Teynham Parochial Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Teynham Parochial Church of England Primary School Station Road, Teynham, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 9BQ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 28 and 29 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Teynham Parochial Primary School are supported to ‘learn, enjoy and grow’ in a warm and nurturing environment. Pupils enjoy coming to school to see their friends and teachers. One pupil told inspectors that the school is ‘just perfect’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils to treat each other with respect and kindness. Pupils learn to be inclusive and accept each other’s differences. This is demonstrated in their behaviour when they work together in lessons and play cooperatively during social times. Pupils feel safe and secure as bullying is very rare. Leaders address it quickly if it does occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen. For example, they work hard to reduce their impact on the environment by litter picking and by carefully recycling materials. Pupils raise awareness of important global issues, such as lack of sanitation, through the school’s ‘global neighbours’ campaign.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a curriculum that is enriched with a range of trips to help them develop their learning. For example, pupils explained how a trip to Canterbury Cathedral links to their study of the Anglo-Saxons in history. Some pupils take part in a Makaton club and in some sporting activities at lunchtimes. However, the wider club offer is currently limited.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not achieve as well as they should in all subjects because the quality of education is not yet of a consistently high quality.

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better?

Leaders have ensured through the new curriculum that pupils learn a well-balanced and interesting range of subjects. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported well to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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better?

The curriculum is well sequenced overall. In mathematics, teachers deliver the curriculum with expertise so that pupils build strong foundations for future learning. For example, in Year 6, pupils apply their prior knowledge of partitioning to add and subtract with decimal numbers. However, in some subjects, such as history and music, pupils do not always learn the curriculum in the order that is intended. This means that not all pupils build securely on their learning, and have some gaps in their knowledge. In music and phonics, where the curriculum is still being embedded, teachers’ subject knowledge is not as strong. This means that pupils do not make progress in their learning as quickly as they should.

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better?

In mathematics, teachers use expert questioning to check what pupils know and remember. However, in some subjects, including in phonics, teachers do not always use a consistent approach to checking pupils’ learning. Teachers frequently use 28 and 29 March 2023

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questioning to identify gaps in learning. However, they do not always adapt plans to address these quickly enough.

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Children in Reception begin their phonics learning as soon as they arrive at the school. Staff have received some training to deliver the new phonics programme. However, this has not yet ensured that the teaching of phonics is consistently as precise as it should be across all phases. Pupils do not always read books that help them to practise the sounds that they know. This is because books are not yet explicitly matched to the new scheme. Older pupils read with fluency and benefit from many opportunities to read widely and for pleasure.

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Children in the early years engage with interest in their learning. They show high levels of self-control when waiting for an adult to help them. Adults support children well to learn and use new vocabulary. For example, children confidently explained the component parts of a flowering plant. Leaders select activities carefully so that children build on their knowledge securely. However, there is some work to do to improve this further during their independent learning time.

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Leaders have established high expectations for behaviour. Pupils behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. Most pupils attend school regularly. Leaders are working hard to identify and reduce barriers that affect the attendance of some groups. However, they know that there is more work to do to further improve the attendance of those who are persistently absent.

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Pupils develop resilience and learn how to look after their mental and physical well- being through the well-planned personal development programme. Pupils know about the impact of drug and alcohol misuse. They learn about global issues, such as the impact of climate change, by debating the news. Pupils explore a range of beliefs and viewpoints through planned opportunities to meet with people from different religions.

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Staff enjoy working at the school and feel well supported by the headteacher, who they say is mindful of their workload. Leaders have implemented a programme of professional development for staff. However, this has not yet provided subject leaders with the confidence and expertise that they need to ensure that the new curriculum is implemented consistently well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders keep clear and concise records so that they can monitor pupils whom they are concerned about. They work alongside other agencies so that pupils and their families get the help that they might need. Staff are well trained so that they know how to identify risks and refer concerns quickly to leaders. Leaders perform important safety checks on new staff before they begin working in the school. 28 and 29 March 2023

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Pupils trust adults to keep them safe and to listen to their concerns when they are worried. Pupils have a strong understanding of how to keep themselves safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Subject leaders have not yet had sufficient training and time to effectively monitor the implementation and impact of the new curriculum. This means that there is inconsistency in the quality of curriculum delivery in some subjects, including in phonics. Leaders need to review their plans for professional development so that subject leaders develop the expertise that they need to support staff in improving their knowledge and practice and have the capacity to ensure that the curriculum is taught in the order in which it is intended.  Leaders have not yet identified a clear approach for ensuring that decodable books match the sounds that pupils have learned in phonics. This means that some pupils who are learning to read do not get sufficient opportunity to practise and embed their phonics learning. Therefore, they do not progress through the scheme as quickly as they should. Leaders need to implement a system for

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

matching books that is understood and used by staff in all phases, so that pupils develop self-efficacy and fluency in their reading quickly.

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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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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. 28 and 29 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a voluntary-controlled, Church of England school, within the Diocese of Canterbury. The previous section 48 inspection took place on 24 May 2016.  There is an on-site breakfast and after-school club, which is run by the school.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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.  The inspection team completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, music and history. To do this, they met with subject leaders, had discussions with staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. 28 and 29 March 2023

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 Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, a selection of subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair.  The inspection team reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising records and through discussions with staff and pupils.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were considered through discussions and the outcomes of Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Zoë Harris, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Clarke His Majesty’s Inspector 28 and 29 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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