Chyngton School

114426 Unique Reference Number East Sussex LEA 279384 Inspection number 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 Inspection dates Sheila Browning AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Millberg Road School address Primary Type of school Seaford Community School category East Sussex BN25 3ST 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01323 893281 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01323 893281 Fax number 448 Number on roll Mr Andrew Green Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Jon Anniss Headteacher 21 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279384 6 March 2006 - 4 to 11 7 March 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Chyngton School is bigger than most other primary schools. Most pupils are from White British families but several minority ethnic groups are also represented in small numbers. Nearly one in five pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities. The catchment area is wide. Children start school with average skills and experience. In recognition of its work, the school has gained Artsmark Gold, an Activemark, a Naacemark award for advancing education through ICT and a School Achievement Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Chyngton School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006

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Grade: 1

The school judges its effectiveness as good. Inspectors judge it as outstanding. The school’s judgement is influenced by the fact that there are still improvements to be made. Inspectors agree that some further improvements are necessary but that should not detract from outstanding effectiveness overall as all elements of the school’s work are at least good and significant areas are exemplary. Leadership and management are outstanding and the school’s understanding of its strengths and what it needs to do to improve further is excellent. An extensive range of initiatives, is improving teaching and pupils’ enjoyment for learning. The identification of pupils’ learning needs, tracking of their progress, and monitoring of teaching and learning are exemplary and ensure that pupils achieve well overall and very well in several subjects. Standards are consistently good, particularly in ICT, and are rising in response to the good, and

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Grade: 1

sometimes outstanding, teaching. Whilst standards in mathematics are generally high, pupils’ skills in mental mathematics and in writing are average. The school is tackling this successfully and improvement is clearly evident. In Reception, children get off to a good start. Pupils build on their good progress as they move up through the school. Here every child really does matter; children are highly valued and extremely well cared for. Their personal development is outstanding and they enjoy school to the full. The enhanced curriculum is outstanding. The school knows the strengths in teaching and is sharing good practice to further raise standards. The exceptional commitment of staff, pupils and governors is what makes this school particularly successful and demonstrates its strong capacity to make further improvement. Parents are overwhelmingly positive in their opinions of the school. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•build on the already good teaching and learning •continue to raise standards in mental mathematics and in writing.

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Grade: 2

Standards and achievement are good. In science, mathematics, information and communication technology (ICT) and in a range of work across subjects, achievement is very good. Children join Reception with average skills and abilities. Achievement is good; by the end of the Reception Year the, majority are well on course to meet the expected standards across all areas of learning. In Years 1 and 2, pupils make good progress to achieve significantly above average standards in reading, mathematics and science, and above average standards in writing. By the end of Year 6, standards are significantly above national averages in mathematics and science and marginally above average in English. In mathematics, the results are 2 Inspection Report: Chyngton School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 within the top 10% of all schools nationally and narrowly miss being so in science. The school is rigorously tackling the relatively lower standards in writing and is focusing

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Grade: 2

on improving pupils’ skills in mental mathematics. Consequently, pupils are making better and more consistent progress than before and standards are rising rapidly. Boys achieve particularly well. The school sets and exceeds challenging targets for pupils’ performance in national tests at the end of Year 6. Pupils with higher attainment, those vulnerable and those who are with learning difficulties or disabilities achieve very well because they are challenged and receive very good support. Since the last inspection standards, have risen significantly.

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Grade: 1

Provision is outstanding. The focus on pupils’ personal, social and emotional development is instrumental in promoting good achievement. Staff manage behaviour consistently well, resulting in outstanding attitudes and behaviour. Large numbers participate in a wide variety of activities. Celebrations of a spiritual nature and reflection have a high profile, as when discussing ‘Fair Trade’. Understanding of important environmental issues is strengthened by the school’s ECO club and its efforts to improve conservation of school water and energy supplies. Relationships are excellent and pupils’ self-esteem develops very well. The purposeful and friendly atmosphere impacts positively on all aspects of pupils’ development. As one pupil said ’every child believes in their self and others and we are welcoming and always work hard to achieve our best’. Pupils are highly motivated and enjoy taking responsibility and make positive

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Grade: 1

contributions to their school community and beyond. They eagerly participate in the school council and decision-making processes, for example when developing the adventure play-area. Attendance is above that nationally. Pupils develop a good appreciation of their own and other cultures through the curriculum. Class discussions, and efforts to help others less fortunate, support their moral and social development very well. Pupils have a very secure awareness of safety issues, and healthy lifestyles. Typical of the school’s keenness to involve pupils in worthwhile initiatives is the ‘Grow It. Cook It’ project for Year 4 pupils where they benefit from first-hand experience of growing and using vegetables. In all respects, preparation for life beyond school and pupils’ economic well-being is very good.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall. In a significant proportion of the work seen, and in ICT in particular, there is much evidence of outstanding teaching and learning. At the inspection teachers and pupils were seen using interactive whiteboards and various computer packages extremely competently. Staff promote pupils’ personal 3 Inspection Report: Chyngton School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 development very well and ensure that tasks are well matched to pupils’ capabilities. Staff have high expectations, good presentation skills and plan interesting activities that engage learning. Lessons have a good pace, questioning is good, and staff encourage pupils to work hard and do their best. Teaching assistants are very well trained. They provide well-focused support for pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities and track their progress most effectively. Occasionally, teaching assistants

