North Mundham Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of North Mundham Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 23 January 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings.

The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in February 2015. This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

You, together with your senior and middle leaders, have shaped a school in which pupils are happy and keen to learn. There is a strong sense of community, based on mutual respect and support. An ethos of positivity permeates the sch...ool, with staff and pupils clearly enjoying their work.

Leaders, including governors, have a clear vision for the school's identity known as the 'Mundham Way'. The values in the motto, 'Belong, believe, achieve', are evident throughout the school. Staff feel proud to work at North Mundham Primary School.

Pupils learn in a calm, orderly environment. The school is well maintained, and wonderful displays enrich pupils' learning. During our visits to classrooms, the atmosphere was purposeful, with pupils working diligently and cooperating well.

Pupils benefit from consistent routines and show confidence to try things out in a trusting atmosphere. Pupils told me how much they enjoy school. Responses to Ofsted's online parent and staff questionnaires are highly positive.

The vast majority of parents would recommend the school and appreciate the care their children receive. Many parents commented on the approachability of staff and that their children are extremely happy and well supported. Leaders are well aware of the strengths of the school and those aspects which could be even better.

Self-evaluation is accurate and well argued. This leads into a sensible number of priorities for improvement in the school's development plan. This document, supported by more precise action plans, helps governors acquire a detailed knowledge of the school.

They understand the needs of different cohorts well. Committed governors conduct regular, focused visits to the school to see for themselves the actions taken by leaders and teachers to implement the plans. However, monitoring by both leaders and governors does not fully consider the impact of actions on pupils' progress.

The focus of attention needs to shift from what teachers are doing to how well pupils are learning. You have taken effective action to address the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. These were to raise the quality of teaching and increase the rate of pupils' progress in lessons.

Revised strategies for the teaching of reading and writing, sharper assessment and bespoke training have all contributed to improved outcomes in both of these areas. The proportion of Year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check has risen steadily to well above national levels. Pupils' attainment in writing improved in 2018, with more pupils reaching both the expected standard and greater depth at the end of key stages 1 and 2.

In 2018, pupils' progress from key stage 1 to the end of key stage 2 is in line with the national average in both reading and writing. Leaders rightly acknowledge that pupils' achievement in mathematics is not as strong as their achievement in reading and writing. Pupils' progress in mathematics was below the national average in both 2017 and 2018.

However, attainment at the end of key stage 1 improved in 2018. Leaders are now prioritising the quality of teaching in mathematics. A new approach, designed to improve recall and also provide greater challenge is underway.

These changes to the way pupils learn mathematics are showing signs of success, but there is more to do. A review of some pupils' work showed how the actions taken by leaders to improve the quality of teaching have had a positive impact. For example, pupils' books showed confident use of basic skills and an increase in reasoning in mathematics, although work was not consistently challenging for the most able pupils.

Work showed most pupils make good progress in writing, although the school has identified spelling as an area for further improvement. High expectations are evident in pupils' work in both English and mathematics, especially in Years 2 and 6. However, the standard of work in pupils' books from other subjects is generally lower and does not demonstrate how pupils are gaining cumulative knowledge and skills, particularly through key stage 2.

Bright displays in classrooms and corridors indicate a wide range of curriculum coverage. However, assessing pupils' progression through a range of subjects needs further development. Safeguarding is effective.

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed. You are committed to ensuring that pupils are safe at all times and that a culture of safeguarding is evident throughout the school. Leaders ensure that staff receive appropriate training, check how well staff remember the details, and provide follow-up training where necessary.

Staff know pupils well and they are alert to any concerns, which they follow up swiftly. Leaders ensure that they seek the right advice from other agencies when needed. Parents, staff and pupils are united in their view that pupils are safe in school.

There are well-planned opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe, including learning about online safety. Pupils are confident that any instances of bullying will be followed up rapidly and effectively by staff. Inspection findings ? During this inspection, I looked closely at specific aspects of the school's provision, including: the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements; leaders' responses to the recommendations made in the previous inspection report; actions taken by leaders to improve pupils' progress in mathematics; the attendance of disadvantaged pupils; and how well the wider curriculum promotes pupils' achievements.

• Pupils show very positive attitudes to learning. They show a strong sense of 'belonging' and gain confidence and self-belief in a caring environment with high expectations. We saw children in the early years, and pupils in all other years, responding well to adults' encouraging approach.

These behaviours, together with better teaching, have led to improved outcomes since the last inspection. ? Staff use detailed knowledge about the difficulties faced by some disadvantaged pupils to devise strategies to help them. These actions are generally successful, and the attendance of disadvantaged pupils has improved.

• A review of pupils' work with leaders showed that teachers are now providing more challenge in both mathematics and writing. In mathematics lessons, the regular use of practical resources is helping pupils to learn well. This is enabling current pupils to achieve higher standards.

• The standard of written work across subjects other than English and mathematics is more variable. Pupils do not routinely explain what they know and understand using subject-specific vocabulary. Leaders do not carefully assess pupils' progress in subjects across the curriculum.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they: ? help pupils make better progress in mathematics by the end of key stage 2 ? develop the wider curriculum to deliver well-sequenced progression in knowledge and skills across a range of subjects ? sharpen monitoring and evaluation to focus on the impact of actions on pupils' progress. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for West Sussex. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Theresa Phillips Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you and two governors, including the vice-chair. I spoke with a representative of the local authority on the telephone. Together, we visited all classes in the school.

I reviewed samples of pupils' work across key stages 1 and 2 with your assistant headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the key stage 1 leader and the English leader. I considered 14 responses by staff to Ofsted's online survey. I took careful account of 105 responses from parents to Ofsted's online questionnaire, Parent View, including 53 free-text comments.

I also had conversations with parents picking up their children at the end of the school day. I spoke with pupils during playtime and reviewed 15 responses by pupils to Ofsted's online survey. I looked at documents, including: the school's self-evaluation and improvement plans; minutes of meetings; and records regarding safeguarding.

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