Goodnestone Church of England Primary School

School report Goodnestone Church of England Primary School The Street, Goodnestone, Kent, CT3 1PQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. All groups of pupils, including the most able, make good progress in their learning, with particularly fast progress in mathematics.  Teachers are knowledgeable and skilful in helping pupils to develop their work. They make very good use of the outside environment to provide exciting learning opportunities. Teaching assistants are highly effective in supporting all pupils.  Children get off to a good start in the Reception class because teaching is good. Assessment is accurate and pupils make good progress from their starting points.  Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning. Pupils want to learn and achieve to the best of their ability. They work hard and support each other very well.  Pupils feel happy and very safe. This view is fully supported by all parents and carers. Pupils thrive

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and develop into confident young people who are fully prepared for the next steps in their education.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fully supported through a well- designed and exciting range of subjects. Core values of respect and tolerance for others are well embedded into school life and practised by adults and pupils alike.  The acting headteacher and head of school are ably supported by a strong governing body. They are fully committed to providing an excellent education for all pupils. Their actions are having a positive impact on raising standards and improving teaching. The school is well prepared for changes in the way pupils’ progress is checked and for the implementation of the new National Curriculum.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Teaching is not yet outstanding as some staff are at the early stages of their professional development.  Too few pupils make outstanding progress in writing when compared with reading and mathematics.  Standards at the end of Year 2 for more-able pupils in writing are not consistently high.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven lessons or part lessons, visiting all teachers. Most of the lessons were observed jointly with the acting headteacher or the head of school. She also listened to some pupils read.  The inspector spoke informally to pupils at lunchtime and observed them during assembly and around the school.  A range of documentation was looked at, including: the school’s self-evaluation document; school improvement plans; records of lesson observations; teachers’ performance management information; the school’s own assessment information; reports from the local authority consultant; and the school’s safeguarding documentation.  The inspector examined a range of pupils’ books from the current term and the previous year to assess learning over time.  Meetings were held with the acting headteacher and head of school, school staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, the local authority consultant and a group of pupils. A meeting

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Information about this inspection

was also held with governors including the Vice Chair of the Governing Body from the school with which Goodnestone Church of England Primary is proposing to form a hard federation.  There were too few responses to the online Parent View questionnaire to be considered. The inspector examined the 11 responses to the recent survey held by the school and spoke to 16 parents and carers informally at the start of the school day. She also took account of the 14 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Penny Spencer, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Goodnestone Church of England Primary School is much smaller than most primary schools.  Most pupils are taught in mixed-age classes. Currently there are four classes: a combined Reception and Year 1; Year 2; a combined Years 3 and 4; and a combined Years 5 and 6.  The proportion of pupils supported through a statement of special educational needs or the new education care plan is below average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is very small and much lower than the national average. There were no pupils receiving this support in Year 6 in 2014.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  There have been several changes in leadership and staffing since the previous inspection.  The school is in the final period of consultation with Nonington Church of England Primary School to create a hard federation. The headteacher of Nonington Church of England Primary School is currently the

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Information about this school

acting headteacher of Goodnestone Church of England Primary.  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?

 Improve teaching to typically outstanding levels so that more pupils make better than expected progress in all subjects, but especially writing, by ensuring that:  all pupils, including those in Reception, consistently have as many opportunities as possible to practise and develop their writing skills and accelerate their learning  teachers quickly become adept at using the newly introduced assessment system to track pupils’ achievement to improve progress further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The acting headteacher, ably supported by the long-serving senior teacher and effective governing body, provides clear and decisive leadership. Everyone is valued in this small, friendly school and there is a strong sense of purpose towards excellence. All staff share this vision, as shown by the wholly positive responses to the staff questionnaire.  Safeguarding policies and procedures are rigorous and fully in place. Parents and carers who spoke to the inspector unanimously agreed that the school looked after the children well. For many, this is a key reason for their choice of school.  The headteacher’s regular and diligent checking of the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance and progress is ensuring rapid improvement. Observations of teaching are checked closely with work in pupils’ books and assessment information to ensure judgements are accurate. The school is confident in the accuracy of its assessment because its judgements are regularly validated by external agencies and

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The leadership and management are good

teachers from local schools. Information is shared regularly with governors who use their experience and training to check and challenge any known underperformance.  Communication with parents and carers is good. Because the school is small, everyone is well known to the headteacher and his staff. Relationships are strong. The school involves parents and carers at every opportunity to celebrate success and to address any concerns. Parents and carers are fully involved in the consultations for the proposed federation and are confident their views are taken into account.  Senior leaders evaluate the performance of the staff well and accurately appraise their effectiveness. High- quality training and support result in teaching that is constantly improving. Governors are fully involved in checking the quality of teaching. Decisions about teachers’ pay are closely linked to pupils’ success.  There is a good balance of experienced and newly qualified staff. Support for the development of