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Grade: 2

could have done more to support and interact with pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities in lessons. Staff mark pupils' work and track their progress meticulously. They share their findings with parents so that they can support their children’s learning at home. Senior managers know that not all teaching across all subjects is good and they and the staff continually work to develop and improve practice.

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Grade: 1

The provision is outstanding. Children in Reception classes enjoy a rich curriculum, meeting their needs very well. They settle into school very quickly. In Years 1 to 6, the very interesting and relevant curriculum develops the basic skills in English, mathematics, science and ICT very well, whilst ensuring that other subjects are not squeezed out. Provision in ICT is superb and the school is recognised as a centre of outstanding practice, spreading that to other schools through facilities such as video conferencing. Teachers’ skills in ICT greatly enrich the curriculum. Pupils in Years 1 to 4 have laptops, to take home on a rotational basis to support their learning. Increasingly good links are developed in all subjects, helping to make learning fun. Educational visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning and enjoyment of school. The Artsmark gold award is a recognition

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Grade: 1

of the diversity of artistic and cultural opportunities in the curriculum. Opportunities to develop pupils’ self-confidence, initiative, and, teamwork are excellent. Pupils are taught about how to stay safe and keep healthy, and ‘The Body and Me’ programme in Year 6 reinforces this. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are exceptionally well provided for. Opportunities for exercise and sport are extensive. In response to lower participation rates by girls than boys in extra curricular sport and football, basketball and rugby clubs with specialist coaches are now offered for girls.

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Grade: 1

The school takes outstanding care of its pupils. Teachers and support staff know the pupils well and respond very well to their educational and welfare needs. Communications with parents are excellent. In the Reception classes, children new to the school are carefully introduced to the routines of school life and the welcoming, secure and stimulating environment contributes significantly to the success of their early learning and independence. Health and safety and child protection arrangements are secure and pupils’ safety and welfare is helped by skills learned in the school’s own swimming pool. Support for vulnerable pupils is excellent. Strong links are forged with external agencies and network partnerships across the community help to meet 4 Inspection Report: Chyngton School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 individual needs very well. Pupils confidently express their opinions and say that teachers always help them when needed. The personal, social and health education

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Grade: 1

programme contributes significantly to pupils’ personal and emotional development and raises awareness of healthy, safe lifestyles. The thorough induction and transfer arrangements ensure pupils feel valued as individuals and are confident in coping with new situations. Pupils’ progress is assessed frequently and rigorously. All have targets to help them improve their work and they are involved in assessment.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. As a result, the outcomes for pupils are at least good and, in several significant respects, are exceptional. Invigorating leadership promotes pupils’ personal development, enjoyment and experience through a rich curriculum. The school is very inclusive; it serves pupils from a wide range of backgrounds, interests and needs very well. The headteacher’s exemplary leadership, combined with the very strong contribution of senior leaders, subject leaders and governors, enables the school to go from strength to strength. The headteacher has fully taken on board the issues from the last inspection and has played a key role in improving overall standards from above average to significantly above average. The school’s capacity to continue to improve is strong. School leaders have high expectations of themselves and others. They proudly celebrate the staff’s and pupils’ achievements, yet strive to continually make the school even

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Grade: 1

better. Senior staff robustly monitor all aspects of the school’s work. The school’s self-evaluation is very thorough and insightfully draws on parents’ and pupils’ views. The school sets challenging targets for improvement and rigorously tracks the school’s progress towards meeting its goals. Governors make an excellent contribution to shaping the school, driving it forward and ensuring strong links with parents, partner institutions and other schools. 5 Inspection Report: Chyngton School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Chyngton School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for helping us when we visited your school. We very much enjoyed talking with you and looking at your work and seeing your lessons. These are the things we especially liked about Chyngton School: •You have an outstanding headteacher. •Your good teachers and all the adults in your school work hard to give you work and other activities that are interesting and make your learning fun and this helps you to really enjoy school. •You always try to do your best and work hard and your standards are rising. •Your behaviour is excellent and you get on well together. •The way the school looks after you is excellent. We know everyone wants to do better and we have suggested some things to help: •As good as teaching is we think that it could be even better to help you learn more. •We want you try to work even harder at improving your mental mathematics and writing so that you improve even more.

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