Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School

Age group 7–11 Inspection date(s) 5–6 July 2012 Inspection number 379675 Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 118737 Local authority Kent Inspection number 379675 Inspection dates 5–6 July 2012 Lead inspector Margaret Coussins

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

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Type of school Junior School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 185 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Diane Clements Headteacher Enid Burrows Date of previous school inspection 25 February 2009 School address High Street Whitstable Kent CT5 1AY Telephone number 01227 273630 Fax number 01227 273630 Email address office@whitstable-endowed.kent.sch.uk Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 2 of 12

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 3 of 12

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed 14 lessons or part lessons totalling approximately seven hours involving 10 teachers, as well as hearing pupils read and looking at their work. Meetings were held with the headteacher, other staff with leadership responsibilities, members of the governing body and pupils. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documentation including the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, pupils’ progress records and the safeguarding procedures. Questionnaires from 91 parents and carers were received and analysed along with those from staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed is smaller than the average-sized junior school. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. Pupils’ needs relate mainly to behaviour, emotional and social difficulties or speech, language and communication difficulties. The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 4 of 12

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Information about the school

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a good school. It is not yet outstanding because some aspects of the use of pupil progress information and the criteria for identifying additional support for pupils lack a sufficiently sharp focus.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ achievement is good. Pupils make good progress to reach above average levels of attainment by the end of Year 6. All groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, learn and progress well although some minor inconsistency remains across year groups.

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Key findings

 Teaching is good. Lessons are well planned and inspire and motivate pupils to learn. On occasion, some pupils, particularly higher-attaining pupils, do not always make the progress they are capable of because they do not have time to extend their learning by completing the challenges planned for them.

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Key findings

 Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to school and their learning and thrive in the caring and inclusive atmosphere. Consequently, they enjoy school, which is reflected in above average attendance. They behave exceptionally well in lessons and around the school and feel very safe.

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Key findings

 Good leadership and management have maintained the school’s good overall effectiveness since the previous inspection. Leaders carefully track the progress of individual pupils; however, the use of data is not sharply focused on the performance of different groups as they move through the school. Assessment information is not yet fully shared with teachers to enable them to even more precisely match the level of challenge to meet pupils’ individual needs. Targets for the performance of all staff are well linked to school priorities and the leadership and monitoring of teaching is clearly focused on learning; where weaknesses are identified, effective support is given. The school does not have well-defined, systematic and shared criteria for identifying pupils requiring additional support for their special educational needs. Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 5 of 12

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Key findings

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the effectiveness of the analysis and ensure the wider use of assessment data to:  enable a sharper focus on the progress made by different groups  enable teachers to use assessment information more rigorously to ensure that pupils, particularly higher-attaining pupils, have time to extend their learning and make the progress of which they are capable.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Establish clearer and shared criteria and systematic procedures for identifying pupils who require additional support for their special educational needs.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ achievement is good. Pupils join the school in Year 3 with attainment that is slightly above average and sometimes well above average as in the current Year 6. Pupils generally make good progress from their starting points to achieve above average attainment by the time they leave. However, there remains some unevenness of progress across year groups. Most pupils reach the expected Level 4 in English and mathematics. More pupils than is found nationally reach the higher Level 5 in both subjects although this is more marked in reading and mathematics than in writing. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to others from their starting points and attain standards higher than similar pupils nationally by the time they leave. They learn well because the school provides effective support through individual or small-group sessions. All parents and carers agree their children make good progress and most agree that the school

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Achievement of pupils

meets children’s particular needs well. Inspection findings support this positive view.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment in reading by the end of Year 6 is above average. Pupils are enthusiastic readers, can express preferences for authors and styles of writing and make good use of higher-level reading skills, for example inference and deduction and skimming and scanning texts. This helps them make good progress in English and in other subjects because they can apply these skills well. For example, Year 5 pupils were able to competently retrieve and select significant text from the internet to research information for PowerPoint presentations on Australia. Others highlighted particular ‘old-fashioned’ words in older literature and developed a good grasp of characters’ differing viewpoints through inference. Readers of all abilities use a range of strategies to help them read unfamiliar words and less fluent readers are confident to read aloud and ‘have a go’ as they are sensitively supported. The school has

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Achievement of pupils

focused on improving writing and this is evident in the pupils’ current work. Pupils in Years 3 and 4, for example, demonstrated good knowledge of what makes ‘good writing’ with a clear awareness of the needs of the reader and made effective use of idioms to enhance the quality of their writing. Learning in mathematics is purposeful Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 6 of 12

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Achievement of pupils

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

and enthusiastic particularly where good questioning motivates and actively engages pupils and they have opportunities to collaborate and share their thinking and ideas, seen, for example, when pupils in Year 6 developed a good understanding of equations.

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Achievement of pupils

Reading, writing, communication and mathematical skills are used well across the curriculum. Learning is purposeful and relevant. Pupils enjoy lessons and are enthusiastic to learn; they work at a good pace, have a good work ethic and concentrate well on their tasks.

