Ditton Church of England Junior School

Ditton C of E Junior School New Road, Aylesford, Kent, ME20 6AE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Achievement over time is not yet good enough despite some recent rapid improvements, especially in mathematics.  Recent improvements have not been in place long enough to ensure that teaching over time is consistently good, nor yet resulted in good achievement.  Pupils do not always progress quickly enough because they spend too long listening to teachers talk.  Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of what middle-ability pupils can achieve, especially in English.  Teachers do not assess pupils’ progress frequently enough so pupils are not always clear how to be even more successful.  The marking of pupils’ work does not always tell pupils what they need to do to improve.  Leaders and managers, including the governing body, have yet to develop the role of middle leaders and assess the impact of additional funds to support pupils who need extra help.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders’ actions, including the effective use of high-quality training, have been successful in bringing about rapid improvements in the quality of teaching.  The progress made by pupils across all year groups is accelerating.  Pupils behave well. They have positive attitudes and talk confidently about their learning.  Governors have ensured that the restructuring of the school leadership has led to rapid improvements in achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons across all year groups, of which four were joint lesson observations with senior leaders. They scrutinised work in pupils’ books, especially in Year 6.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading and talked with pupils about their written work.  Meetings were held with the senior leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors looked at documentation on safeguarding, records of governors’ meetings, systems to check pupils’ progress and attainment, the performance management of staff and attendance data.  Inspectors observed pupils during break and lunchtimes and visited the school’s website.  Inspectors took account of 26 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), as well as talking to parents and carers informally during the inspection. Questionnaires from staff were also considered.

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Inspection team

Howard Jones, Lead inspector Additional inspector Juliet Ward Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Ditton Church of England Junior is a broadly average sized school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding (extra government funding to support pupils eligible for free school meals, those looked after by the local authority and those children from service families) is average.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs and receive support at school action, school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  There are few pupils on roll from minority ethnic heritage or who speak English as an additional language.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school meets the government’s floor targets which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school works in collaboration with the adjacent infant school. There is an executive headteacher and head of school in place since September 2012. There is a separate governing

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better by ensuring all teachers:  start pupils on their activities more quickly so they do not spend too long listening to the teacher  have high expectations and introduce additional challenge sooner for middle-ability pupils, especially in English  assess pupils’ progress more often to reshape tasks and accelerate the learning of pupils  use the school’s new marking and feedback system so that pupils know exactly what they need to do to improve.  Increase the impact of leaders, managers and governors on the quality of teaching by:  developing the monitoring and evaluation of teaching to include a more prominent role for all subject leaders  strengthening the role of the governing body in checking that additional funding to support pupils who need extra help is improving progress for those pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards achieved by pupils over time have been too variable. At the end of Year 6 in 2012, pupils had not made enough progress in either writing or mathematics. Middle- and high-ability pupils had not made enough progress and boys did not achieve as well as girls.  Pupils’ progress is now accelerating. Because of improved teaching and focused activities to address previous underachievement, pupils across all year groups are making rapid progress in writing and mathematics since September 2012. This is especially so in mathematics in Year 6.  Gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding are closing quickly. The school’s accurate assessments and rigorous checks of pupils’ progress against demanding targets indicate these rapid improvements are being sustained in all classes across the school.  Additional challenge for middle-ability pupils is not introduced soon enough in some lessons, especially in English. Consequently, opportunities to accelerate their learning even further are

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

missed.  Pupils supported by additional funding make more variable progress, as reflected in their average points scores compared to all pupils. This is because the barriers to learning still need to be fully addressed. However, teachers are helping pupils catch up quickly through the activities the school has introduced.  The progress of disabled pupils and those who need extra help has improved. These pupils now make good progress at least equal to that of their peers. This is because staff have had high-quality training to help these pupils, and parents and carers are increasingly involved in their child’s learning.  Pupils read widely. Pupils who have improved their reading, by using the sounds letters make to help them read new words, show increased confidence in reading.  Pupils now have many opportunities for writing at length and this has led to marked progress across the school and especially in Year 5.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching has been inconsistent over time. As a result, pupils’ learning and progress have not been good enough as they move through the school, especially in writing and mathematics.  The quality of teaching has improved rapidly since the appointment of the executive headteacher. This is because the training for teachers and other adults has been closely matched to support the learning of pupils. Consequently, teachers have a clear focus on checking how successful previous lessons have been in supporting pupils’ learning so that they can plan for the next lesson accordingly.  Inspection evidence indicates more effective teaching is being sustained. Consequently, the accelerated progress of pupils is being maintained across the school; however, some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching remain.  In weaker lessons, teachers’ expectations are not always high enough. This is especially so for

