Seabrook Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Seabrook Church of England Primary School Seabrook Road, Hythe, Kent CT21 5RL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since July 2011. 7 and 8 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop into extremely responsible and active citizens in this welcoming school. They demonstrate the school’s vision of ‘everybody matters’ in their actions and exceptional behaviour. Pupils support younger children in Reception with great care and maturity, encouraging them to participate in rich discussions during assemblies. Pupils celebrate diversity and difference routinely. They participate very enthusiastically in the schools ‘everybody matters’ celebration, where they celebrate diverse cultures and beliefs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are incredibly enthusiastic learners. This begins in Reception Year where children are highly motivated and show exceptional levels of concentration. Pupils join in whole-class singing in music and share their phonics learning with their peers. They volunteer eagerly to answer questions or to share their learning with each other. Pupils complete their work with purpose and resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school ensures that pupils develop an exciting range of skills and talents. They participate in a wide range of clubs and activities. The school choir performs in local and national venues. Pupils work with professional artists and represent the school in a variety of sports.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on positions of responsibility and leadership roles. They can become ambassadors for reading or anti-bullying. Pupils in the eco-club were instrumental in securing the schools ‘green flag’ status. They show high levels of responsibility and take their duties very seriously. Pupils take great pride in showing prospective parents around the school.

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better?

The school has designed an aspirational curriculum that builds on what pupils learn from Reception Year. The school has carefully identified what pupils in early years should know and have set ambitious goals for all children. Pupils quickly develop a deep understanding across subjects and particularly in reading and mathematics.

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better?

Staff carefully assess what pupils learn. In mathematics and reading, gaps are quickly identified and teachers plan same day support for pupils to ensure that these gaps close. Pupils work towards teachers’ high expectations and are enthusiastic about learning. However, in history and music, teachers’ assessments do not always support pupils in remembering what they have learned as effectively as they could. Consequently, some pupils do not retain all the important knowledge that they have learned in these subjects.

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better?

Staff in Reception skilfully model learning for all children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have high-quality relationships with children and this supports them in developing and deepening their knowledge quickly. Staff ensure that all communication is a learning opportunity. For example, 7 and 8 November 2023

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when staff were talking to pupils about celebrations, they moved the discussion skilfully to find out if they could remember the names of religious festivals.

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Staff have strong subject knowledge and explain pupils’ learning clearly. For example, they demonstrate musical notation through clapping exercises and model clear strategies for blending sounds to form words. However, occasionally staff do not make clear links to what pupils have learned previously. As a result, some pupils do not always recall important knowledge.

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The school has a high level of ambition for pupils with SEND. These pupils achieve well and are actively included in all lessons, learning alongside their peers. Staff make a range of careful adaptations for these pupils. For example, adults teach some pupils important vocabulary before lessons begin. Pupils’ sensory needs are also carefully considered, and pupils with SEND use learning breaks to manage their emotions and behaviour.

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Pupils behave exceptionally well and show consistently high levels of kindness. Children in Reception thoughtfully offer chairs to visitors and older pupils act as role models during social times. Staff have very high expectations of pupils. They ask pupils to organise parental visits or activities with very little adult input. Pupils demonstrate great maturity while undertaking these duties. They attend school frequently. The school monitors attendance and provides a wide range of help, including counselling and mentoring. The school’s approach has ensured that pupils who struggle to come to school, attend more regularly.

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The school prioritises pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn excitedly about a range of moral and spiritual issues. They discuss the sacrifice of soldiers during war time with great sophistication. Pupils develop an understanding of tolerance and acceptance. They endeavour to make the school as welcoming as possible. Pupils celebrate diversity and recognise how difference makes their school better. They also deepen their understanding of protected characteristics and express mature attitudes when discussing them.

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Staff benefit from a range of high-quality training and support. Leaders carefully manage staff workload. Consequently, staff feel very well supported and cared for. Leaders have high levels of ambition for all aspects of school life and show great tenacity in developing the staff team.

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Governors are knowledgeable and provide the school with appropriate levels of challenge. They are regular visitors to the school and prioritise the well-being of staff and pupils. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They appreciate the relationship that the school has built with the local community and the extra mile that staff go to in order to get to know each pupil. One parent summed up the school by saying, ‘Seabrook Primary School is a family. We struck gold in finding a school that loves, nurtures and educates our children so well.’ 7 and 8 November 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, teachers do not take opportunities to deepen and extend the knowledge of pupils in some subjects. As a result, pupils do not always build on their prior knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff have the subject and pedagogical knowledge to ensure that every opportunity for learning is taken and all pupils achieve as well as they can.  In some wider curriculum subjects, teachers do not always assess what pupils know accurately enough. As a result, pupils do not retain prior learning in a way that helps them to recall information quickly and accurately. Leaders should ensure that assessment supports pupils in remembering the full range of prior learning.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 7 and 8 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Liz Carter (executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 and 14 July 2011

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Information about this school

 The school currently does not use any alternative provision.  The school provides a breakfast club for pupils.  Seabrook Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled school. The school’s most recent section 48 Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools took place in January 2017. The next section 48 inspection should take place before January 2025.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of the school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 7 and 8 November 2023

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 An inspector met with the executive headteacher and heads of school. An inspector met with other leaders and staff. An inspector also held a meeting with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, history and music. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Gavin Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Martin-O’Donoghue Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 November 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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