Pevensey and Westham CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at school keen and ready to learn. They delight in the company of their friends and form very positive relationships. One parent echoed the views of many, commenting, 'The school is like one big, happy community.'

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They are kind and courteous. Older pupils take on roles of responsibility.

They take pride in supporting younger pupils. For example, 'eco champions' collect litter and 'buddies' help younger children at playtime. Adults show a deep care for the pupils and support their emotional needs sensitively.

This means that pupils feel safe and are happy.

The school is ambitious for pupils and, as a re...sult, pupils achieve well. Children in the early years have a positive start to their life in school and settle into routines swiftly.

Pupils develop a broad body of knowledge and interest across a wide range of subjects. Their learning is enhanced by a range of opportunities that go beyond the classroom. For example, pupils develop their problem-solving skills in the school's forest school.

Pupils uphold the school value of 'resilience' well. As one pupil said, 'It's good to know the teachers understand how hard I try, it makes me keep going.'

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school provides an engaging and ambitious curriculum.

The school ensures that this curriculum provides clarity to teachers about the knowledge that pupils need to learn. The curriculum for early years links meaningfully to what pupils learn in key stage 1. This prepares children well for the transition into Year 1.

Staff are well trained to deliver the curriculum effectively. The school supports staff by finding ways to reduce their workload, thus enabling teachers to focus their time and energy in class productively.

Teachers support pupils to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed.

They ensure that pupils remain focused on their learning. Teachers ask questions that help pupils to develop their understanding. In many subjects, teachers regularly check what pupils know and understand.

This helps teachers to ensure that pupils embed knowledge gained. Teachers involve parents and carers in their children's education and provide them with helpful information about their children's learning.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well.

It provides staff with a wide range of strategies to support these pupils in class. The school recognises the urgency in making the improvements needed. However, at times, these strategies are not used as well as they are intended.

This means that some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should in some subjects.

Pupils achieve well across a broad range of subjects. They develop their knowledge and skills with confidence.

From an early age, children develop their reading skills well. Adults support pupils who have fallen behind in their reading to catch up well. As pupils move through the school, the rich variety of books on offer helps them to develop a love of reading.

Children in the early years develop their understanding through play well. They explore their knowledge gained in class through well-constructed opportunities in the outside area. Older pupils apply their knowledge across the curriculum effectively.

They write confidently and produce work to a high standard. However, in some subjects, pupils struggle to remember what they have learned. This is because the school's approach to supporting pupils to reflect on what they have learned previously is not fully implemented.

Pupils behave exceptionally well and are keen to attend. Children in the early years gain the language to articulate their feelings. This helps them to recognise their own emotions and respect the feelings of others.

Older pupils show compassion towards their peers. They manage their own emotions and support others to behave well. While attendance has been low in the past, the school has addressed this diligently.

As a result of the school's high expectations for behaviour, pupils demonstrate highly positive attitudes to their time in school.

The school provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to support their local community and to learn about being global citizens. Pupils' moral development is enhanced through opportunities for charitable giving.

For example, pupils raise funds to support a school in Tanzania. The school welcomes visitors from their locality. This develops pupils' cultural understanding well.

For example, members of the emergency services visit the school to speak to pupils about their roles in the community. This helps pupils to develop their understanding of fundamental British values.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not consistently check that pupils' recall of prior knowledge is secure in some subjects. This means that some pupils struggle to draw on what they have previously learned in order to apply this to new learning. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped with appropriate strategies to enable pupils to embed knowledge gained.

• Teachers' strategies to adapt their delivery of the curriculum to meet pupils' SEND needs are not fully implemented. This means that some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could. The school should embed strategies so that all pupils are supported to make progress through the curriculum.

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