Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School Gladstone Road, Walmer, Deal, Kent CT14 7ER

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Outcome

Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a palpable sense of care and community at Deal Parochial Primary School. Leaders, staff, parents and carers work well together to foster a positive and supportive environment in which pupils are known well and their needs are met effectively. Pupils are happy to come to this highly inclusive school. They know that they are valued as individuals and that everyone contributes positively to their community. They are keen to meet the high expectations of staff by working hard in lessons and doing their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in this school and take responsibility for keeping their school community happy and harmonious. For example, if there are disagreements, pupils are well versed in having ‘mending conversations’, to, as one pupil explained, ‘make friends again’. They are proud that they take charge in this way and do not need to rely on staff to sort things for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from activities that support their development beyond the classroom, including regular tennis lessons, a variety of engaging STEM opportunities, sports and dance. They recently had the opportunity to see a national blind dressage champion perform on their school field, and they asked her questions about riding and competing at a national level.

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

Leaders have made careful curriculum plans, across subjects, to map out the skills and knowledge that all pupils need to be able to achieve. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These plans are implemented right from the early years upwards, so there are strong connections between the earliest stages of learning and their developing knowledge. This builds as pupils progress through the school. Activities in lessons are well matched to support pupils in gaining the knowledge 27 and 28 June 2023

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they need. As a result, pupils can talk about their learning with confidence, thinking deeply about what they have discovered. However, at times, pupils cannot consistently connect what they have learned to previous learning, nor can they remember this learning in the longer term. Leaders have identified this as an area for development, and they have started to trial ideas to regularly revisit key learning, though this is not yet embedded.

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Teachers and staff model enthusiasm for learning in lessons. They check carefully that pupils understand what is being taught. This is done through careful questioning, making sure that any misunderstandings are identified quickly. In some lessons, for example in mathematics, typical misconceptions are addressed carefully to help pupils avoid common mistakes and secure their understanding even further.

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Early reading is taught well. Staff have the expertise to teach phonics precisely. As with mathematics, they pick up on any misconceptions quickly so that they can be remedied. Those pupils who struggle to read with fluency benefit from additional support, which is closely matched to their needs. Pupils are resilient to setbacks and persevere, even when they find this difficult. This is because of the supportive relationships they have with staff. Classrooms are welcoming and engaging, and there is a strong emphasis on reading, with inviting reading areas in each classroom, as well as a library space, which is well used by pupils.

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In the early years, as elsewhere in the school, there are positive relationships between adults and children. Communication is modelled well by adults. As a result, children are confident and articulate. Children enjoy their learning and can explain what they have learned during activities. For example, they could explain what factors had contributed to the growth of their recently sown seeds, which they were measuring carefully.

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Across the school, pupils are focused and engage well with their learning. They pose thoughtful questions, which shows that they think deeply about what they are being taught. Lessons are settled, and pupils are keen to share what they know with staff and visitors.

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Leaders are tireless in their efforts to ensure that all pupils thrive in their care. They know their pupils well and ensure that the support they and their families need is in place. This is evident across the school. For example, in addition to catch-up sessions on reading, those needing further support benefit from tailored, individual sessions to identify, and overcome, barriers to learning. Pupils with SEND similarly benefit from careful adaptations in lessons to ensure that their needs are met so that they can access the same work as their peers. Where these needs are greater, staff plan personalised curriculum approaches, supporting pupils to access school life fully. Leaders are continually reflective and consult widely with external services to regularly review whether their practice is as strong as it can be, refining it as necessary.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 27 and 28 June 2023

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There is a clear culture of safeguarding in the school. Staff receive training so that they know how to identify and refer pupils who might be at risk. Leaders make timely referrals to seek support from appropriate agencies. They know their pupils well and keep detailed records of any concerns.

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Leaders complete appropriate checks to ensure that adults who work in the school are safe to work with children. Governors know their safeguarding responsibilities and hold leaders to account effectively. Through the curriculum, leaders teach pupils about keeping themselves safe, including securing an understanding of online risks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have identified and mapped out the small steps of component knowledge and skills in each subject of the curriculum. However, there is not yet in place a systematic process for supporting pupils to retain their learning over time. Leaders need to continue to develop this system to support pupils in their ability to connect their learning and retain this in the longer term.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School, to be good in May 2013.

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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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268488 Type of school Primary

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provision

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school has been part of the Deal Education Alliance for Learning Trust since April 2019.  Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy school in April 2019. When its predecessor school, also named Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of The Diocese of Canterbury. The last Section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in March 2016.

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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 their evaluation of the school. 27 and 28 June 2023

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and pupils. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and also with members of the trust board and the chief executive officer of the trust. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the diocese.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and science. 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 looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to adults they knew.  The inspector also looked at the wider subject planning and assessment plans from history, geography, information technology and religious education.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector held meetings with safeguarding leaders, the

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governors, teachers and pupils. They scrutinised the single central record and checked safeguarding records.  The inspector took account of a range of other information, including the school’s development plans, school policies and minutes of governing body meetings.  The inspector spoke with pupils about their experience of the school. They took account of parent and staff views through conversations and responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Marian Feeley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 27 and 28 June 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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