Hythe Bay CofE Primary School

Hythe Bay CofE Primary School Cinque Ports Avenue, Hythe, CT21 6HS

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well. They understand what they need to do to improve to their work, because teachers’ marking is good. Rates of progress are rapidly improving throughout the school. Attainment, now broadly average, is continuing to rise at an accelerated pace.  The quality of teaching is good. Lessons are well planned to challenge and motivate pupils of all abilities.  Pupils use their reading and writing skills to help their learning in other subjects.  Pupils behave well in lessons and when moving around the school. They play sensibly together and are polite to adults. They feel very safe in school.  Pupils have a very good understanding of their own and other cultures.  School leaders and governors have a very clear awareness of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors play an important role in supporting this improving school.  Leaders have established strong partnerships

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

with other local schools. This has contributed to rising attainment, especially in mathematics.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 On occasions, the pace of learning in lessons is slower than it should be.  The proportion of outstanding teaching is not high enough to ensure that all pupils make rapid progress. Outstanding teachers are not used as well as they could be to improve teaching throughout the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 18 lessons or parts of lessons, of which four were conducted jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Pupils’ work in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 was scrutinised and records of progress were analysed. Inspectors listened to a sample of pupils read.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and senior staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and two other governors, and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors also spoke to pupils about their experiences at the school.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation and policies, including the school improvement plan, information relating to safeguarding and attendance, and the school’s evaluation of its own development.  Sixteen staff completed questionnaires and the responses were analysed.  Inspectors took account of the 58 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the two letters received from parents or carers. They also spoke to parents informally on the

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Inspection team

Claire Baldry, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Peter Hare Additional Inspector Maura Docherty Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is above average. This provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The school has a specially resourced unit for up to 20 pupils with a statement of special educational needs for speech, language and communication difficulties.  A children’s centre is adjacent to the school. This provides a nursery, breakfast club and after- school care. It is subject to a separate inspection.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  There is no alternative provision made for pupils at the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by making use of the most able teachers to help develop the practice of others across the school.  Accelerate progress and raise attainment to above average levels by ensuring that the pace of learning is consistently good or better in all lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The rate of pupils’ progress has increased since the last inspection, is embedded and continues to improve at a good rate. As a result, attainment in English and mathematics is rising year by year. Given their starting points, the school’s data and pupils’ work clearly indicate that most pupils make consistently good or better progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 and their overall attainment is broadly in line with national averages and improving well.  Progress in mathematics at Key Stage 2 was, until recently, slower than progress in English. This is no longer the case. A growing number of pupils in upper Key Stage 2 are now making at least good progress and are working at levels above national averages.  Children start their Reception Year with a varying range of abilities. An increasing number of children enter the school with skills which are below those typically expected for their age. However, consistently good teaching in the Reception classes ensures that children make good

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The achievement of pupils is good

progress in their first year at school.  Children enjoy books, read with confidence and use reading well to support their learning in other subjects.  The progress of pupils who are supported by the specialist unit for speech, language and communication is closely monitored by skilled staff. The effectiveness of this additional support is regularly reviewed and the provision is changed if necessary. This ensures that these pupils make good progress. This rigorous system of monitoring is also used to track the learning of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. As a result they make good progress and gaps in their learning are closing.  Pupil premium funding has been used to increase the amount of support from teaching assistants and has enabled the school to organise some smaller teaching groups by ability. The funding has also contributed to additional equipment. At the end of the last academic year the

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The achievement of pupils is good

overall attainment of those Year 6 pupils known to be eligible for free school meals was similar to the average point scores for this group nationally and compared favourably with the average point scores of other pupils at the school.  Current school data show that the progress of all pupils eligible for pupil premium funding throughout the school has rapidly increased following the full implementation of the additional provision, especially in mathematics. It is now similar to current rates of progress by other pupils in the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good. Teachers regularly and accurately assess their pupils’ learning. They plan interesting lessons which they adapt for pupils of different abilities.  Teachers have good subject knowledge. They explain tasks well and break learning down into small steps. Teachers ask questions which encourage pupils to think deeply about their learning.  In most lessons the pace of learning is good. Teachers give frequent short talks to the whole class and there are opportunities for pupils to work independently for longer periods. In a small minority of lessons there is occasionally a lack of urgency. This is because the teacher talks for too long or fails to encourage the pupils to speed up as they work. In these lessons the pace of learning slows and pupils sometimes waste time moving between activities.  Pupils know their targets and how to achieve them. They are encouraged to discuss their