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The leadership and management are good

inexperienced staff is good so that they are honing their skills rapidly. Good use is made of local school partnerships and joint training opportunities, as well as individual expertise and subject knowledge.  Key priorities are quickly identified by the headteacher and intervention is effective in developing teachers’ confidence and skills. As a result of an increased focus on the grammar and spelling elements of writing, standards doubled in 2014 and pupils’ progress accelerated. New systems for checking pupils’ progress, following the removal of National Curriculum levels, are in place. Not all staff are confident in new assessment routines, but say they will eventually provide an even more accurate picture of individual progress.  Very small staff numbers mean leadership responsibilities are held collectively. All teachers are jointly responsible for curricular subjects. This shared accountability is ensuring all teachers develop their

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The leadership and management are good

leadership skills while not being overburdened with multiple responsibilities. Regular meetings ensure information is shared and acted upon quickly.  Pupil premium funding is used wisely to support the very small numbers of pupils who are eligible to receive it. Funds are allocated on an individual basis depending on need. As a result these pupils achieve in line or above all pupils nationally and their peers in all year groups and all subjects.  The school is making very good use of the primary school sports funding. The school has no hall and uses the village hall for much of its teaching. A specialist company has introduced much more variety to the curriculum and is training staff to become confident in delivering exciting lessons. Pupils spoke highly of new arrangements, especially the opportunity to attend after-school sports sessions. The school is closely monitoring the progress of pupils to ensure that their health and well-being improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has fully implemented the new National Curriculum with revised programmes of work and different topics where necessary. It supports well pupils’ academic, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn about other religions and cultures through lessons, visits and assemblies. The school actively promotes respect and tolerance through its key values and pupils leave the school well equipped for the next stage in their education.  The local authority provides an appropriately light touch support to this good school.  The governance of the school:  Governors are well informed and have an accurate understanding of what needs to be done to move the school forward. They have a good understanding of their strategic role in supporting and challenging leaders. They know how well the school compares to others locally and nationally. They know about the quality of teaching and are fully aware of their responsibilities regarding pay and progression up the salary

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The leadership and management are good

scales. They take an active role in monitoring pupils’ progress through the scrutiny of pupils’ books, analysis of assessment information and observations of teaching. Minutes of meetings show they ask challenging and pertinent questions of school leaders. They use their individual expertise effectively to support various aspects of leadership and management within this small school. They work closely with the headteacher to ensure priorities are focused on improving teaching and learning towards outstanding practice. The governors ensure school funds, including the primary school sports funding and pupil premium, are used effectively to help pupils achieve well. Procedures for keeping pupils safe fully meet requirements.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils love coming to school. They are happy and enthusiastic about every aspect of school life. During discussions, they are unanimous in their views that their school is like a big family where they are valued and looked after. Parents and carers also fully support this view. Attendance is above the national average for primary schools.  The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils respond to teachers’ instructions quickly and sensibly and settle down to their tasks promptly. They are eager to learn. As a result, standards are continuing to rise and progress is accelerating.  Pupils work extremely well together during lessons. They enjoying sharing information. Pupils were observed amicably checking each other’s calculations, solving problems together and creating group drama scenes. All these activities led to very good progress for all pupils in the class.  Behaviour around the school is impeccable. Pupils are polite to each other and the adults in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

They look after their environment well and respect each other’s property. They play well together in the small playground. Older pupils were observed on a number of occasions spontaneously playing games with younger pupils and helping them on the climbing equipment.  Routines and expectations for good behaviour are reinforced though assemblies and lessons. This was observed in the Reception and Year 1 class where the newest pupils were being taught how to tidy up their equipment by the example of the adults.  Records kept by the school show very few incidents of concern over a long period of time. The very occasional incidents are often related to specific special needs rather than any generalised behavioural issues. Incidents are recorded in detail and parental involvement is included as a matter of course. There have been no exclusions for a number of years.  Pupils are regularly asked to attend community events both within the village and further afield. They

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

have good links with the local church and have forged lasting ties over a long period of time with a school in Africa. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is strongly promoted by the school’s programmes of study which successfully broaden horizons and teach them about the wider world outside their village.  Pupils state categorically there is no bullying and all pupils who spoke to the inspector were clear about what constituted bullying. Pupils are extremely confident that any incidents would be quickly resolved by adults.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Safeguarding policies are comprehensive and procedures are fully endorsed by all members of staff. Training is comprehensive and regularly updated.  Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe because they are taught well. Frequent lessons, assemblies and events ensure they understand the risks associated with using the internet, cycling and

