All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School

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114554 Unique Reference Number East Sussex LEA 279411 Inspection number 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 Inspection dates Jill Arnold HMI Reporting inspector

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

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School Hill School address Primary Type of school Old Heathfield Voluntary aided School category Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 9AE 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01435 863 466 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01435 862 026 Fax number 129 Number on roll Mr Mark Haffenden Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Sarah Ridyard Headteacher 4 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279411 19 October 2005 - 4 to 11 19 October 2005 Inspection Report: All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005

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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 two inspectors.

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Description of the school

All Saints’ and St Richard’s Church of England Primary School is situated in the small village of Old Heathfield, in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The school is smaller than average and the number of pupils in each year group varies from 13 to 21. The majority of pupils live in private housing and travel to school by car from the town of Heathfield and surrounding villages. When children start at the school in the Reception class, their attainment is broadly average, although each group reflects a wide spread of ability. Pupils are predominantly of White British origin. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is about average. There are no pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005

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Grade: 2

The school judges its overall effectiveness to be good and inspection evidence supports this judgement. It is a welcoming community that values the contribution of every individual. Pupils are keen to come to school and parents are pleased with the quality of education the school provides. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Standards in the Foundation Stage are good with the majority of children making good progress from their different starting points. By the end of Year 6, many pupils attain standards that are above those expected for their age. However, standards in writing are not as high as they should be and the school is working to rectify this. In addition, although satisfactory, the quality of teaching and learning in information and communication technology (ICT) is not as good as in other subjects. The headteacher provides strong leadership and she is supported by a committed and

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Grade: 2

enthusiastic team. Governors are well informed, they take their roles seriously and are actively involved in the life of the school. There has been satisfactory improvement in the areas identified during the previous inspection. However, the role of subject leaders still requires further development for them to be more effective. The school evaluates its performance thoroughly and planning for improvement is a strong feature. The school provides good value for money and has a good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• improve standards of writing • strengthen the role of subject leaders in improving achievement and raising standards • improve the quality of teaching and learning in ICT.

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Grade: 2

Most pupils achieve well, especially higher attaining pupils and those with learning difficulties and disabilities. When children start in the Reception class, their attainment is broadly in line with the expectations for their age. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage, particularly in the areas of creative, personal and social development, and knowledge and understanding of the world. By the end of Year 2, many pupils meet challenging targets to reach standards that are better than those of their counterparts in similar schools. Pupils’ achievement varies in Years 3 to 6 but by the time they leave, most have made good progress since they joined the school. Many pupils attain the level in mathematics that is higher than expected for their age, due to the good teaching in this subject. However, writing is an area that the school has correctly identified for improvement, as pupils are not doing so well as they are in

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Grade: 2

reading. The school is also aware that achievement in science and ICT could be better. There are no significant variations between boys’ and girls’ achievement by the time 2 Inspection Report: All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 they leave. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress as a result of the effective support they receive.

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Grade: 2

Pupils really enjoy school, they feel safe and well cared for. They have very positive attitudes to learning and their attendance is good. As a result, the majority of pupils in all year groups make good progress. Behaviour throughout the school is excellent. Pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good. The school has close links with local churches which it uses well to enhance learning. Moral issues underpin the school’s code of behaviour and all classes hold regular ‘circle times’ when pupils discuss moral issues and are encouraged to share their worries and concerns. Pupils contribute to making their own class rules and this has a significant impact on their moral and social development. Although pupils’ knowledge of their own culture is good, they have only a limited understanding of other cultures. This remains an area for further development. Through personal, social and health education, pupils learn about the importance of

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Grade: 2

personal safety and keeping fit and healthy. The school provides all pupils with water and fruit after break times and pupils talk knowledgeably about healthy eating.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. However, teaching and learning in ICT is not as good as in other subjects. Lessons are planned with pupils’ interests and needs in mind; consequently, pupils enjoy their learning and make good progress. Relationships between pupils and all adults in school are excellent, ensuring that pupils are confident to ask questions and respond in class. Teaching is confident, lively and well informed. Good questioning and clear explanations ensure that pupils are clear about what they are learning. Teachers communicate their expectations clearly to their pupils, check on their progress regularly and provide helpful feedback through comments. Teaching assistants work well in partnership with teachers to provide effective support for individuals and groups of pupils, who make good progress as a result. Teachers make good use of assessment and monitoring to track the progress of

