Kemsing Primary School

Kemsing Primary School West End, Kemsing, Sevenoaks, TN15 6PU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  Leaders and managers have made sure that standards have continued to improve since the previous inspection. Attainment in mathematics is average and above average in English.  Pupils make good progress in English and the proportion of pupils making good progress in mathematics is rising.  Teaching is typically good and some is outstanding. Leaders have made sure that effective professional development and good management of staff performance have resulted in improvements to the quality of teaching.  Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy the wide range of opportunities on offer and this is reflected in above-average attendance and good behaviour.  The headteacher has worked hard to develop the leadership team. This is having a positive effect on making sure that pupils eligible for the pupil premium do not fall behind.  Governors have a good understanding of the work of the school. They work in partnership

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

with senior leaders to make sure the school continues to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Too few pupils reach the higher levels of attainment in mathematics because they do not apply their skills enough through problem solving or across different subjects.  Teachers do not always ask probing questions to check and adjust tasks and to fully extend pupils’ learning. This means that pupils are not consistently challenged to make quick progress throughout the lesson.  Pupils do not have enough opportunity to improve their work and show what they know and can do independently.  Pupils are not given opportunities to respond to marking and marking is not always precise in telling pupils what they have done well and what they need to do to improve.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons, four of them jointly with the headteacher.  In addition, inspectors observed parts of lessons, listened to pupils read and checked the use of phonics (the sounds that letters make) across Key Stage 1.  Meetings were held with pupils, teachers, senior and other leaders, governors and a representative from the local authority. There were also discussions with parents.  The school’s website, pupils’ work, policies, safeguarding and monitoring and evaluation documents were scrutinised. Information relating to performance management and professional development was also looked at and discussed with staff.  Inspectors took account of the 80 responses from parents and carers from the online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the school’s own surveys, letters and e-mails.  In addition, 18 staff questionnaires were also taken into account.

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Inspection team

Narinder Dohel, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Bryan Meyer Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is the extra government support for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, looked-after children and those from service families, is below average. Currently there are no looked-after children or pupils from service families in the school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average, while the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The majority of children are of White British background. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Move teaching to outstanding by:  making sure teachers ask probing questions and adjust tasks more quickly so that they extend pupils’ learning and challenge them  making sure that marking is precise in telling pupils what they have achieved and consistently gives next steps in their learning  giving pupils more time and opportunity to respond to teachers’ marking  providing more opportunities for pupils to work independently and discuss their learning in lessons.  Raise pupils’ achievement at the higher levels in mathematics by:  applying the recently revised focus on calculations through problem solving  developing the practical use of mathematics through other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment has been steadily rising at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Children start school in the Reception class with skills and capabilities in line with expectations nationally. By the time pupils leave school in Year 6, attainment in mathematics is average and in English it is above average. This means pupils, including those from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress overall.  Although there have been some improvements in standards in mathematics since the time of the previous inspection, these are not yet as consistent and as robust as in English. Fewer pupils achieve Level 5 in mathematics than they do in reading or writing. There are not enough opportunities through other subjects to develop pupils’ mathematical skills of calculation and problem solving.  Pupils currently in the school make consistently good progress in their reading and writing and

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The achievement of pupils is good

mathematics as they mature through the school. This is because there are effective systems for checking pupils’ progress. This means that teachers are able to identify promptly any pupils who are at risk of falling behind and arrange additional support to help them catch up.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Year 1 have a good understanding and use of phonics. A higher than average proportion of pupils in Year 1 reached the required standard in the phonics screening check.  The focus on reading continues across the school. Pupils receive individual support and guidance from a range of adults, resulting in good progress for pupils currently in the school. This also contributes to the high standards and progress pupils achieve in their writing.  In the 2012 national assessments, pupils who were supported by the pupil premium were approximately two terms behind their peers in English and mathematics. However, the school is

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The achievement of pupils is good

using the funding effectively to make sure that pupils make faster progress to catch up and close these gaps.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported by teaching assistants within the classroom to access learning. Overall, these pupils make good progress.  The school is effective in ensuring equality of opportunity for pupils’ learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved over the last two years and is consistently good, ensuring that pupils achieve well. Some examples of outstanding teaching were also observed during the inspection.  A renewed focus on the teaching of mathematics enables pupils to acquire a confident range of strategies that they can apply to calculating and problem solving. These can be seen displayed across the school and in classrooms. However, the teaching of mathematics is not yet fully integrated across other subjects.  Pupils typically engage well in their learning because teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects they are teaching. Teachers take care to provide interesting challenges, such as in one science lesson, where pupils were helped to explore the properties of light and test materials to decide whether they were translucent, transparent or opaque.  However, in a few lessons, pupils’ thinking is not extended sufficiently because teachers’

