Capel-le-Ferne Primary School

Inspection of Capel-le-Ferne Primary School Capel Street, Capel-le-Ferne, Folkestone, Kent CT18 7HB

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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 29 and 30 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Capel-le-Ferne is a kind, warm and welcoming school, where staff and pupils happily strive to be the best they can be. Respect is one of the school’s values, and pupils have lots of it. The headteacher has created a culture where treating others with respect is important. The values of respect, creativity, confidence and independence are central to every aspect of the school’s work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils. This includes those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils rise to the challenge and enjoy their lessons. They are attentive and give thoughtful suggestions, and most work hard and make good progress.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. In lessons, most pupils follow teachers’ instructions. They want to do well and want to learn. Pupils are motivated by the rewards system that the school uses.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils proudly get involved in the school’s pupil panels. These were set up to give pupils a voice about what happens in the school. Recently, pupils decided that they want to make the school more environmentally friendly. For example, they discussed how the school can make better use of the school’s minibus to reduce reliance on cars.

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better?

The school has been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, leaders have remained focused on improving the curriculum. They have paid particular attention to how well planned and sequenced each subject is.

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better?

Leaders have developed a curriculum that takes account of what pupils need to learn and when. This starts in Reception, where pupils get off to a good start. This is because the learning opportunities they experience prepare them well for what will come in Year 1 and beyond. Despite this, the learning environment does not fully capture children’s imagination. Leaders have plans in place to improve the physical environment. The school’s curriculum progressively develops pupils’ knowledge and skills as they move from Reception to Year 6. As a result, pupils are prepared well for secondary school.

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better?

Pupils enjoy the different subjects they learn because they feel a sense of pride when they learn something new. Staff understand pupils’ individual needs. They know what approach is going to work best for each pupil. Some pupils receive extra help from staff. This is personalised so that pupils learn well in lessons.

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better?

Teachers are knowledgeable and they plan interesting lessons for pupils. They explain new learning clearly. They check what pupils have learned and remembered. This helps them to make changes to their teaching so that pupils make good progress. However, teachers do not do this well enough in all subjects. As a result, 29 and 30 March 2022

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some pupils do not move on in their learning quickly enough or move on without having understood what they have learned.

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The teaching of phonics is consistent across the school because staff are trained well. Leaders’ plans are successful in helping pupils to sound out and blend. This means that pupils read fluently and confidently. Support from staff who have had extra training helps those pupils who struggle to read make quick progress. Pupils have many opportunities to read and be heard reading by adults. They enjoy using the library which is full of interesting and exciting books.

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Pupils like coming to school, and they make lots of friends here. They value the time they spend together and talk, share stories and laugh with each other. They help each other and most get on well. If they fall out, staff are there to help. Staff take time to find out about pupils’ interests. This leads to positive staff-pupil relationships.

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The personal development of pupils is good. They have many opportunities to take part in clubs, trips and activities that help them to develop their interests. For example, pupils enjoy rock climbing, biking and trampolining. Visits to Dover Castle, Deal Castle and the Battle of Britain Memorial all help to enhance pupils’ learning.

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Leaders are supported well by governors who support and challenge in equal measure. They regularly ask questions of leaders and check what leaders are telling them is happening. Governors bring different expertise to their roles. They understand these roles and carry them out well. The local authority challenges and supports leaders. This is helpful in supporting leaders to improve the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out checks on adults working at the school. Despite this, some of the school’s training records are disorganised. For example, during the inspection, some records of safeguarding training could not be easily found. Nevertheless, leaders ensure that staff are trained well so that they know what to do if they have safeguarding concerns about pupils. Designated safeguarding leads take appropriate, timely actions to ensure that pupils and their families get the help they need. They document these actions well. However, sometimes, there are gaps in pupils’ child protection records because the information is stored in different places.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Not all subject leaders know how well pupils are learning their subject. Consequently, they do not know if pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. Leaders should ensure that there are whole-school assessment 29 and 30 March 2022

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processes in place to check how well all pupils have learned and remembered the most important knowledge and skills to inform future curriculum planning.  The learning environment in Reception lacks stimulating resources that capture children’s imagination. It does not fully support leaders’ ambition for children. Leaders need to further develop the indoor and outdoor provision so that it helps children in Reception develop fully across all areas of learning.  Safeguarding record-keeping has some gaps. Consequently, leaders do not have a clear enough record of their decision-making and response to concerns. Leaders must ensure that any safeguarding concerns and actions taken are clearly recorded and well organised. Records of safeguarding training are disorganised. This means that leaders are not easily able to evidence which staff have completed safeguarding training. Leaders must ensure that these records are

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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. 29 and 30 March 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Chair of governing body

Michelle Topley and Andrew Franks (Co- chairs) Headteacher David Metcalfe

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Chair of governing body

Website www.capelleferneprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 7 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There is a Nursery on the school premises. This is not led and managed by the school. The Nursery is inspected separately by Ofsted.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors heard a small number of pupils read to an adult. 29 and 30 March 2022

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 Inspectors also visited lessons in some other subjects.  Inspectors met with leaders, staff, pupils and those with responsibility for governance, including the co-chairs of the governing body and one other governor.  Inspectors visited the early years provision and spoke to the early years leader remotely.  Inspectors observed pupils at break- and lunchtime.  Inspectors scrutinised behaviour and bullying records.  Inspectors scrutinised minutes of governing body meetings, records of visits to the school by members of the governing body and records of visits to the school by the local authority.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator to discuss the provision for pupils with SEND and visited lessons to observe the support provided in lessons for these pupils.  Inspectors considered the responses to the confidential staff questionnaire. They took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and

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comments made by those who responded.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors looked at the school’s website and policies, met with leaders and spoke with pupils and staff. They scrutinised the school’s records of the safeguarding checks carried out on adults working at the school and spoke with governors. They scrutinised a selection of child protection records.

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Inspection team

Shaun Jarvis, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Owen McColgan Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 March 2022

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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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