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

middle-ability pupils in writing. Teachers do not assess pupils’ progress frequently enough during lessons and miss opportunities to show pupils how they might be even more successful in their learning.  Where teaching is good the pace of learning is strong. Teachers review previous learning and use this to adjust tasks to involve pupils in their learning early on in the lesson. For example, pupils in Year 3 were really enjoying solving problems using their knowledge of number sentences they had learned previously.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly. However, while marking and feedback are consistently used by teachers to comment on pupils’ work, some teachers miss opportunities to give next steps in ways that pupils know exactly what they can do to improve their work further.  Disabled pupils and those who need extra help learn well in lessons and make good progress. This is because other adults work effectively with teachers and are skilled in adjusting tasks to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

match pupils’ ability while supporting their independence.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and courteous. They are respectful and are happy to welcome visitors to their school. Pupils work well together and communicate their ideas confidently to their teachers. Behaviour is at least good in lessons and across the school. Most parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire agree that behaviour is good.  Pupils report there is a clear expectation of how they should treat each other. There is a strong moral tone throughout the school and pupils understand they have a shared responsibility to help each other and talk of being happy at school.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. They have a clear understanding of bullying and racism and the different forms this may take. They are accepting of differences among each other because teachers encourage positive relations and promote equality.  Pupils have developed an understanding of how to use the internet safely. They especially

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

value the school’s email system which supports the safe communication with their friends.  A range of successful initiatives has led to improved attendance. Attendance across all groups of pupils is now above average. Punctuality is strong across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership is strong within the school. The executive headteacher has successfully improved teaching and raised achievement in the period since her appointment. She is effectively supported by the head of school and the lead for inclusion who together work as a team and share their high expectations with staff who are equally supportive of their vision for the school.  Teachers say that recent training has been highly beneficial, and their lesson planning has improved. Pupils have made marked progress during the autumn term, particularly in mathematics.  Teachers’ accountability has been increased. There is a clear focus on pupils becoming more successful in their learning. Regular meetings are used to check pupils’ progress.  The effective guidance from the local authority has been important. The rapid progress of pupils across all year groups testifies to the school’s effective capacity to sustain the pace of

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The leadership and management are good

improvement. Subject leaders are not yet fully involved in the school’s checks on teaching and pupils’ progress.  The subjects taught support the development of pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Pupils have opportunities to apply their skills in a range of activities and pupils who need extra help have equal opportunity to share in these learning experiences. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development reflects the strong Christian ethos within the school and pupils engage in reflection through acts of collective worship.  The arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: The governing body has provided strong support for school development. It has overseen self- evaluation which has provided an accurate view of what the school needs to do to address past underachievement. It has ensured the leadership team has been restructured to address weak teaching effectively. Governors now have accurate data and have developed their skills to take a more active role in checking pupils’ achievement. They hold leaders to account and set targets for teachers and reward good teaching. Consequently, pupils are now making rapid and sustained progress across the whole school. Governors have a clear understanding on how the additional funding the school receives to support pupils who need extra help is being used. However, governors have yet to check how effective this has been in ensuring that these pupils make good progress. Statutory duties are met.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 118854 Local authority Kent Inspection number 405822

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School details

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

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School details

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 212 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dr John Wainwright Executive Headteacher Jenny Jones Date of previous school inspection 3 November 2010 Telephone number 01732 843446 Fax number 01732 873410 Email address headteacher@ditton-jun.kent.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection. 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

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School details

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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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

Store St Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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