West Chiltington Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

West Chiltington Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school, valuing the warm relationships they have with their teachers. They say that staff are kind and caring and that they go out of their way to help if they need them to.

This makes pupils feel safe in school. Bullying is a rare occurrence. Most parents and carers who responded to the online survey were highly complimentary about the school.

As one parent wrote: 'The ethos is one of fairness and equality, while giving children the guidance to grow.'

Pupils enjoy the interesting activities that help them to learn. Adults are ambitious for... them and have high expectations for their learning.

Pupils are encouraged to think for themselves and try out new ideas. This helps to build their confidence, independence and curiosity about the world. Pupils take great delight in finding out about the past and about life in other parts of the world.

They learn how to stay safe when not in school, for example when accessing the internet.

In most lessons, pupils behave very well because they are interested in what they are learning. Occasionally, some pupils do not work as hard as they could.

This is sometimes because they do not know what they are expected to do.

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

Children learn to read from the start of the Reception Year. They learn phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) systematically.

They quickly start to blend sounds together to read words. They like the books and stories that teachers share with them. Teachers read enthusiastically and so capture children's interest and imagination.

This promotes a love of reading that continues throughout the school. All pupils I spoke to said they loved reading and they could talk about the range of books they read in school. One Year 3 pupil told me, 'I like reading because it resets your mind.'

Younger pupils practise using their phonics skills when reading their books. They are encouraged to read a variety of books in class, at home and when learning subjects other than English. Teachers are well trained to quickly spot those pupils who are at risk of falling behind.

These pupils are provided with extra help which enables them to catch up.

Leaders have thought carefully about the subjects pupils learn. They have made sure that teachers have a good understanding of how what they teach fits into the big picture.

Teachers know how the work in their class builds on what has gone before and what pupils should achieve by key points. They know pupils very well. Teachers check pupils' understanding as they work, making helpful suggestions to help them learn.

However, there are times when pupils do not take enough care with their written work. In these instances, it is not clear whether they have remembered and understood what they have been learning.

Leaders are keen to broaden pupils' learning, such as through visits to relevant places of interest or visitors coming into school.

For example, pupils spoke excitedly about the upcoming visit of a teacher from a school in Kenya with which they have established links. Staff encourage pupils to talk about current issues and learn to express their views in a respectful way. They want pupils to become active and confident contributors to society.

Staff have benefited from training to develop how they teach mathematics. Teachers now have good subject knowledge and understand how to develop pupils' understanding and skills and explain learning clearly to them. They provide pupils with suitable equipment that, for example, helps them to solve problems or learn what the different digits in numbers represent.

Pupils practise using their mathematical skills to solve real-life problems. This helps them to learn to reason and to deepen their understanding of the subject. However, pupils do not always record their work accurately, which can lead to mistakes in their calculations.

Sometimes, teachers do not give enough opportunities for pupils to record their work independently or to find the most efficient method of working things out.

Pupils told me that they like science because it is fun and they learn new things. Teachers use helpful training and guidance to plan learning that builds on what pupils already know.

As a result, pupils develop their scientific knowledge and skills systematically as they move through the school.

Adults provide effective support to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They recognise their difficulties and so make sure that they get the right help.

As a result, pupils with SEND have outcomes that are broadly in line with those of other pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know pupils and their families well.

This helps them to spot early signs that a pupil may be in need of additional support. Staff know exactly what to do if they are concerned about a pupil. Pupils are confident that adults will act in their best interests.

The designated safeguarding lead works closely with external agencies to make sure that pupils who are in need get timely and effective help. Records of concerns and subsequent actions are clear and well maintained. There is a strong culture of safeguarding throughout the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

Leaders have made sure that teachers know what to teach and when, arranging training where necessary to deepen their subject knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn. Pupils are expected to work hard in lessons and teachers check they understand their learning as they go along. However, it is not always clear from the way they present their work in their books that pupils have remembered and understood what they have been taught.

Leaders should ensure that pupils know they should always present their work carefully to show what they have learned. Teachers should make sure that they are alert to any possible misconceptions.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 1 and 2 December 2010.

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