Repton Manor Primary School

Inspection of Repton Manor Primary School Repton Avenue, Ashford, Kent TN23 3RX

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are excited and inspired by the wide-ranging opportunities offered to them at Repton Manor Primary School. An exceptionally well-developed programme of personal development offers a wealth of opportunities for pupils to explore their interests, develop independence and take on leadership roles. From Reception onwards pupils are supported to make decisions and think through their choices.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Pupils know that they can always speak to staff if they have worries. They know that they will be listened to and offered help.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils regularly devise and participate in projects to support both their school and the wider community, for example, by volunteering at lunchtime, making bird boxes or taking part in charity work. The school has placed particular emphasis on ensuring playtimes are active and stimulating. During playtimes, pupils enjoy organising and playing sports, building structures, exploring and devising performances.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across the school, pupils are thoughtful, caring and respectful. Pupils behave well throughout the day. Expectations of learning and behaviour are high. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and /or disabilities (SEND) are supported well to meet these high expectations by kind, well-trained staff. Relationships across the school are warm and good humoured.

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better?

An ambitious curriculum is in place from Reception to Year 6 that helps pupils to build knowledge in carefully sequenced steps. In a few subjects this curriculum is undergoing revision to help focus on the knowledge leaders know pupils need to sharpen, such as a sense of chronology in history. The school has highlighted the vocabulary pupils need to understand across subjects. Pupils use this well to answer questions and share ideas. Those pupils with SEND have their needs quickly identified and consistently well supported. This helps them to access the whole curriculum and experience success.

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better?

Some of the outcomes of the statutory assessments in mathematics were not as high as the school would have liked last year. Leaders acted swiftly and effectively to address this. High-quality training has helped teachers and support staff to further sharpen their skills in mathematics. Staff expertly identify what pupils know and adapt mathematics learning well to suit pupils needs, including those with SEND. Leaders rightly aspire to continue this training across the curriculum and the school.

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better?

Pupils learn to read well and to love reading. Right from the start in Reception there is a sharp focus on the acquisition of phonics. Children practise their reading skills using carefully matched books that help them to become successful readers. Any pupils who start to fall behind are quickly identified and supported so that they catch 28 and 29 November 2023

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up quickly. Reading is celebrated and valued. Regular stories, storytelling and poetry sharing are a source of much enjoyment throughout the school.

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The school has ensured that well-developed and understood policies are in place to help pupils behave well and to support staff in managing behaviour. There is a high degree of consistency so that everyone knows what to do and how to behave. This helps ensure that the school is calm, orderly and harmonious. Routines are established quickly in early years where children quickly learn to put on their wellies and coats and to manage their snack time. Pupils throughout the school are polite and respectful. They attend school well. The school works constructively with parents to support good attendance and punctuality.

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The school ensures that pupils learn about themselves and others through the carefully considered personal development curriculum. This learning is expertly woven throughout pupils’ school experiences and study so that it is meaningful. Pupils know their views are important and this inspires them to offer well-reasoned opinions about activities such as clubs and resources. The pupil council carries out audits and provide feedback. Pupils highly value the positions of responsibility, such as house captains, which are offered to them through a democratic election process. Pupils are taught to recognise, embrace and celebrate difference. A pupil summed this up by saying, ‘we treat people the way that you would want to be treated and are equal to one another’.

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Governors and well trained and well informed. They know the school well the school and regularly to check that everything is as it should be. Staff feel valued and well supported by leaders. They know that their wellbeing is considered when decisions are made. Adaptations around marking and reporting have helped to ease their workload.

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Parental satisfaction with the school is high. Parents noted that while the school has grown in size over the years the small family feel has remained. Parents feel that staff are warm, welcoming and approachable and that their views and feedback are taken seriously.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects the curriculum, whilst fully in place, is being restructured. The new plans are not yet fully revised so that sequences of learning align to the curriculum ambition. The school should continue to support subject leaders to refine and monitor sequences to ensure that they clearly linked to the substantive knowledge leaders want pupils to build as they move through the curriculum. 28 and 29 November 2023

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 There are occasional inconsistencies in teaching. In some subjects, teachers are not as secure in evaluating what pupils know and need to learn next. The school should continue to develop the knowledge and expertise of teachers so that teaching across the curriculum is consistent.

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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). 28 and 29 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.reptonmanorprimary.co.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school formed the Lightyear Federation along with Greatstone Primary School in July 2022. The schools share an executive headteacher and a governing body.  The current Year 6 contains 3 classes although there are 2 classes throughout the rest of 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a 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 leaders and have taken that into account in the evaluation of the school. 28 and 29 November 2023

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 During the inspection, the inspectors met with school leaders. The lead inspector also met with the representatives of the governing body and had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design, physical education and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils read.  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.  The inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s parent, pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspectors spoke to parents at the school gates.  The inspectors talked to staff to gather their views about the school, including their workload and well-being. The inspectors met with several groups of pupils, as well as speaking to pupils during lessons, playtimes and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Deborah Gordon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Michael Green Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 November 2023

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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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