Southover CofE Primary School

Southover CofE Primary School Inspection report

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114510 Unique Reference Number East Sussex Local Authority 311628 Inspection number 1 November 2007 Inspection date Selwyn Ward Reporting inspector

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

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Primary Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 323 School The governing body Appropriate authority Carol Taplin Chair Noel Fadden Headteacher 15 September 2003 Date of previous school inspection Potters Lane School address Lewes BN7 1JP 01273 473015 Telephone number 01273 487212 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 1 November 2007 Inspection date 311628 Inspection number .

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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 one Additional Inspector, who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and particularly investigated the impact of changes made by school leaders to raise standards for more able pupils in writing and science in Key Stage 1. The inspector looked at teaching and learning and at pupils’ behaviour. Parts of some lessons were observed, parents’ questionnaires and a sample of pupils’ work were examined and school information, including self-evaluation, was scrutinised. The inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in the report.

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Description of the school

Children's standards are generally above what is expected for their age when they start at this larger than average school. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. The substantive headteacher left the school on a year's secondment in September 2007. The deputy headteacher was appointed as acting headteacher for this period.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Southover CofE Primary School, 1 November 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Southover's prospectus sets out its vision to be 'a school where everybody feels secure and happy; values each other's contributions and achievements; is inspired to learn and do their best; grows in self-confidence; has the opportunity to achieve their dreams; develops healthy minds and bodies; and enjoys their experience of school life'. It admirably achieves these aims. School leaders have been successful in establishing and maintaining what parents describe as a 'good and supportive environment' that stimulates pupils' enthusiasm and helps them to grow in confidence and self-esteem. As a result, pupils' personal development is outstanding. They have a very keen awareness of the need to keep safe, eat healthily and exercise, and take up good opportunities to play active roles in the school and wider community. They speak, for example, with compassion and concern about the campaign to collect discarded

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Grade: 2

spectacles for the poor in Africa. Pupils get on very well with each other, and behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary. They express confidence that on the rare occasions that pupils fall out with one another, 'teachers sort it out so it's okay the next day'. Teaching and learning are good. Pupils confirm that teachers 'make learning fun'. Activities in lessons are varied and are often completed against a countdown timer on the interactive whiteboard which ensures everyone works at a brisk pace. Subjects are imaginatively linked together so that, for example, pupils use and apply their numeracy skills in other subjects. Consequently, standards at the end of Year 6 have been consistently above average, with a high proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels in the national tests. This means that pupils are prepared very well for the next stage of their education. Although this represents good

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Grade: 2

achievement for pupils of all abilities, as they are making good progress overall, they do not all make such steadily good progress throughout the school. More able pupils, in particular, do not do as well as they should in Years 1 and 2, especially in writing and science. This is because work is not always matched closely enough to pupils' different abilities. Sometimes an over-reliance on worksheets constrains writing opportunities for the most able. The school is led and managed well. Governors have helped ensure a smooth transition for the temporary arrangements. The acting headteacher and leadership team have an accurate picture of the school's strengths and weaknesses. School leaders' monitoring has identified that pupils do not do as well in Key Stage 1 as they do in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 2, and action taken this term illustrates the school's good capacity to improve. More detailed planning has

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Grade: 2

been arranged to better guide science teaching in Years 1 and 2 and to give more opportunities for younger pupils to develop their practical science investigation skills. School leaders' monitoring has been less effective, however, in pinpointing the reasons for and remedying the relative weakness in more able pupils' performance in writing in Key Stage 1. The leadership team has had notable success in introducing very effective systems for involving pupils in assessing for themselves how well they are learning. Marking too is mostly detailed, so that, as pupils explain, 'it helps us know how to improve our work'. The quality of care, guidance and support is outstanding. What particularly stands out at Southover is how well pupils know and use their individual targets. This contributes significantly to their achievement, especially in the older classes. Parents are supportive of the school and of their children's education. They, and the pupils,

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Grade: 2

strongly praise the wide range of clubs and other enrichment activities on offer and which enhance the school's good curriculum. Several commented favourably on the improvement in 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Southover CofE Primary School, 1 November 2007 provision for sports this year and many still refer enthusiastically to last year's Science Week as, as a parent put it, 'an excellent example of how exciting integrated learning can be'.

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Grade: 2

Children get off to a good start in the Reception Year. Parents are very positive about the way that their children have 'settled extremely well'. As one commented, 'I feel very secure knowing how kind and supportive the whole team are with the children'. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage and attain standards significantly above the average for their ages. Their personal and social development is particularly strong. This is because staff generally have high expectations of what the children can do. Not all that they do is equally challenging, however. The simple 'cut and paste' exercise that children were given to do, sorting animals that are awake in the day and those awake at night, contrasted starkly with the high level of challenge in the lively discussion children had using a globe to show how day and night is caused by the spinning of the planet as it orbits the sun.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ ensure that more able pupils are consistently set challenging work, particularly in Key Stage

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What the school should do to improve further

■ more closely monitor teaching and learning to ensure that pupils of all abilities are making as much progress as they can in lessons. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Southover CofE Primary School, 1 November 2007 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Southover CofE Primary School, 1 November 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Southover CofE Primary School, 1 November 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Southover CofE Primary School, 1 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 November 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Southover C of E Primary School, Lewes BN7 1JP Thank you for making me welcome today, and particularly those who helped me on my brief visit. I know that you and your parents are very proud of your school and I think you have every right to be. Southover is a good school and it is well run. I was impressed with how very well behaved you are, how well you get on with each other and how enthusiastic you are in lessons. I was pleased to see how many hands went up to answer when your teachers asked you questions. You told me how much you enjoy all the interesting activities at the school and I can see that many of you take part in lots of clubs. Staff look after you well and they give you plenty of help so that you know what you need to do to do even better, especially in the older classes. I was impressed to see how many of you knew and made such good use of your individual learning targets.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You do well at Southover. The youngest children get off to a good start in the Reception classes and standards are above average by the end of Year 6, but you do not all make such steady progress throughout the school. This is because, as some of you told me, you often do similar work, which means that the work is sometimes too easy for some of you. I have asked the school to look at this, to make sure that some of you are given harder written work, especially in Years 1 and 2. I have also asked school leaders to come in to your lessons more to check that you are all doing as well as you could. You can help too by continuing to work hard and doing your very best. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly when I came to see you. Best wishes, Selwyn Ward Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Southover CofE Primary School, 1 November 2007

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