St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of St Matthew’s High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Powder Mill Lane, High Brooms, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9DY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good Controlled Primary School 26 and 27 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are warm and caring at this welcoming school. They understand the school's values of responsibility, kindness, honesty and respect and the majority of pupils demonstrate this in their positive behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A small group of pupils require additional support to behave well and leaders have begun to address this effectively. Pupils know that staff will manage any concerns they may have. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning and respond well to staff. For example, pupils in Reception Year show high levels of concentration when listening to stories and rhymes. They work hard, but teachers do not always have high expectations and, as a result, pupils do not achieve well enough in a number of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have ample opportunities to develop a range of skills and talents. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and or/disabilities (SEND), enjoy attending a variety of clubs, including running, sewing and the school orchestra. Others learn musical instruments, such as the harp and violin, and benefit from one- to-one music tuition. Pupils proudly represent the school in sporting competitions, such as athletics, or regular orchestra recitals for parents.

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better?

The school ensures that pupils have a broad and balanced curriculum. However, leaders have not designed the curriculum well enough in a range of subjects. Consequently, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Teachers identify pupils’ needs and use this to plan adaptations to the curriculum for pupils with SEND. However, the adaptations are not always ambitious enough and do not help pupils to narrow gaps in their learning. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve well enough. Leaders are aware of this and have recently introduced a number of new strategies to support pupils with SEND.

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better?

Children in Reception build their knowledge of mathematics and reading well and are well prepared for their next steps in education. Further up the school, in some subjects, pupils develop important skills and knowledge. However, in key stages 1 and 2, teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can do, and some teachers do not design ambitious enough learning for pupils. This causes some to lose interest in learning and develop gaps in their knowledge. Teachers do not always identify and act on these gaps quickly enough. This means that too many pupils fall behind in their learning.

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better?

Leaders introduced a new phonics scheme recently but staff have not yet received appropriate training to deliver it. As a result, some staff do not always explain reading activities clearly enough or model sounds and letters accurately. Pupils in key stage 1 do not read with fluency quickly enough. However, older pupils are confident readers and discuss the varied texts they read excitedly. The school’s well- designed library is an inspirational space and helps pupils to foster a love of reading. Controlled Primary School 26 and 27 March 2024

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Pupils behave well, and the school is orderly and calm. Staff use reminders and routines to help pupils meet their high expectations. Pupils show high levels of courtesy and consideration to each other. For example, older pupils happily escort younger pupils on a visit to the local church. Staff foster warm and nurturing relationships with pupils, and they are beginning to attend more frequently. Leaders work well with parents to support this.

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Pupils learn about important concepts such as consent and tolerance. They know how to stay safe online. The school has designed the curriculum to revisit these ideas regularly and pupils build mature ideas over time. They celebrate difference and learn about the wide range of cultures in the school. For example, parents visit the school to discuss their religious and cultural beliefs.

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Leaders have worked hard to improve the school in a short period of time. However, this has not yet had the impact required and the curriculum still requires rapid improvement. Leaders have a number of strategies to manage the workload and well-being of staff but these have limited effect currently. Governors have made a range of changes to their monitoring procedures, and this is helping them to become better informed. However, governors have not historically held leaders to account well enough.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not have secure enough subject knowledge to teach phonics well. As a result, pupils in key stage 1 do not develop their fluency well enough. Leaders must ensure that all staff have the training and knowledge that they need to deliver phonics sufficiently well.  Some staff do not have high enough expectations of pupils and do not design challenging and engaging activities. Consequently, some pupils do not learn the important knowledge and skills they require. Leaders must ensure that staff have stronger subject knowledge to consistently create activities that deepen pupils’ learning.  The school’s curriculum is not designed well enough in a number of subjects. Therefore, pupils do not improve important skills and knowledge over time. Leaders must design a curriculum that is well sequenced and ambitious in all subjects.  Some teachers do not check pupils’ knowledge and understanding carefully

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

enough. Subsequently, misconceptions and inaccuracies are not addressed quickly and gaps in learning are not identified accurately. Leaders must ensure that Controlled Primary School 26 and 27 March 2024

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assessment is used systematically to identify and act on pupils’ gaps in knowledge.

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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). Controlled Primary School 26 and 27 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Carolyn Pollard (Interim Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 July 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  St Matthews High Brooms Voluntary Controlled Church of England School is a Church of England school. The school’s most recent section 48 Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodists Schools took place in October 2023.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection team met with the headteacher, as well as with other leaders and staff. The lead inspector also met with a representative from the local authority. Controlled Primary School 26 and 27 March 2024

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 The inspection team carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, physical education, religious education and art. For each deep dive, the inspector 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

Liz McIntosh Ofsted Inspector Controlled Primary School 26 and 27 March 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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