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The quality of teaching is good

 Consistently good and sometimes outstanding teaching in all subjects is leading to all pupils making good progress and achieving well.  Children make very good progress in the Reception class because teaching is consistently good.  Teachers have high expectations. They plan interesting and exciting lessons that motivate and enthuse pupils to learn well. They are skilled in ensuring pupils in their class, even if in different year groups, have suitable work that matches their differing abilities.  Marking and feedback are constructive and dedicated opportunities for all pupils to respond are a key factor in the improved progress and standards for most pupils. Assessment is regular and detailed, but not all staff are fully confident in using new assessment routines.  Teachers use the very small numbers in each class to plan individual programmes of study where necessary to ensure pupils catch up or are challenged further. The school is well placed to undertake

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The quality of teaching is good

assessment without levels because teachers and leaders have devised a comprehensive new system to track progress.  Teachers and teaching assistants use questioning very skilfully to move learning forward. This was observed during an outstanding mathematics lesson where the teacher used her skills to deepen pupils’ understanding of place value. Pupils ended the lesson confidently, successfully tackling calculations.  The school strongly promotes equality of opportunity. There is a positive climate for learning in all classes. Teachers treat pupils with respect and as a result pupils respond positively in return. Pupils listen carefully and are keen to engage in their learning. This is a major factor in the improving and rapid rates of progress and standards.  Additional adults in classes are effective in supporting learning. They engage fully with pupils and make a strong contribution to their progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those who are disadvantaged are completely integrated into school life because support is skilful and dedicated to developing independence and high achievement.  Learning for the most able pupils is generally challenging and they make very good progress and achieve highly. However, opportunities for pupils to write in a number of different ways, including in Reception, are too few. This means that by the end of Year 2, too few more-able pupils consistently achieve highly.

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is good

 Pupils in all year groups make consistently good progress from broadly average starting points. Standards are typically above average by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Over time virtually all pupils make at least expected progress in all subjects and the proportion of pupils making better than expected progress is rising, especially in reading and mathematics. Achievement is not yet outstanding because this better than expected progress is not yet fully reflected in writing.  The most able pupils make good progress by the end of Year 6 and achieve highly in all subjects. Teachers use their good subject knowledge to provide challenging work that stretches their knowledge and understanding.  Pupils in Reception make good progress from average starting points and almost all pupils reach a good level of development. The proportion of children exceeding expectations is high.

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is good

 Phonics (the sounds letters make) is taught well. This is reflected in the above average results in the phonics screening check in Year 1.  The newly revised curriculum builds on previous successful planning. Pupils enjoy investigating new topics in a variety of useful ways. This was observed in the Years 3 and 4 class where pupils used the outside space to create cave dwellers’ conditions, as part of their introduction to the history topic.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are successfully meeting aspirational targets. They make good progress because needs are quickly identified and support is tailored exactly to their needs.  There are very few pupils in the school who are eligible to receive support through additional government funding. However, they make progress in line with or above their peers and similar pupils nationally in all year groups. There are no gaps in achievement when compared with the other pupils in the school.

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is good

 Children get off to a good start because they are well looked after in a caring and stimulating environment. Parents and carers are full of praise for the way in which their children are quickly settled in and encouraged to become confident learners.  Routines and procedures are quickly established and although it was very early in the term, children tidied away quickly and sat attentively during assembly.  Teaching is good. The reception teacher is experienced in teaching combined year groups and planning is comprehensive. This ensures the unique nature of early years education is not lost or diluted because numbers are very small or that children are taught with Year 1.  Teachers and teaching assistants work as a strong team. Good leadership ensures they are trained well to accurately assess progress and stretch all children to meet their full potential.  Activities are closely matched to children’s abilities and interests. As a result children make good progress

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is good

from their broadly average starting points. They move into Year 1 with a good level of development. The proportion of children exceeding expectations is high.  Phonics is taught well and pupils become confident early readers.  Very good use is made of the small outdoor spaces to provide adventurous experiences in all areas of learning. Children use the space sensibly because behaviour is excellent.  Assessment is comprehensive and includes a wide variety of evidence. Parents and carers regularly contribute to this process and are fully involved in their children’s learning. Assessments are checked and evaluated regularly with senior leaders and outside agencies to ensure they are accurate.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 118686 Local authority Kent Inspection number 444332

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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 76 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Geraldine Slack Headteacher Mr Tobin Wallace-Sims (acting headteacher) Date of previous school inspection 22−23 March 2010 Telephone number 01304 840329 Fax number 01304 840262 Email address manager@goodnestone.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 and 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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