustained improvement for individuals.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils behave well. They are respectful and forge positive relationships with teachers. This is evident in the warm greetings pupils share with staff. The school is calm and orderly. Breaktimes are equally positive. Pupils engage enthusiastically with a range of activities. For example, pupils of all ages play happily together. Pupils feel happy and safe. They know that staff will deal with any concerns they may have. Pupils enjoy learning. They listen carefully to teachers, and work hard to complete their tasks. Pupils respond positively to teachers. This includes the rare occasions when pupils need reminders to focus. This creates a purposeful and positive classroom environment. Leaders have clear oversight of behaviour in the school. They track this carefully. This helps leaders to address issues quickly. Incidents such as bullying are very rare. The school has clear systems to address them effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a detailed understanding of curriculum and teaching. This helps them to make meaningful improvements to the school’s work. Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum that meets pupils' needs. They have accurately identified the skills and knowledge they want pupils to learn. Pupils build on their prior learning over time in an increasingly sophisticated manner.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They use to this to explain learning clearly. The activities that teachers design are effective and engaging. They help pupils develop the key knowledge they need. Teachers match activities closely to pupils' individual needs. Leaders ensure that pupils have well-designed opportunities to develop key skills, such as handwriting, or their recall of number facts. This work is relatively new but is beginning to make a difference. Leaders recognise this work needs to be further established to provide ongoing success.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers make systematic checks on learning. They use these checks skilfully to identify pupils' understanding and address misconceptions quickly. Teachers use this information to adapt their teaching over time. They also adapt their teaching and tasks well to meet the needs of different pupils. This helps pupils to access the skills and knowledge they need to learn next to make progress.

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Early years Expected standard

The school has an ambitious early years curriculum. It takes children's starting points into account very effectively. Leaders identify precisely the key knowledge they want children to learn. Teachers sequence this thoughtfully. This provides children with a very positive start to their school life. Leaders have selected appropriate schemes to provide pupils with a secure start in key skills, such as mathematics and phonics. The school enhances this work with high-quality phonics teaching. Teachers adapt this to ensure all children have the key phonics knowledge they need at an appropriate level. The school clearly prioritises developing children's communication. The curriculum provides them with well-designed opportunities to practise oracy from the start. Staff use high-quality interactions to deepen children's understanding. They address any misconceptions they may have quickly.

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Early years Expected standard

Children generally learn the skills and knowledge they need for their next steps. Children with more complex needs make clear progress from their low starting points. Outcomes against expected standards at the end of early years are typically in line with national averages, though this does vary in line with the complexity of children's needs.

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Early years Expected standard

The school builds positive relationships with parents and carers. This helps staff to identify children's needs quickly and provide them with the support they need from the start. Staff maintain ongoing high-quality communication. They ensure that parents have a clear knowledge of what children are learning and support them effectively at home.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are passionate about the school and have the highest ambition for all pupils. They work tirelessly in the best interests of pupils and know and care about each one. This helps to create a culture of support and nurture for all pupils. Staff are very positive about the school. They feel very well supported by leaders. Staff benefit from a well-designed programme of professional learning. Leaders have matched this carefully to the needs of the cohort and the schools’ context. There is similar positivity among parents and carers, who value the work of the school highly. Parents identify that the school is caring, nurturing and that pupils feel loved.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders use their own detailed understanding of the school to prioritise key actions. The use of assessment data to drive recent changes in the school’s writing approach is one example of this. Leaders identify these priorities clearly in the school’s comprehensive improvement plan. This helps them to communicate these priorities to other stakeholders effectively. Leaders have begun work to address the next priorities but reflect realistically that some of this work is in its early stages.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors are highly professional in their approach. They share the same deep ambition as leaders. They ensure that they have appropriate understanding of the school through effective monitoring processes. Governors rightly prioritise safeguarding and undertake their statutory duties diligently. They have appropriate oversight of the school’s work to support disadvantaged pupils through the use of additional funding. Governors offer high levels of support but also rigorous challenge to leaders. This helps to drive improvement over time.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that pupils' experience extends far beyond the classroom. Leaders know pupils well and work hard to broaden their experience of the world. This prepares them effectively for life in modern Britain. The school ensures that pupils develop their understanding of diversity. Pupils engage positively with carefully selected visitors and study different world religions. Leaders enhance this with well-designed assemblies. The school encourages pupils to discuss issues and to consider views that may differ to their own. As a result, pupils have respectful attitudes to difference. They show care and tolerance to all members of the school community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils have exciting opportunities to develop their creativity. For example, pupils recite poetry in festivals with other schools, or visit cultural venues, such as local theatres. The school ensures that all pupils have opportunities to develop a range of skills and talents. Leaders have selected an engaging range of clubs. These are popular and the vast majority of pupils attend at least one club. All pupils have opportunities to represent the school in sporting and cultural events. This open to all and every pupil has opportunities to excel. Leaders ensure there are no financial barriers to these activities.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school has a well-designed and coherent personal social and health education curriculum. Leaders align this carefully with the school's character and ethos. The curriculum

