Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Sibertswold Church of England Primary School at Shepherdswell Coldred Road, Shepherdswell, Dover, Kent CT15 7LF

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 2021

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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 Previous inspection grade Good 19 and 20 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at Sibertswold. They smile when they arrive in the morning and are greeted warmly by the headteacher and other members of staff. Pupils said the school is special to them because, ‘Everybody’s different, but that’s okay, we don’t judge anyone here’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils, whatever their needs, thrive and flourish at the school and meet leaders’ and governors’ high expectations. Pupils say that teachers make learning fun. They particularly enjoy the forest school and the opportunity to read for enjoyment at the start of every day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn in a calm, purposeful environment without fear of bullying or discrimination. Their well-being is given top priority. Pupils know that staff care about them and this makes them feel very safe. Pupils agreed with one who said, ‘Teachers are very nice, they always listen to you’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are polite, kind and caring. Older pupils provide good role models for younger pupils. They make good friends and there is a real sense of belonging to the school and the village community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents commented on how happy and safe their children are in school. They fully support the leadership and appreciate how leaders communicate with them.

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better?

The school provides a good quality of education. The curriculum is broad, vibrant and engaging. There is a clear overview of what pupils will learn in each subject so that teachers know exactly what to teach and when. Pupils develop a rich and varied vocabulary which helps them talk about, understand and remember their learning. This begins as soon as children start school in Reception. Teaching helps pupils to become good learners with personal attributes, skills and attitudes to stand them in good stead for later life.

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better?

Some subjects, apart from English and mathematics, are being taught from the beginning of this year using schemes of work that are new to the school. Curriculum leaders have good subject knowledge. However, they have not yet been able to check on how well the new schemes are working over time, or to make sure pupils are building their knowledge over time. They are developing their leadership skills to support this work in the future.

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better?

Leaders understand the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and swiftly identify those who need additional help. Pupils have appropriate guidance and resources so that they can do their best. As a result, vulnerable pupils do well because their needs are met effectively. 19 and 20 October 2021

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The teaching of phonics is well organised and begins as soon as children start in the Reception Year. Pupils are given the right books to read, which help them practise the sounds they are learning. Teachers quickly identify pupils who might start to fall behind to give them extra support, which helps them catch up. Leaders are passionate about encouraging pupils to develop a love of reading. Time at the beginning of every day where pupils read purely for enjoyment reflects this. As a result, pupils develop as confident, fluent readers and their reading skills enable them to access the curriculum effectively.

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Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school and live up to teachers’ high expectations. When, on few occasions, pupils lose their concentration in lessons, teachers ensure that this does not disrupt learning. Children in the Reception Year settle very well and quickly become familiar with the routines and expectations.

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Leaders are unwavering in their determination to promote the further development of pupils’ independence and resilience, and raise pupils’ aspirations. There are plentiful opportunities for pupils to develop skills and talents beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils spoke with great enthusiasm about their recent trip to the Folkestone Arts Festival and how it had inspired them as artists. Pupils have great awareness and empathy for others less fortunate than themselves. Their work to raise funds to support a class of children in Burkina Faso is very important to them. Pupils develop respect and tolerance for others with different faiths, beliefs or backgrounds. The school values of love, justice, gratitude and determination are at the heart of all that the school does.

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The skilled and dedicated staff are happy to work at the school and feel valued and well supported. They say that senior leaders are always mindful of their workload. Parents are full of praise for the way the school provided for pupils’ learning and emotional well-being during lockdowns and for pupils’ transition back into school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Pupils’ well-being and safety are the highest priorities for governors and staff. The headteacher knows the pupils and their families very well. Leaders make sure that all staff are well trained. Staff know what to look out for and are vigilant in identifying any cause for concern. They know the procedures to follow to ensure that concerns are addressed quickly so that pupils get the help they need. The appropriate checks are carried out on adults who work in the school. 19 and 20 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, although the curriculum intent and implementation aspects are clear, the schemes of work are recently adopted. As a result, there has not been enough time to measure the impact of some new schemes of work that are currently in use. Subject leaders have worked hard and developed good subject knowledge. However, their leadership skills need strengthening to enable them to monitor and assess their subjects effectively. This will enable them to better identify strengths and areas for further work on the curriculum. It will also enable them to ensure that pupils are learning what they should.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 are the school and you are 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. 19 and 20 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200894 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Sibertswold is a voluntary controlled Church of England one-form-entry primary school with 200 pupils on roll.  As a school with a religious character, the school’s last inspection under section 48 of the education act 2005 was in October 2019. It was judged to be good. The next section 48 inspection will be within eight years of the last one.  The school is federated with Eythorne Elvington Community School. Both schools share a governing body.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The current headteacher was appointed in April 2021 after working at the school for five years as head of school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 19 and 20 October 2021

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and curriculum leaders.  A meeting was held with four members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair of governors. An inspector also met with two local authority school improvement advisers.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  Inspectors observed some pupils reading to teaching assistants, observed pupils

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at lunch and in the playground and spoke informally to different groups of pupils.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector met with two designated safeguarding leaders, looked at the single central record of recruitment checks and safeguarding records, and talked to staff and pupils.  The inspectors considered 100 responses to Ofsted’s confidential questionnaire, Parent View, including 68 free-text comments. They also took account of 18 responses to the confidential staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Margaret Coussins, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Hogarth Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 October 2021

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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