Selsted Church of England Primary School

Selsted Church of England Primary School Stockham Road, Selsted, Dover, Kent, CT15 7HH

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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.  Progress is good throughout the school and pupils attain above average standards by the time they leave in Year 6. From the below average starting point, pupils achieve particularly well in English.  Children make good progress in Reception. They develop their ideas and language skills through the imaginative activities in which they engage.  The quality of teaching is good and some is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations and are skilled in using their subject knowledge to support pupils in learning successfully.  The school’s engagement with parents and carers is especially good. They greatly value the personalised support provided for their children.  Behaviour is good and pupils feel safe in school. Pupils talk confidently about their learning and work especially well together. Relationships between pupils and staff are excellent.  The headteacher leads the school very effectively. His leadership and the team work

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

between staff and middle leaders have brought about marked improvements in pupils’ achievement since the last inspection.  The governing body is fully involved in important aspects of the work of the school. It is active in helping to both support and hold staff to account.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to independently apply their numeracy skills when solving problems.  Teachers do not always adjust tasks to ensure pupils of average ability are sufficiently challenged in writing.  Not all pupils are given enough time to respond to teachers’ written comments and improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 11 lessons, five of these jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector listened to pupils read and looked at pupils’ work in their books.  The inspector met with pupils and talked to them about their work. Meetings were held with middle leaders and the Chair of the Governing Body and seven other governors.  Documentation covering safeguarding, the management of performance of staff, records of behaviour and safety, attendance, checks of pupils’ attainment and progress were reviewed.  The inspector took account of 83 responses from parents and carers to the on-line 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

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, there is one Reception class.  The proportion of pupils receiving support from the pupil premium funding, which is the extra government support for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children and those from service families, is below average.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs supported at school action is above average. Those supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is below average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for any of its pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and further improve pupils’ achievement by:  providing more opportunities for pupils to use their numeracy skills independently when solving problems  giving pupils sufficient time to respond to teachers’ written comments in their marking so they can improve their work  regularly adjusting tasks to ensure more pupils of average ability are challenged to achieve the highest level in writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The majority of children enter Reception with skills and knowledge below those expected for their age. The strong focus on communication, language and literacy, together with personal development, helps children become confident learners. Most transfer to Year 1 achieving the expected levels of development and are well equipped for the next stage in their learning.  Pupils attain high standards at the end of Key Stage 1. They achieve particularly well in reading and mathematics. This is because pupils are required to build on their previous learning and apply their understanding within a range of activities which provide opportunities for them to reflect on their learning.  Attainment is also good in Key Stage 2. In 2012, an above average proportion of Year 6 pupils attained the expected Level 4 in both English and mathematics. Many more pupils than seen nationally attained the higher Level 5. Whilst achievement is good, some pupils of average ability

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The achievement of pupils is good

do not make the same rapid progress in writing as seen in reading and mathematics. Work in pupils’ books shows improvement due to the school’s effective actions to address this.  Pupils with particular talents are supported well. For example, some pupils take part in writing sessions with pupils from other local schools. The school’s personalised approach, together with high expectations, motivates this group to achieve the levels of which they are capable.  Pupils with special educational needs make progress equal to other pupils. As these pupils move through the school, the tailored approaches put in place to support their learning ensures their progress is accelerated. Parents and carers speak highly of the care provided and value being personally involved in their child’s education.  Pupils supported through the pupil premium funding achieve successfully. The impact of the range of approaches used helps these pupils make faster progress by as much as four months in

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The achievement of pupils is good

English and eight months in mathematics compared to others. Gaps in their learning in English identified by the school are closing due to the range of effective strategies in place to help them catch up. Pupils are making accelerated progress as a result.  Pupils read often and enjoy talking about the stories they have read. They read a range of texts and are confident in expressing their understanding of the various themes and characters in their books. Pupils use a good range of approaches that assist their skills development. For example, younger pupils link letters to sounds to help them spell out unfamiliar words, whilst older pupils use higher-level skills such as inference. At break times, pupils make good use of the quiet reading area.  The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to the on-line questionnaire is very positive about the progress their children are making at the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is uniformly good and some is outstanding. Teachers are skilled in planning a variety of tasks which encourage pupils to work collaboratively and reflect on their learning. The pace of learning is sustained and pupils are engaged because teachers clarify expectations and use questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding.  Pupils are confident learners because they understand their targets. For example, in an English lesson, pupils in Years 5 and 6 were using adventurous adjectives to extend the range of their strategies. Pupils were clear about their personal targets and what they needed to do to improve their work and were successful in doing this. However, across the school, teachers do not always adjust tasks during lessons to ensure more pupils of average ability achieve consistently good progress in writing.  Pupils build good communication skills because of teachers’ strong focus on language