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Needs attention

helps pupils to build their knowledge over time. For example, the year starts with resilience to help pupils prepare for the school year. Pupils learn how to stay safe, including online, and how to forge healthy relationships. They typically have appropriate knowledge of the content they learn. However, this is less detailed when discussing key concepts, such as democracy.

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Needs attention

Pupils have thoughtful opportunities to contribute to the school community. All pupils have a voice in the school through the pupil parliament. They also hold other leadership roles, such as working with local charities or acting as librarians. Pupils relish these opportunities.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils' achievement in national tests is below national averages over time. As a result, some pupils are not as well prepared as they could be for their next steps. Leaders recognise this and have clear ambition to improve these outcomes. The complex needs that many pupils have mean that some pupils may not reach these standards. However, these pupils do make sustained progress from their often low starting points. Pupils with the most complex needs are well prepared for their next steps. These pupils develop the skills and knowledge they need at appropriate levels.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils' work shows that, on the whole, they increasingly progress through the curriculum as intended. Pupils can recall and apply their prior learning and explain it appropriately. This becomes more sophisticated over time. Pupils become increasingly fluent readers. This includes pupils who need additional help to develop their phonics knowledge. Pupils generally develop the key skills they need. However, pupils' work does show this is more varied in terms of pupils recall of multiplication facts and handwriting. Leaders have begun to address this effectively.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils’ individual qualities are known and celebrated at this highly inclusive school. Teachers work hard to understand pupils’ needs and help them to flourish. Pupils forge warm relationships with staff and with each other. This helps them to feel happy and safe. Pupils' positive conduct creates a calm and happy environment, including the caring way in which older pupils play with the youngest pupils in the school. Pupils behave well. They enjoy learning and chat happily about the topics they study. A purposeful buzz of conversation can be heard during lessons. The small number of pupils who need additional help to behave well have the support they need. This helps them to become increasingly confident and resilient.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils often arrive at the school with gaps in learning or historic low attendance. Teachers get to know the pupils very well and this helps them to address these issues swiftly. Pupils work hard in lessons. Their learning is well adapted to their individual needs. This helps pupils to make progress from their starting points. Teachers have high ambition for all pupils. They typically learn the skills and knowledge they need. On the whole, pupils improve their attendance over time. However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should in national tests.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils benefit from a wide range of experiences that help to prepare them well for life beyond school. All pupils benefit from the school's ’10 things to do before you leave Fletching’ programme. This helps them to develop their character and understanding of the world. For example, all pupils have a voice in the pupil parliament. They can also contribute to the school community through a range of leadership roles. Pupils also develop their varied talents through exciting activities, such as performing in a poetry festival. They enjoy these opportunities.

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Next steps

Leaders must continue their work to support all pupils to achieve as well as they can in national tests according to their specific needs and starting points. Leaders should continue to prioritise attendance and provide pupils with ongoing support to break down barriers to attendance, helping pupils to attend as frequently as possible. Leaders should establish and embed the high-quality support to improve pupils' handwriting and mathematical fluency.

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About this inspection

The chair of governors in this school is Jenny Barnard Langston.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

The inspection took place from 22 to 23 September 2026.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

The inspectors met with the executive headteacher, head of school and other leaders during the inspection. The lead inspector met with a group of governors and a representative of the local authority. They also held a phone conversation with a representative of the diocese.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Church of England religious character. Its last section 48 inspection was in October 2024.

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About this inspection

The executive headteacher has oversight of this and 4 other schools. The head of school is Jenni Orwin.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 22 September 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

National average: 300 The school use one unregistered alternative provision.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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gap

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 6.3% 5.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 18.9% 16.2% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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