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Quality of teaching

All parents and carers agree that teaching is good and this positive view is confirmed by inspection findings. Teaching is at least good overall and sometimes better. Lessons are well planned, inspiring and motivating particularly when teachers use a good range of resources and have high expectations, as seen in a Year 4 English lesson where pupils were interrogating journalistic texts in a well-prepared and highly effective guided reading session. Pupils make good progress because of skilled questioning by teachers to extend thinking and promote a depth of knowledge. For example, pupils were constantly asked to explain and articulate their thinking and methodology when using protractors to measure angles and as a consequence developed good mathematical skills. Reading is taught well at all levels including advanced reading skills that help to develop pupils’ comprehension. Reading for enjoyment is promoted well and pupils said there is a good selection of reading

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Quality of teaching

material in school. Teachers and many skilled teaching assistants ably support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs to help them keep up and make good progress. On occasion, although progress is good, the pace of challenge for higher attaining pupils is restricted a little in some lessons. Challenges are planned for extension work, but sometimes pupils do not have time to complete them and so do not always make the progress at the pace of which they are capable. There are some excellent examples of marking and feedback that give pupils clear pointers for how to improve their work and opportunities to evaluate their own progress.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Parents and carers, pupils and staff are very positive about behaviour and safety. All parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire feel that behaviour is good in school and that their children feel safe. One comment sums up the views of many, ‘My child is exceptionally happy and proud to be here.’ Almost all pupils say they feel safe and most think behaviour is good. A group agreed that, ‘Everyone goes home happy.’ Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in above average attendance. Inspectors support these very positive views and found behaviour and safety to be outstanding. Behaviour around the school and in lessons during the inspection was exemplary. School records show that this is typical of behaviour over time. Pupils are extremely caring, kind, polite and friendly and show great respect for each other and adults as well as the school environment. They are Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 7 of 12

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

great ambassadors for their school of which they are very proud. In lessons and around the school, pupils collaborate very well and often step in to support others without prompting by adults. Older pupils provide excellent role models for younger pupils. They organise games and activities and a group of younger pupils agreed that ‘they make sure we’re happy and having fun’. Behaviour policies are well established and promote the high expectations that pupils meet. As a result, pupils manage their behaviour well with little intervention from adults. Excellent relationships and the caring atmosphere and ethos of the school make a very positive contribution to pupils’ learning and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In discussions, pupils said that there was no bullying in school but they were confident that if any situations arose, teachers would deal with them fairly and swiftly. Pupils

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

also indicated that they have an understanding of what constitutes bullying in all its forms, including cyber-bullying and prejudiced-based bullying, and demonstrated that they know how to look after themselves inside and outside of school.

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Leadership and management

Parents and carers are, rightly, unanimous in their view that the school takes good care of their children. There is a shared drive, led very effectively by the headteacher, to provide the best possible learning experiences for pupils. This is underpinned by excellent relationships between staff and pupils, strong promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through the school’s strong ethos and the broad, balanced and enriched curriculum. School leaders and governors ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet all current requirements and are well known and implemented by all staff. As a result the school provides a safe environment where all pupils learn without fear of discrimination.

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Leadership and management

Leadership capacity is developed well and performance is managed effectively. All leaders, including members of the governing body, take key roles in evaluating the work of the school with shared high expectations and ambition. Strong leadership has successfully driven the improvements in mathematics over the past two years. Teamwork is a strong feature of the school enabling teachers to share the best practice, expertise and skills. Leaders carefully track the progress of individual pupils; however, there is a lack of rigour in the analysis of the progress of different groups as they move through the school. The school has correctly identified the need to share assessment data more widely with all teachers so that they are well informed and can use the information to ensure that pupils always make the progress at the pace of which they are capable. Leaders are committed to promoting equality of opportunity. However, the procedures for identifying pupils to receive additional

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Leadership and management

support, especially for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, lack systematic and clearly defined criteria shared by all leaders. School improvement planning is clearly a result of rigorous monitoring and self-evaluation. Monitoring of teaching and learning highlights the right priorities for improvement, and where weaknesses are identified, effective action is taken, including well-targeted professional development, which has a high profile in the school for all staff. For example, substantial training in a range of writing initiatives has had a considerable impact on helping to narrow the gap between pupils’ reading and writing Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 8 of 12

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Leadership and management

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

achievement. This track record and the fact that leaders and managers and members of the governing body have worked successfully to maintain the quality of the school’s work and pupils’ achievement since the last inspection demonstrate the capacity for further improvement. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about all aspects of the school’s work. The school engages them well and provides regular communication about school life and their children’s progress. One parent’s comment summed up the views of many, ‘The school is a warm, friendly, nurturing environment which enables the children to grow as individuals.’ Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 9 of 12

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 10 of 12

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning. Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 11 of 12

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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School, Whitstable CT5 1AY

Thank you for making us so welcome when we inspected your school. We really enjoyed visiting your lessons, talking to you and your teachers and looking at the work you have been doing. You are very polite, friendly and interesting to talk to and we appreciated the way you helped us find out about your school. Thank you also to those of you who completed the questionnaire.

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School, Whitstable CT5 1AY

Your school is a good school. You make good progress and reach higher standards compared to other pupils nationally by the time you leave because your teachers teach you well. We thought your behaviour was exemplary and that you have excellent attitudes to learning, which you told us you enjoy very much. Your school takes very good care of you so that you feel very safe and secure in school and you know how to take care of yourselves. Well done for attending school so regularly.

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School, Whitstable CT5 1AY

Although the school is doing well there are still things it can improve. We have asked your headteacher and the governors to make sure that, as well as knowing how well each one of you is getting on, which they do very well, they look at how well different groups are making progress. We have also asked them to share all the information they have about your progress so that teachers can make sure that you all do as well as you can, especially those of you who finding learning easier, by giving you enough time to complete the challenges they plan for you. The last thing we have asked your school leaders to do is to be very clear about how they decide which of you need to have any extra support to help with your learning.

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School, Whitstable CT5 1AY

You are great ambassadors for your good school and you can all help by continuing to enjoy your learning and working hard.

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School, Whitstable CT5 1AY

Finally, I would like to thank you again and wish you well in the future.

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School, Whitstable CT5 1AY

Margaret Coussins Lead inspector Inspection report: Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School, 5–6 July 2012 12 of 12

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School, Whitstable CT5 1AY

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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