Worth Primary School

Inspection of Worth Primary School The Street, Deal, Kent CT14 0DF

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Katy Chance. This school is part of Deal Education Alliance for Learning Trust (DEALT), which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Jo Hygate, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Roger Walton. 6 and 7 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Worth Primary School is a small, village school characterised by caring and nurturing relationships. Parents describe how their children ‘thrive’ in an environment that makes them ‘excited to go to school every day and tell me about the things they have been learning’. The small class sizes and positive relationships mean that pupils are known exceptionally well and, as a result, their needs are met rapidly, both in terms of academic support and stretch, as well as their emotional and well-being needs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be members of this school community, knowing that their values of ‘teamwork, confidence, respect, honesty and empathy’ are essential so that everyone is happy and well cared for. Pupils behave exceptionally well and treat one another with kindness and respect. Pupils aspire to be members of the ‘pupil parliament’, and having roles such as ‘ministers’ of sport, events, learning or even the Prime Minister. Here, pupils have a voice and a vote, contributing to the life of the school, whether that is the redesigning of the school playground, the fund- raising events they undertake, or being role models for the youngest pupils in the school. This includes leading play or the ‘wake up shake up’ physical activities that the whole school does together each morning.

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better?

The school has compiled a curriculum which carefully sequences the important information that pupils need to know. This is fully inclusive of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is planned effectively from the early years upwards. However, there is room for the connections between the early years and Year 1 upwards to be more explicitly mapped so that all staff can explore and model these connections to support pupil learning.

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better?

Teacher subject knowledge is strong. In most lessons, but especially those of mathematics and reading, teachers make careful checks to identify how well pupils have understood what is being taught, making adaptations as they need to. In some foundation subjects, however, this is not always done as consistently, meaning that staff do not have the same precise awareness of what pupils have understood, or what they have remembered in the longer term.

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better?

Early reading is taught well. Staff are well trained and know not only how to pick up on errors in reading but how to support children in segmenting and blending these words. This gives pupils the skills they need to become increasingly confident readers.

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better?

In the early years, children are highly engaged and enthused by their learning. This is an environment rich in high quality interactions, where every opportunity is taken to model vocabulary and talk. As a result, children are confident communicators, and thrive in the many and varied opportunities they have to develop their knowledge and skills. In Reception Year, and indeed across the rest of the school, relationships 6 and 7 February 2024

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between staff and pupils are strong and founded on respect. Behaviour across the school is similarly exceptionally strong. Pupils are keen to interact with one another and play well together. They, along with staff, have high expectations of one another’s conduct and take clear responsibility for ensuring that they all do the right thing. When a peer needs more support to behave well, pupils reflect on how this helps them all to become better learners.

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Though a small school, the range and breadth of opportunities for pupils to develop their wider character is impressive. Pupils are taught about the importance of relationships and how to keep themselves healthy and safe. This includes a strong understanding of online safety, as well as safety in the wider world through their annual ‘Elf and Safety Day’ during the festive period. Assemblies are well used as opportunities to offer pupils a real chance to reflect on the importance of their values and how to keep themselves happy and safe. They embrace these readily and understand the impact of their conduct on others. As well as the leadership responsibilities they aspire to have, pupils get to access a regularly changing rota of clubs, which have included football, ‘active life’ club, and art club. Pupils also contribute to their wider community, whether this is through growing vegetables at the local allotment, visiting the local farms, or the village hall and church.

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Leaders are caring and nurturing, with the pupils and their community at the heart of the plans they make to continually develop their school and make it better still. They regularly reflect, measuring the impact of the steps they take to ensure it is having the impact they want it to. Staff are well supported and feel part of this special community where every child flourishes.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment is not yet as well embedded across some foundation subjects. As a result, staff do not routinely use this information to inform the next steps of teaching in these subjects, nor do they know how much knowledge pupils have remembered over time. The school needs to ensure that all foundation subjects have a systematic approach to assessment, such as that evident in mathematics and reading, so that pupils have clear understanding of their next steps and that teachers can make precise adaptations to their teaching to support all pupils in doing well. 6 and 7 February 2024

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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). 6 and 7 February 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school currently uses no alternative provision.  The school has been part of the Deal Education Alliance for Learning Trust (DEALT) since March 2021.

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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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, teachers, other staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with the members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also held a meeting online with representatives from the Trust board. 6 and 7 February 2024

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education and history. 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 .  The inspectors took account of a range of other information, including the school’s development plans, school policies and governor minutes.  The inspectors spoke with pupils about their experience of the school. They took account of parent and carer and staff views through conversations and responses

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Inspection team

Marian Feeley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

James Stuart His Majesty’s Inspector 6 and 7 February 2024

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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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