Boughton-under-Blean and Dunkirk Primary School

Boughton-under-Blean and Dunkirk Primary School School Lane, Boughton-under-Blean, Faversham ME13 9AW

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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 Requires improvement 3

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

 Teaching has not been consistently good enough over time to enable all pupils to achieve as well as they could, though there are some current strengths.  Although improvements in both attainment and progress have been made this year in all subjects, these have not been consistent over time across the school.  The needs of all groups of pupils are not always met because there is not always sufficient challenge in some lessons.  The planning for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities is not yet precise enough for both pupils and staff to be clear about the learning outcomes in some classes.  Some of the school’s policies and procedures are not consistently robust because they do not always accurately record or measure events, or evaluate actions.  Actions taken by leaders are systematically planned, but the impact of the actions are not always evidenced fully against post-holders’ accountabilities. Thus future plans do not

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

always take into account the impact of earlier work.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children have a good start in the Reception class because the provision and teaching are good.  The relationships between the pupils and the staff are a particular strength of the school. Pupils’ behaviour is good.  Governors are more effective in holding the school to account following recent training.  Effective professional development by school leaders is helping to raise the quality and consistency of teaching across the school.  The curriculum provides many opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills and this is beginning to impact positively on outcomes. The work is very visible around the school in the inspirational and creative displays.  There are many opportunities provided for pupils to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.  Parents and carers support the school well and value the breakfast and after-school clubs.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 12 lessons, of which two were jointly observed with the headteacher, and two groups of pupils receiving additional support.  Inspectors observed one assembly led by the headteacher.  Inspectors talked with pupils, listened to them read and observed pupils at play during break and lunch times.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s information on pupils’ progress for the current school year and previous three years, self-evaluation, school development and improvement documentation, documentation regarding the management of teachers’ performance, minutes of governing body meetings and school policies relating to behaviour, safeguarding and attendance. They viewed the school website.  Inspectors took account of the 53 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View), and 22 replies to the staff questionnaire. The lead inspector received two letters from parents.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors held meetings with a group of pupils, with two members of the governing body, the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the leaders of reading, writing, mathematics and the person responsible for special educational needs in the school. A further meeting was held with a representative of the local authority to discuss the nature and impact of the support provided for the school.

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Inspection team

Jill Thewlis Lead Inspector Additional Inspector Peter Hare Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Boughton-under-Blean and Dunkirk is a smaller than average primary school.  All pupils are taught in single-age classes.  The proportion of pupils eligible to receive pupil premium (additional funding provided for those in receipt of free school meals, in local authority care or from armed forces families) is below that found nationally.  The number of pupils supported at school action is below the national average, as is the number of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The majority of Year 6 pupils were not in school on the second day of the inspection as they were visiting their new schools..  The school has recently employed a number of new teachers who are now established in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  sharing more widely the best teaching in the school  making sure that teachers make clear to all pupils what they are learning in classroom activities and what they need to do to improve their work  ensuring that the needs of all learners are met by providing sufficient challenge within lessons so that pupils are advancing their learning and understanding rapidly  ensuring that the planning of activities for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities is more precise so that pupils and staff are clear about what the pupils are expected to learn .  Raise attainment and accelerate progress, especially in mathematics by:  further strengthening the ability of pupils to use mental calculation strategies  ensuring that the good progress made this year by pupils is secured for all pupils and groups of pupils in the school over time by consistently applying the initiatives recently introduced,

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

for example, ‘Big Maths’, which are delivering good progress in some classes.  Strengthen leadership and management by:  developing and establishing systems that are properly evaluated and show the impact of leadership at all levels on school performance  reviewing certain policies and procedures, especially those relating to pupils with special educational needs, to provide planned systems for ensuring their good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Since the last inspection, progress made by pupils has not been consistently good enough, especially in mathematics, because of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching over time. These issues have now been resolved and teaching is strengthening. School records indicate that pupils currently at Key Stage 2 are now making up any lost ground and benefit from stronger teaching.  Achievement in English remains stronger than in mathematics, although progress over time is not uniformly good across the school. Information on pupils’ progress, pupils’ work and the moderated writing outcomes in 2013 show that attainment in writing is above average by the end of Year 6. It shows improvement from the previous year, due to the more precise assessment arrangements introduced.  Achievement in mathematics was the weakest area in 2012. The impact of the actions taken to improve mathematics is currently evident in the progress of all pupils and end of key stage

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

outcomes seem on track to be more positive this year as a result.  Children enter the Reception class with levels of skills and abilities which are often below average. They make good progress as a result of effective teaching and a well-planned curriculum, and enter Year 1 with attainment at broadly expected levels. One group of boys were excitedly engaged in writing long sentences which they thought ‘looked like snakes’. The children were able to apply their phonic (links between sounds and letters) knowledge to write irregular words in a phonetically plausible way.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make variable progress across the school because the additional support provided for these pupils is not always precisely targeted.  The current Year 2 pupils have made better progress than last year, especially in reading and mathematics. Progress in writing is not as strong. There are fewer pupils achieving Level 3 than

