St Eanswythe's Church of England Primary School

St Eanswythe's Church of England Primary School Church Street, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 1SE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Achievement is good overall because teaching is usually good, and it is sometimes outstanding.  The proportion of pupils making and exceeding expected progress is high compared to national figures in English, especially in reading, and close to national figures in mathematics.  Behaviour is outstanding in all year groups. Pupils are polite, enthusiastic and eager to learn. Their high standards of behaviour and very positive attitudes are reflected in their attendance which is now high.  The headteacher and senior leaders, including directors, accurately identify the school’s strengths and areas requiring improvement. They have used this information to secure improvements in achievement.  The curriculum, which provides memorable experiences for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is a key strength of the school.  Parents and carers hold positive views about the school and almost all who responded on

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

Parent View say they would recommend the school to another parent or carer.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Teaching is not yet outstanding in all year groups.  Achievement in mathematics is not as good as that in English, especially for pupils of average ability.  Gaps between the achievement of boys and girls in some cohorts are being addressed but they are not yet closing rapidly enough. Girls tend to do better than boys in English and boys tend to do better in mathematics.  Senior leaders have been deployed to support other schools, leaving St Eanswythe’s with weaker leadership. However, leadership and management are good overall as a result of the wealth of experience and expertise provided by the headteacher and other leaders.  Middle leaders are not currently accountable for standards in their subjects.  Leaders’ feedback to teachers about how to improve has not always been targeted sharply enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons or parts of lessons, delivered by eight teachers. Three lessons were joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors listened to some pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 read.  Discussions were held with groups of pupils, teachers and the Chair of the Board of Directors. A brief interview was also conducted with the headteacher of a school that has been supported by St Eanswythe’s.  Inspectors took account of 30 questionnaires completed by the staff. There were 51 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View). Parents’ and carers views were also gathered from informal meetings at the start of the school day.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s plans for improvement and minutes of directors’ meetings. They also examined documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance, and performance management of staff.  A range of other evidence was also scrutinised by inspectors including pupils’ current work in

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Information about this inspection

books and the school’s own data and monitoring records of how well pupils progress in their learning.

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Inspection team

Angela Konarzewski, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Chris Christofides Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized, one-form entry primary school. It became an academy in February 2013. When its predecessor school of the same name was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for looked after children, those known to be eligible for free school meals and the children of service families, is broadly in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average, with a higher than average proportion learning English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at 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 these include pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, those with speech,

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Information about this school

language and communication needs, and those with moderate learning difficulties.  There is a breakfast and after-school club run by the governing body.  The headteacher is a National Leader of Education (NLE) and the school is a National Support School (NSS) and a Teaching School. Senior leaders are currently engaged in supporting five other local schools.  The school currently meets the government’s 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?

 Improve the overall quality of teaching so that more of it is consistently outstanding, and a greater proportion of pupils make at least good progress, especially in mathematics, by:  ensuring that teaching in mathematics builds carefully on pupils’ prior learning  ensuring that work in all subjects is well matched to pupils’ different levels of ability so that they are appropriately challenged in whole-class lessons  ensuring that marking and feedback in workbooks in writing and mathematics consistently inform pupils about what they need to do to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by:  ensuring that teachers understand the features of outstanding teaching so they can improve their own practice and the progress all groups of pupils make, including boys and girls  developing middle leaders through increasing their accountability for standards in core subjects  reviewing the leadership structure to ensure that school leadership is strengthened in the absence of senior leaders.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards at the end of Year 6 in 2013 were higher than the national average in reading, in line with the national average in writing and below the national average in mathematics. This represents good progress overall across the school from low starting points at the beginning of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and excellent progress in reading.  Most children enter school with skills that are well below the levels typical for their age, especially in their personal, social and emotional development and in their language and communication skills. They make good progress across the Early Years Foundation Stage and enter Year 1 at levels that are just below average.  In summer 2013, an above average proportion of pupils reached age-related expectations in the Year 1 phonics screening check because of the accurate phonics teaching they receive.  Pupils continue to make good progress across Key Stage 1, especially girls. Boys progress well in

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The achievement of pupils is good

reading, but their levels by the end of Key Stage 1 were still below national averages in all three areas in summer 2013. The achievement of girls was above national averages, especially in reading. This gender gap persists into Year 3.  By the end of Key Stage 2 in summer 2013, boys gained better results than girls, especially in mathematics and in reading, while girls’ results were better in writing. Boys did better than their peers nationally across all three areas. The attainment of girls, on the other hand, was below that of their peers nationally in mathematics and writing, and in line in reading.  Gaps in the achievement of boys and girls vary in the different year groups where often girls do better than boys in English and boys do better than girls in mathematics.  Pupils who are eligible for support through the use of the pupil premium funding make good progress. They do better than their peers nationally, especially in reading, although there is still

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The achievement of pupils is good

more to be done to ensure that they catch up with their peers within the school, especially in reading and mathematics. Funding is allocated effectively to provide additional support, so that gaps are now closing.  Pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs make good progress in all subjects, especially in reading and writing. Similarly, high-ability pupils make good progress. These groups benefit when their specific needs are met in ability sets and through small-group or one-to-one additional support.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language also make good progress and reach higher standards than their peers nationally because support for them is appropriately targeted.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although there is some outstanding teaching, consistently so in Year 6, and often in Key Stage 1, teaching in other classes, although usually good, remains variable. Higher-ability pupils are often appropriately challenged and lower-ability pupils are usually well supported by teaching assistants. However, the needs of pupils of average ability are sometimes overlooked, and so they do not make as much progress as they could, especially in mathematics. In some lessons, all pupils of varying abilities are expected to complete the same tasks. This means that work is too hard for some and too easy for others.  Science teaching throughout the school is excellent, so that, by the end of Year 6, pupils attain very high standards. In a memorable Year 6 science lesson, pupils were confident in the application of their skills to design an experiment to test the best conditions for evaporating a salt solution to recover salt crystals. The teacher’s excellent subject knowledge enabled her to

