East Sussex village school rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted

Ninfield School, in Church Lane, Ninfield, near Battle, was visited by inspectors in June, with their report published this week.

Ofsted rated the school’s leadership and management as ‘inadequate’, citing concerns over pupils’ safety.

The report said: “Leaders do not maintain detailed records when concerns about pupils are raised. This means there is a lack of vigilance for pupils at risk of harm.

“Governors do not ensure that leaders comply with statutory requirements and adhere to the school’s safeguarding policy. As a result, the ineffective safeguarding processes in place go unchallenged, which place pupils at potential risk.

“Leaders do not communicate effectively with external agencies when pupils face significant risks to their welfare. Leaders have not ensured that all staff have regular comprehensive safeguarding training on how to identify and report signs of a pupil being at risk of harm.”

However, the school was rated ‘good’ for behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision.

The report said: “Pupils are very clear that they accept everyone for who they are in their school. As soon as they start school in Reception, children learn to be kind and respectful of differences through the ‘healthy living’ curriculum.

“Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive appropriate support to help them learn. Leaders are swift to identify pupils’ needs.”

Mike Taylor, executive headteacher of Ninfield CE Primary School, said: “Whilst our latest Ofsted report highlighted a number of strengths, it found that improvement was needed in areas including arrangements for safeguarding pupils.

"Keeping our pupils safe is our top priority and we would like to reassure the school community that immediate action is being taken to address the concerns raised. Since the inspection, we have already arranged further safeguarding training, introduced a system for recording and monitoring safeguarding concerns and implemented a schedule for reviewing our safeguarding policies.

“As the school has been judged inadequate, the local authority will be applying for the Department for Education to establish an Interim Executive Board to provide support and help the school make the rapid progress it needs and oversee its conversion to an academy with an established multi-academy trust, in line with Government policy.”

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