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The quality of teaching is good

learning with each other. This is helped by the regular use of learning partners in all year groups. Teachers give good feedback to learners about what they need to do to improve. Pupils respond to written comments in their books by changing their work or seeking further help.  The organisation and content of lessons are designed well to suit the needs of a range of abilities. Skilled teaching assistants are deployed flexibly to support different groups of learners in and out of the classroom. Where necessary, year groups are organised into groups by ability, so that the most able are challenged with more difficult work and the less able can work successfully at their own level.  Throughout the school lessons are planned to encourage pupils to make links between subjects. In the Reception class, children were supported by a teaching assistant to use their knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) to write food orders in the role play café, whilst

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The quality of teaching is good

also developing their practical understanding of counting and adding together coins. Year 6 pupils were able to use the book Breadwinner both to develop their reading skills and to increase their understanding of the role of girls in different cultures.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite. They show respect for adults and for each other. They play well outside and use the school equipment carefully. They understand the school’s well-established rules and routines.  Pupils feel safe. They say that incidents of bullying are rare and dealt with effectively. They demonstrate a very good understanding of how to avoid different types of bullying, and how to keep safe, for example by applying sensible rules to their use of the internet.  Parents are very largely positive about the way the school manages pupils’ behaviour. As one parent said, reflecting a typical view, ‘The children feel safe here. The pupils look after each other.’  Behaviour in lessons is nearly always good or better and pupils have good attitudes to learning. Pupils are encouraged to show independence, and this helps their progress. In the occasional lesson where the pace of learning slows, pupils become less attentive and need to be reminded

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

by the teacher to stay focused on their work.  Partnership with the children’s centre and involvement in the Achievement for All project have been central to the school’s success in working with parents and providing good quality support for the well-being of pupils. As a result, attendance has improved significantly since the last inspection and is now in line with national averages and continuing to rise  Rare occasions of poor behaviour are logged and managed effectively. However, exclusions are still slightly above national averages. The school is now working successfully to improve pupils’ social and emotional development, for example by introducing a nurture centre to provide support programmes for those with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other senior leaders have a clear awareness of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This, together with the improvements since the last inspection, shows that the school has capacity for further improvement.  The school has addressed all of the areas for improvement which were set out in the last inspection. Pupils respond well to the more challenging targets set for them and progress rates have increased. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in writing at length across different subjects. There are far more opportunities for pupils to share and assess their own work with each other. As a result, pupils’ attainment by the end of Key Stage 2 has improved notably in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching has also improved since the last inspection. Teaching is regularly checked by leaders and most is now good or better. Partnerships with other local schools have played an important

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The leadership and management are good

role in school improvement. Staff have jointly observed lessons with teachers from other schools so they can learn from each other. The local secondary school has provided training in mathematics to improve teachers’ subject knowledge so that the most able pupils in upper Key Stage 2 can be given even harder work.  The work of some teachers within the school is now consistently outstanding, and results in pupils making rapid progress. However, the skills of these teachers are not yet being used to raise the quality of teaching across the school through regularly sharing the best practice.  Good procedures are in place for the performance management and appraisal of staff. Teachers are held to account for the progress of pupils in their care and the school promotes equality of opportunity well and tackles any form of discrimination robustly. Staff respond well to the targets leaders set for good and better pupil progress and are extremely positive about the

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The leadership and management are good

support for improvement which they receive from school leaders.  The curriculum is very well planned, with a good variety of topics and activities. There are numerous chances for pupils to develop their spiritual and cultural awareness. A wide range of opportunities are available for pupils to appreciate and practise their skills in art and music. Very good use of the available space adds to the purposeful working atmosphere throughout the school. The central learning zone and large, well-equipped music room are in constant use. Displays are well designed and used as tools for learning. Pupils’ high quality art work is celebrated throughout the school.  Almost all parents are positive about the education the school provides. They appreciate the information about the curriculum which is regularly updated on the school website. They feel supported by the close links with the children’s centre and enjoy the workshops that the school

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The leadership and management are good

provides for them.  The local authority has given good quality support to the school. This has made a positive contribution to the improved achievement.  The governance of the school:  The governing body knows the school very well. Governors contribute to checking and evaluating the school’s work through regular visits and well organised committees. They have detailed knowledge about the quality of teaching and learning within the school. They understand the way performance management is used to encourage improvements in teaching, with secure links between teachers’ work and pay progression. Governors use national data to compare the school’s performance with other schools nationally. Their wide- ranging experience helps them to ask challenging questions and ensure that the school provides value for money. They are involved in monitoring the effective use of pupil premium funding. Governors meticulously fulfil their statutory duties to monitor safeguarding and the

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The leadership and management are good

safety of pupils. They have been trained and have the skills and knowledge to carry out their roles.

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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

Local authority Kent Inspection number 406405

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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 Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Berkeley Hill Headteacher Carolyn Chivers Date of previous school inspection 8 December 2010 Telephone number 01303 267802 Fax number 01303 267802 Email address headteacher@hythebay.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.

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School details

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

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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