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The quality of teaching is good

questioning does not always deepen pupils’ understanding of concepts such as place value in mathematics, or build in enough challenge. Consequently pupils do not always make as much progress as they could.  In lessons where pupils make the best progress, teachers check and reinforce learning. They set learning goals for the lesson, regularly check out pupils’ skills and understanding to reshape tasks where necessary and provide verbal and written feedback. This results in an immediate improvement in standards. This was seen in a writing lesson, where pupils were asked to write a letter from the Three Bears to Goldilocks. Pupils made good gains in their learning about adjectives and punctuation.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is consistent across the school and across all subjects. Although pupils know their targets, work books show that teachers do not consistently provide comments that tell pupils exactly what they have done well and set challenges or clearly identify

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The quality of teaching is good

the next steps on how to proceed.  Pupils are not given sufficient time to read and respond to their teachers’ comments, which limits the dialogue they can have about their progress and their ability to improve their work independently.  High quality presentation in books makes it easy to see the progress that pupils make. Pupils’ handwriting is of a high standard, including that of the youngest children in the Reception class. This also shows the pride and care that adults and pupils have in their school and work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils across the school are welcoming, polite and mature. They have positive attitudes to school. There are a range of opportunities, such as school council and training for playground buddies and peer mediators, that help pupils to develop a sense of community and responsibility.  Parents agree with their children that behaviour is good. Behaviour is not exemplary the whole time but, when outstanding teaching motivates and engages the whole class, pupils’ behaviour is impeccable. Where the pace or challenge of learning slows down, some pupils lose concentration.  Relationships between pupils and pupils and teachers are positive and make a good contribution to the progress pupils make. Pupils show a great deal of respect for one another.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, and cyber bullying in particular. They say that bullying is not an issue for them.  Pupils report that they feel safe in school and, through their lessons, learn about how to keep

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

themselves safe, for example when using the internet. They say there are few problems in the school and they have confidence in adults and their own abilities to solve any quickly should they arise.  Attendance is above average. This shows that pupils clearly enjoy coming to school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The drive to raise achievement and pupils’ personal development to the highest levels is clearly demonstrated by the headteacher and the leadership team. This has resulted in a rise in attainment and the amount of progress pupils make. This is underpinned by clear actions to improve the quality of teaching.  Since the previous inspection, the headteacher has greatly improved the role of senior leaders. This has meant that leaders are better equipped to identify and address areas for improvement promptly and, as a result, standards have continued to rise.  Staff and governors are fully involved in making sure that the school continues to improve. Staff are highly motivated and are well supported in developing their own skills and expertise. Improvements are due to raised expectations from the leadership team about what pupils can achieve. There are robust systems for checking teaching and effective professional development

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The leadership and management are good

of teachers to help them improve.  The management of the performance of all staff, including senior leaders and teaching assistants, is closely linked to raising achievement in mathematics, improving the quality of teaching and identifying professional development priorities.  Systems for checking pupils’ progress are robust and help to direct the support and resources that pupils need to make gains in their learning.  The school’s development plans and view of its work are accurate, focused and appropriate. These are put together, reviewed and checked over by all staff and governors.  The curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. An effective feature of the curriculum is that a wide range of subjects are linked effectively and taught well. This has been most effective in raising standards in reading and writing but not so developed in mathematics. Pupils are excited and enthused by opportunities

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The leadership and management are good

to experience residential trips such as to the outdoors activities centre, learn about different faiths and beliefs and enter sporting competitions.  The school has benefited greatly from working in partnership and sharing expertise with a number of schools locally. The school receives light-touch support from the local authority.  The school meets all statutory safeguarding requirements.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is ably led by a well-informed and experienced Chair of Governors. Governors have a wide and relevant set of skills that they apply to the work of the school and in managing the performance of the headteacher. They visit the school regularly and routinely gather the views of pupils, parents and teachers. They have a close working relationship with staff, and a good understanding of the work of the school, pupils’ performance, the quality of teaching and the school’s finances.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors seek to engage in regular and detailed discussion about the performance data of all pupils and are increasingly looking for the impact made by the pupil premium. Governors are aware of the proportion of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding and that any additional funding is spent on teaching resources, developing staff skills and enrichment. They understand about the management of teachers’ performance and how it must be used to improve the quality of teaching. They are currently in the process of revising the pay and performance policy for teaching staff which makes clear how they reward good teachers and tackle underperformance.  Governors undertake training opportunities such as how to work strategically as governors and asking questions of data. They seek external advice and support where needed.

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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 118277 Local authority Kent Inspection number 408904

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4 – 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 212 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Arnold Headteacher Eileen Mumford Date of previous school inspection 21 – 22 October 2009 Telephone number 01732 761236 Fax number 01732 763237 Email address headteacher@kemsing.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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