Painters Ash Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Painters Ash Primary School Masefield Road, Northfleet, Gravesend, Kent DA11 8EL

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Inspection dates: 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Outcome

Painters Ash Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at school in the morning happy and excited to find out what the day has in store. Pupils rise to the challenges of the school’s curriculum and the high expectations leaders set for behaviour. Pupils strive to live by the school’s values of respect, community, success, excellence, self-confidence and determination. They enjoy learning and work conscientiously in lessons. Pupils develop a good understanding of different subjects across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are eager to talk about their learning. They particularly enjoy going on trips to enhance their learning. For example, pupils in Year 6 particularly enjoyed their trip to Chislehurst Caves to learn more about life during the Second World War.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind and friendly. They are welcoming to newcomers and include them in their conversations and their play. Pupils are well looked after by staff. If pupils are worried about something, or if they fall out with their friends, they put a note in the worry box or talk to their teacher. Pupils feel safe, and the very rare incidents of bullying are quickly sorted out. As one parent said, the staff are ‘kind, caring and have the children’s best interests at the heart of all they do’.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have built an effective, committed staff team. There is a shared determination to provide all pupils with the very best education. All staff share the high expectations leaders have of all pupils. Staff appreciate how leaders consider their workload and support their well-being. The school is a happy place to work.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum to enable pupils to grow, nurture and succeed. Schemes of work outline in detail the knowledge and skills that pupils will learn, starting in early years. In each subject, pupils learn increasingly complex content as they move through the school. Leaders have also thought carefully about the additional 28 February and 1 March 2023

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experiences that they offer to all pupils. For example, pupils visit the community farm, local places of worship and an outdoor multi-sports centre.

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In some subjects, planning does not identify explicitly enough the crucial knowledge that pupils must remember. Furthermore, it is not always clear enough when important subject concepts will be revisited over time. This makes it harder for teachers to build on pupils’ prior learning. At times, some pupils struggle to make links with what they already know. Leaders are in the process of reviewing and refining the schemes of work in these subjects. They are starting to make this information more explicitly clear. However, in some subjects, there is more work to do.

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Leaders provide support and training for staff. This helps staff to develop their subject knowledge and their expertise in teaching. Teachers explain new learning clearly. They deepen pupils’ understanding through questioning and discussion. During lessons, teachers set pupils short quizzes. This helps pupils to practise recalling what they have already learned. Teachers carefully check what pupils have remembered. Teachers use this information to give pupils extra help when they need it. Pupils work hard in lessons. They concentrate on their tasks, thinking hard and persevering when challenged.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well in lessons. Staff know these pupils well. Pre-teaching activities prepare these pupils well to learn new content in the classroom. Teachers provide additional resources, such as mathematical equipment to support their understanding. This helps pupils with SEND to be successful in their learning.

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Leaders place great importance on pupils becoming confident, fluent readers. There is a strong, consistent approach to teaching phonics. This helps children in early years get off to a good start in learning phonics. As pupils move through the school, effective teaching builds on these strong foundations. If pupils fall behind, teachers plan extra activities that help pupils to practise and catch up. Pupils develop the confidence and knowledge they need to read books of increasing complexity. Pupils also love to read. They enjoy listening to stories with their class and talking about books they have read. Pupils are always ready with a good book recommendation.

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Leaders plan a range of experiences to help pupils become responsible citizens. Pupils learn first aid with volunteer experts from St John Ambulance. They learn about different cultures and religions, celebrating different festivals throughout the year. Pupils are respectful of other people’s differences. Pupils and parents and carers particularly enjoy learning the ‘language of the month’. Together they learn to say simple greetings and responses in a range of languages, many of which are spoken by members of the school community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff make the welfare and well-being of all pupils their number one priority. Leaders train all staff in safeguarding regularly. Staff know how to spot safeguarding concerns and 28 February and 1 March 2023

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how to report these. When pupils or their families are in need of help, leaders act quickly, working with external agencies when necessary. Governors regularly monitor safeguarding. They are always looking for ways to strengthen the school’s safeguarding culture even further.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including through visits by the police and fire services. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not identified precisely enough the crucial knowledge that pupils are expected to remember over time. Furthermore, they have not made it clear enough where important concepts are revisited throughout these subjects. This means that it is harder for teachers to build on pupils’ prior learning and deepen their understanding. It also makes it harder for pupils to make links with what they already know. Leaders need to continue their work to review and refine their curriculum, so that the crucial knowledge and important subject concepts are made explicitly clear.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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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. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

7 and 8 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 In 2017, the school joined the Northfleet Schools Co-operative Trust. This is a collaboration of six schools located in Northfleet. Each school in the partnership continues to be governed by its own governing body.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders, staff and pupils. She also met with representatives from the governing body and spoke to a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and 28 February and 1 March 2023

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looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to some pupils read. She also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  To inspect the school’s safeguarding arrangements, the inspector met with leaders responsible for safeguarding and looked at relevant documentation, staff recruitment checks and training records. She also talked to a range of staff and pupils.  The inspector spoke with pupils from different year groups about their experiences at school.  The views of staff, pupils and parents were gathered through discussions and through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Leah Morgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 February and 1 March 2023

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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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