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Grade: 2

individual pupils. However, marking could be more helpful to pupils in telling them more precisely how to improve their work. Further opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own work would also enable them to be clearer about how well they are doing. Teachers work hard to create attractive and stimulating environments to support pupils’ learning, encourage independence and celebrate their achievements. Where there is high quality work on display, this provides a useful example for pupils to aspire to. The school is currently making plans to improve the outdoor learning area for 3 Inspection Report: All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 children in the reception class to ensure that opportunities to learn outside are not restricted.

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Grade: 2

The range of work pupils do in most subjects is good and meets their needs well, so they find lessons interesting and make good progress in all year groups. Extra-curricular provision is very good. Pupils speak with enthusiasm of the broad range of activities provided during lunchtime and after school to enrich their education. One pupil even stated that there were too many activities on offer! The school also provides pupils with opportunities to visit contrasting localities in order to enrich their classroom experiences. Good planning for personal, social and health education ensures that pupils are well aware of the importance of fitness and general well-being. However, opportunities for pupils to develop awareness of cultures other than their own are limited.

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Grade: 2

The school places great importance on the care it provides for pupils. Teachers and other staff know pupils very well and show a high level of concern for their well-being. As a result, most pupils make good academic progress and their personal development is good. Teaching assistants support pupils effectively, enabling them to make good progress in their learning. The school provides a safe and secure environment where pupils of all ages work and play harmoniously together. The school has developed beneficial links with parents and other agencies which help to promote positive attitudes and ensure pupils make good progress. The few incidences of bullying are dealt with quickly and effectively.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher is supported by an enthusiastic and committed team who share a common sense of purpose. She has high expectations for the pupils and tracks their attainment and progress carefully to determine whether they are doing as well as they could. The school’s procedures for self-evaluation have correctly identified the areas requiring further improvement. The views of pupils and parents, as well as staff and governors, are taken into account. The governing body plays a full and effective role in the life of the school and parents give their whole-hearted support. Firmly established management systems ensure that the school runs very smoothly on a day-to-day basis. The leadership and management of the school provide it with a good capacity to improve. Since the last inspection, there has been satisfactory progress in addressing the issues

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Grade: 2

identified for improvement. Subject leaders have developed a better understanding 4 Inspection Report: All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 of the strengths and weaknesses in their subjects by making good use of information gained from assessment data and monitoring. However, their role requires further development for them to have greater impact on improving teaching and learning in order to raise standards. The school is aware of this and has action plans in place. 5 Inspection Report: All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 .

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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: All Saints' and St Richard's Church of England Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005

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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 2 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 2 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 3 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 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 2 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 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 No 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

All Saints’ and St Richard’s Primary School Old Heathfield Heathfield East Sussex TN21 9AE 19 October 2005 Dear Pupils Thank you for welcoming us when we came to inspect your school. We enjoyed talking to you and finding out about your learning. You told us that you enjoy coming to school and your parents told us that they are happy about what you are doing. You have good teachers in your school and lots of you in different classes are making good progress. We believe that some of you could do even better, especially in writing. We think that it would help some of you to have clearer advice on how to improve your work. You told us that you would like more opportunities to use the computers and we agree that it would help improve your ICT skills. Mrs Ridyard and the teachers are already planning ways to make these things better. We are very pleased that you have lots of opportunities to do interesting things in your lessons

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and after school and that you are becoming a school where healthy eating and physical exercise are important. It was good to see how well you get on with each other and with the adults in the school. This makes it a happy and safe place in which to learn. Thank you again for being so friendly and helpful. Yours sincerely Jill Arnold HMI (Lead inspector)

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