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

in previous years in reading and writing because work is not always challenging enough for the most able, although more achieved this level in mathematics.  Pupils are able to use their phonics skills to read simple words. In the phonics screening check, they scored above the national average in 2012. The results for the current year again look positive.  The gap is closing between those eligible for pupil premium and their peers and is now less than one term in both English and mathematics at the end of Year 6. Progress of these pupils is variable in other year groups.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching over time has not always promoted good achievement because it has not been consistently good enough.  In the past, the teaching of mathematics has been less effective than in reading and writing in meeting the pupils’ needs. Teaching has not always challenged pupils sufficiently to use mental calculation strategies in order to solve problems efficiently. This is now being addressed by the school.  Teachers know their individual pupils well. However, they do not always assess progress routinely during lessons, and tasks are not always adjusted to extend learning. In some lessons, teachers give too little attention to the different abilities of pupils and so work is not always demanding enough. For example, in a mathematics lesson, a child said, ‘this is easy’ as she worked rapidly through a page of calculations. On completing the task, she was asked to do more of the same, using the same method, resulting in limited progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Previous staffing difficulties have had a negative impact on pupils’ achievement and the overall quality of teaching. These issues have now been resolved, and most of the teaching seen during the inspection was good, but the impact of past difficulties on the rates of pupil progress remains.  Stronger teaching has had a positive impact on pupils’ progress because teachers question pupils well to deepen understanding. lessons are brisk, with activities planned appropriate to ability, resulting in pupils making good progress.  Pupils enjoy reading. Training in ‘guided reading’ has been provided for all staff. Standards in reading are now rising, although this is less evident for pupils with special educational needs. This is because the progress of some pupils who receive additional support is not always sufficiently well checked and as a result, the support is not as well targeted as it could be.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Generally the least able pupils do not always have tasks which are tailored to their needs and abilities. Pupils and the adults providing support, as well as teachers, are not always clear about just what they should be learning and, as a result, these pupils do not make consistently good progress.  Improvements have been made to the marking of writing which is beginning to show positive impact.. Marking in other subjects is variable and a few pupils do not always know their next steps in learning.  In most lessons, teaching assistants were well deployed but, where this was not the case, pupils, especially those with special educational needs, made less fast progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils, staff, parents and carers are positive about the behaviour of pupils in the school. Pupils are confident that any poor behaviour would be swiftly dealt with. They feel safe in the school. Pupils typically are courteous to each other and to the adults in the school. Behaviour at lunchtime and at playtime was good and pupils responded well to those who supervise them.  Pupils are well aware of the differing kinds of bullying and understand that bullying can take different forms such as physical bullying, name-calling, cyber bullying or prejudiced-based bullying.  The breakfast and after school-club is valued by parents and carers, particularly the nurturing care and the range of activities provided by the staff.  Attendance is currently average. The school is proactive in following up absence and involves other professionals where necessary.  The school provides pupils with behavioural difficulties with good support. Occasionally, in some

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

situations, this support has not been successful and pupils have been excluded.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management are not yet good because good progress has not been secured for all pupils within the school. Recent actions taken are beginning to yield better outcomes, but these are not sufficiently embedded across the school for all groups of pupils to make good progress over time.  The staff and governors are committed to ensuring that equal opportunities are provided for all pupils, that there is no discrimination, and that the school provides a caring community. However, systems to strengthen the school’s performance are not always consistently checked or planned actions completed. As a result, some staff are unclear, and sometimes frustrated, about how they can help to improve the school.  The headteacher is well focused on improving outcomes for pupils even when staff find it difficult initially to respond to high expectations.  The management of teachers’ performance is in place and shows a clear link with salary

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The leadership and management require improvement

progression. The deputy headteacher, together with a teaching and learning consultant from the local authority, has provided coaching to successfully improve teaching.  The local authority has also provided bespoke training for governors in the analysis of information on pupils’ progress and this has enabled governors to ask more challenging questions of school leaders.  The middle leaders have clear plans to improve standards in English and mathematics. There is evidence that their actions are driving up standards, but this has not been consistent over time across the school.  Checks on the progress of those pupils with special educational needs are not rigorous enough to ensure that this group of pupils make good progress. Senior leaders have not ensured that the progress of those receiving support has been precisely recorded or analysed and this has hampered their ability to bring about improvements in provision and progress.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The school development plan correctly identifies the areas for improvement within the school but does not evaluate the impact of all actions sufficiently so that the results do not always feed into future planning..  Subjects taught are planned well to cover topics that engage the interest of pupils. There is an appropriate focus on developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Activities which involve pupils’ learning about others’ beliefs help to promote tolerance and understanding well and many opportunities are provided for pupils to participate in a range of inter-school events to celebrate performing arts and sport. A strong moral code is promoted, particularly in assembly.  The governance of the school:  The governing body holds the school to account more effectively as a result of recent training. Governors are aware how the school compares with other schools locally and nationally. They

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The leadership and management require improvement

make regular planned visits to check the school’s effectiveness, linked to the improvement plans, and outcomes are recorded. Governors ensure the school is financially sound. They have a clear understanding about the link between management of teachers’ performance and salary progression. They receive appropriate information about the quality of teaching and have challenged leaders where teaching has been weak. Governors are involved in the decisions about how pupil premium is spent. They ensure that the school’s safeguarding arrangements are compliant.

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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 118705 Local authority Kent Inspection number 405810

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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 219 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jessica Boyle Headteacher Hugh Greenwood Date of previous school inspection 2–3 March 2011 Telephone number 01227 751431 Fax number 01227 751431 Email address office@bad.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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