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The quality of teaching is good

development. In an English lesson, pupils in Years 3 and 4 were effectively challenged to use subject-specific vocabulary to explain features of rivers as part of their topic work. Skilful questioning by the teacher helped pupils extend their knowledge and engage in high quality discussion.  Teachers are adept at planning activities which deepen pupils’ understanding. In a mathematics lesson involving pupils from Years 1 and 2, teachers effectively built on previous learning to help develop pupils’ ideas and extend their learning about shape. Pupils remained engaged throughout and, consequently, made good progress. However, across the school pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to apply their numeracy skills independently when solving problems.  In Reception, children’s development of early literacy skills is strong. This is because they are required to share their ideas in creative ways as, for example, when they invited Paddington

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The quality of teaching is good

Bear to a picnic when some children wrote their invitations using the computer.  Additional adults in classes are very effective in supporting pupils’ learning, particularly with reading and writing tasks. Pupils with special educational needs benefit especially from their skilled guidance so that they confidently access tasks and enjoy success in their learning.  Marking of pupils’ work is consistently of good quality. Teachers’ written comments reflect on how well pupils have succeeded and provide next steps that show pupils what they need to do to further improve their work. However, pupils do not always have enough time to respond to teachers’ written comments so that they can improve more quickly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and courteous when welcoming visitors to their school. They show a high level of care for one another which reflects the strong Christian values fostered across the school. Attendance is higher than average.  Pupils are confident in communicating their ideas and in engaging in conversation on a range of topics. This begins in the Reception class where children’s use of language is well developed as the children learn and play purposely together.  Pupils enjoy their lessons and are eager to talk about their learning. They work very well together and support each other throughout activities. They clearly take pride in what they do, as seen in the many displays of their work around the school. However, because opportunities for pupils to show greater independence when applying their numeracy skills in problem solving activities are not as frequently planned for, more exemplary learning is restricted.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe in school. They are confident there is always an adult to talk to should they have any worries. Pupils are taught how to look after themselves and stay safe. For example, older pupils prepared a presentation on using the internet safely which they delivered to pupils in other schools.  Pupils are clear that both they and staff do not accept any form of discrimination, bullying or being unkind to others. They do not tolerate wrong attitudes of any kind. When isolated incidents occur, adults deal with these promptly. They are aware of the dangers of cyber bullying and pupils make sure other pupils feel part of the school community. Pupils willingly take on responsibilities such as acting as ‘play buddies’ to younger pupils.  The on-line questionnaire, and other evidence from parents and carers, show that they agree their children are happy and well behaved at school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s demanding, yet supportive, leadership has led to improvements since the previous inspection. There is a strong team attitude amongst staff who support the headteacher’s ambitions for the school. Effective systems are in place to check the progress of all pupils and take action quickly where needed. Consequently, achievement for all groups of pupils within each year group is now good.  Other leaders make a valuable contribution and share the responsibility to improve the quality of learning for pupils across all subjects. The focus is clearly on raising teaching from good to outstanding through checking on teachers’ performance and setting demanding targets. Effective support in achieving these is provided through training, for example in the teaching of phonics (how to link sounds and letters).  The school’s engagement with the local authority, while valued, is light touch, in recognition of

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The leadership and management are good

the school’s ability to drive forward positive change.  The school has effective partnerships with other schools. These bring benefits to the pupils’ education and enhance opportunities for teachers to develop professionally. The headteacher’s role and contribution within this partnership are significant.  Confidence in the headteacher’s leadership is seen in the overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to Parent View and agree that the school is led and managed well.  Pupils with special educational needs and those who require extra help have equal opportunity to be as successful as other pupils. Personally tailored support and strong engagement with parents and carers ensure they develop confidence in their learning and achieve well.  Subjects are well planned to ensure they equip pupils to develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills. The school has correctly identified gaps in developing problem solving in

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The leadership and management are good

mathematics and extending some pupils more effectively in their writing. Topic themes are used effectively so that pupils develop their understanding across a range of subjects. These have an enquiry focus where, for example, children in Reception decided what questions they wanted to find the answers to at the beginning of their topic.  The provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is comprehensive. Pupils enjoy a range of art and sporting activities, for example visiting the ballet. They explore a spectrum of beliefs and cultures that include Japan and India. School links with pupils in other countries ensure they develop their understanding further.  Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements and procedures are in place and known by all staff.  The governance of the school: – Governors have a good understanding of the work of the school and use their expertise to ask

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The leadership and management are good

appropriate questions of both the headteacher and other leaders. This ensures the school is held to account, for example by using information that shows how well the school is doing compared with other schools nationally. The governing body is well organised and governors undertake regular training to develop their roles. Their visits to the school and the reports they receive from teachers mean they understand the strengths of the school and what needs to be addressed to bring about further improvements. They accurately judge their school to be good and support the headteacher in improving the performance of teachers and rewarding success within the school’s budgetary constraints. Governors make sure that staff are committed to tackling discrimination and ensuring equality of opportunity. Governors are well informed through their tracking of how well pupils are progressing as a consequence of additional support provided through the pupil premium funding.

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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 118683 Local authority Kent Inspection number 401780

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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 Number of pupils on the school roll 91 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julie Donoghue Headteacher Kevin Bailey Date of previous school inspection 24–25 May 2010 Telephone number 01303 844286 Fax number 01303 844286 Email address headteacher@selsted.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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