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The quality of teaching is good

explain changing states and to make links with mathematics to a high standard, extending more- able pupils effectively.  Teaching in the Reception class is usually good, as children make good progress overall, evident in their workbooks and records of achievement. However, some of the teaching seen there during the inspection required improvement when all children were given the same challenge in mathematics, regardless of their ability. This was also seen to be the case in some other lessons in other year groups.  The teaching of phonics (letters and sounds) in Key Stage 1 is excellent and pupils apply their skills well for reading and spelling. In one reading lesson, the teacher ensured that pupils used their phonics skills with confidence to enable them to read a book called ‘Save the Whale’. She made the lesson enjoyable by ensuring that children understood the text, and were able to enquire further about the life of whales. She used a globe to show the oceans that whales

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The quality of teaching is good

inhabit, and introduced some beautifully illustrated, fiction and non-fiction whale books.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work in writing and mathematics does not consistently help them to make progress. Basic errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation are often not corrected. Teachers sometimes give feedback on pupils’ work but opportunities to read and act upon advice are limited, so pupils do not improve their skills as quickly as they could.  The teaching of spelling in Key Stage 2 is less effective and common errors in written work persist for some pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and this is reflected in their attendance which is now high.  Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning and contribute to lessons with confidence because of the excellent relationships they have with staff.  Outside lessons, pupils continue to be confident and caring as well as exceptionally well- mannered, holding doors open for each other as well as for adults. One Year 4 boy requested politely, after raising his hand for attention, ‘Please may I have a tissue?’  Pupils unanimously say they feel very safe and they know they are valued and well cared for by staff in the school. The school promotes equality of opportunity, tackles discrimination and fosters good relations exceptionally well.  Pupils report that there is very little bullying, and that it is dealt with effectively when it does occur. They have a very good understanding of all kinds of bullying, including cyber bullying,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

and they are aware of the need to involve adults, including parents or carers, over any such incidents. They know that they are too young to communicate via social networking sites.  Parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire were very positive about the school and they agree that pupils feel safe, that expectations of behaviour are high and that incidents of bullying are rare.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders, including directors, are highly ambitious for the school and its pupils, and this is reflected in the school’s checks on how well it is doing.  Individual pupils’ progress is tracked closely. The information gained is used well to ensure that most pupils make good progress, including those eligible for pupil premium funding, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and also pupils who speak English as an additional language.  Senior leaders have begun to implement measures to address gaps between the achievement of boys and girls, but it is too early to assess the impact of them.  Systems for managing staff performance are appropriate, and leaders are introducing effective strategies for improving teaching so that more of it is consistently outstanding.  The leadership of middle leaders, who are newly in post since the deputy headteacher has been deployed to support another school, is less well developed where they are not held to account

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The leadership and management are good

for the progress of different groups of pupils in their subjects.  The school has responded to identified weaknesses in achievement in mathematics by introducing a new mathematics scheme, since September 2013. Anticipated improvements in standards in mathematics are not yet measureable, but the subject leader is confident that standards are rising. This was confirmed in some lesson observations and workbooks.  Safeguarding arrangements are thorough, and there is an explicit culture of safety, including e- safety, that is articulated clearly by staff and pupils alike.  The school curriculum offers pupils highly positive experiences. Subject specialists ensure teaching to the highest standards in French, art, music and physical education. A very wide range of exciting visits, including a day trip to France, and interesting visitors, including a mosaic artist, set learning in meaningful, enjoyable contexts.

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The leadership and management are good

 Participation in sports is exceptional, having been inspired by the Olympic legacy. Prior to receiving the new sports funding, provision of regular sporting opportunities, including football, netball, rugby and athletics, was already good. The school has used the new sports funding this year very creatively to offer older pupils opportunities to participate in unusual activities including: kayaking; horse riding; table tennis; golf; water polo; archery; tobogganing; and badminton.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also successful, as seen in its impact on pupils’ behaviour. There is a daily act of collective worship and there are close links with the local church that provide good opportunities for developing this aspect explicitly.  The headteacher, deputy Headteacher and other senior leaders have made a significant contribution towards school improvement in the local area through working in partnership with

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The leadership and management are good

and supporting other schools.  Measures to bring about improvement have been highly effective in improving many aspects of the school, including attendance. This indicates that the school has good capacity to improve further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Directors write detailed reports on their regular visits to the school to monitor aspects of its work. They are effective in holding leaders to account, particularly in relation to pupils’ achievement. They know the school well and can explain how the pupil premium funding and sports funding are being used. Directors have visited the school to see the new mathematics scheme in action and are awaiting an evaluation of its success. The headteacher’s reports to directors are succinct and detailed and give good information as to how teachers’ performance is being managed and associated pay progression. The Chair of the Board of Directors is new to her role since the school became an academy, and she is providing the board with strong leadership. Directors have applied to undertake the Governor Mark award and have a programme of training in place. They ensure that rigorous safeguarding procedures are

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The leadership and management are good

applied and that financial management arrangements are robust.

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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 139315 Local authority Kent Inspection number 432571

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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 Academy Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 216 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rosemary Siebert Headteacher Jane Garrett Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01303 255516 Fax number 01303 210671 Email address headteacher@st-eanswythe’s.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 whenand 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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