Skinners' Temple Grove

Inspection of Temple Grove Academy Friars Way, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3UA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 17–18 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for their pupils. They work hard to provide a broad and engaging curriculum for everyone. Pupils told us teachers give them time to share ideas and discuss their opinions, which helps them learn to value differences of opinion. One pupil said, ‘We learn to avoid peer pressure.’ This helps pupils feel confident and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well throughout the day. Playtimes are enjoyable. They value the playground ‘buddy bus stop’, which helps them find friends to play with. Pupils are confident that if anyone is upset, or feels they are being bullied, the teachers resolve their worries immediately. Pupils behave well during teaching. They work well together, sharing resources happily.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations and pupils value the interesting work they are given. Science is a favourite subject for many pupils, who enjoy the experiments and investigations. However, older pupils told us that sometimes they are given work they have done before. Pupils told us that they enjoy special days linked to their learning. For example, the recent Roald Dahl day gave pupils an opportunity to take on the roles of book characters and share their favourite books in an enjoyable way.

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better?

Leaders make sure that teachers are well trained to teach a full and rich curriculum. Teachers value the training and development they receive. Teachers feel well supported by leaders, including in managing their workload.

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better?

New resources and shared curriculum planning help teachers to ensure that lessons are engaging. Any pupil finding the work difficult is well supported. This is particularly the case in mathematics, where teachers help pupils build their mathematical skills and knowledge step by step. Leaders check that pupils learn what they should, when expected, so that pupils build the mathematical understanding they need for the next stage in their education. However, in some subject areas, such as science and physical education, teachers do not use assessment as effectively to ensure that learning builds on what pupils already know and can do.

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better?

Children get off to a strong start in early years. Teachers help children learn the fundamental skills they need to be successful in school. Learning activities interest the children and challenge them to achieve well. Children quickly become enthusiastic learners, indoors and out.

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better?

Leaders are determined that all children will learn to read at an early age. They therefore make the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) a priority. This begins as soon as children start school. Children in Reception learn letters and sounds promptly, and quickly begin to read words. Teachers provide appropriate reading books that link well to the sounds that children are learning. 17–18 September 2019

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Teachers engage with parents and carers to promote children’s reading at home.

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Any pupils who struggle to learn to read are given helpful support to catch up. Teachers understand that some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) may find it difficult to learn phonics. Teachers adapt the phonics programme to help them, but not all of these children’s learning is adapted so well.

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Teachers read to pupils every day. In key stage 2, they read books that challenge, entertain and give pupils food for thought. This expands pupils’ knowledge of good- quality texts and broadens their vocabulary. Pupils’ workbooks show that they are using their developing vocabulary well in their writing.

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Through a rich curriculum, leaders aim for all pupils to be able to ‘learn to manage their lives both now and in the future’. The school helps prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. For example, pupils enjoy learning about other cultures and exploring different religions. They spoke with pride about their leadership roles. Pupils take these roles seriously, such as playing with younger pupils during break. Pupils are polite, caring and friendly. They show interest in what they are learning in class and after school. Teachers ensure that pupils know what they are expected to achieve and how they are expected to behave. Parents are confident that the school cares for and supports their children well.

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Trustees and governors are clear about their distinctive responsibilities. Leaders provide them with helpful information about the school. Trustees and governors need to check and challenge this information more fully, in order to support raising standards still further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained and know what to do if they think a pupil may be at risk of harm. Leaders always act immediately on concerns raised. Leaders seek the right advice from other agencies and make sure that pupils get the help they need. Parents, staff and pupils are united in their view that pupils are safe in school. Leaders and governors place the well-being of pupils at the heart of the school’s work.

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Safeguarding

There are well-planned opportunities for pupils to learn to keep themselves safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Building on their successes, for example in mathematics, leaders need to ensure that teachers are clear about what pupils have learned and understand before teaching moves on, in all subjects.  Teachers successfully adapt much of the curriculum for pupils with SEND. For example, where the phonics programme is not suited to some pupils with SEND, a programme is designed to meet their specific needs. Leaders need to ensure that all pupils with SEND are as well prepared, across the curriculum, for their next steps in learning.  Trustees and the local governing body need to scrutinise and validate the information they receive from leaders more, to better challenge and support continuous school improvement.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 17–18 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111133 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 April 2017

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Information about this school

 Since the section 5 inspection, there have been significant changes to the leadership, staffing and governance of the school. A new deputy headteacher started in June 2017. From January to March 2018, the school was led by the deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher. They were supported by the education director of the trust and by the school’s improvement partner. The previous headteacher left in March 2018.  At the beginning of the summer term 2018, the school’s improvement partner took up the role of consultant headteacher for three days a week. A new chief executive officer (CEO) was appointed and new chairs elected for both the trust board and local governing body.  The very large majority of pupils are White British and other pupils come from a range of different ethnic backgrounds. There is an increasing proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. 17–18 September 2019

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited lessons, spoke to pupils, heard them read and looked at work in their exercise books. All lesson visits were conducted jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, curriculum leaders, teachers, groups of pupils, the CEO and the chair of the local governing body. They spoke on the phone with a representative of the trust board.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the day, and took into account eight responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also considered 21 responses to the staff questionnaire and one response to the pupil survey.  A range of documents was looked at, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement planning, and minutes of meetings of the trust board, monitoring board and local governing body. Records concerning pupils’ attendance, behaviour and safety were also reviewed.  As part of the inspection, a sample of subjects was chosen to investigate:

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Information about this inspection

reading, mathematics, science and physical education.

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Inspection team

Jo Lakey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Small Ofsted Inspector 17–18 September 2019

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