Lower Halstow Primary School

Inspection of Lower Halstow Primary School School Lane, Lower Halstow, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 7ES

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are positive and enthusiastic about attending this school. The school is an active part of its local community. Pupils from all backgrounds feel equally welcomed and cherished in the caring atmosphere. They feel happy and are polite. Pupils greet staff, visitors and each other with joy and interest. They consistently demonstrate good manners, for example by holding open doors and being respectful in how they speak.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The kindness pupils show comes from consistent expectations from staff. Adults across the school show pupils of all ages how to behave and interact with one another. This starts with children in the Reception Year who are taught routines and conversational language. This prepares them well for the rest of their school lives. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in the school’s rural setting.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high expectations extend to an ambitious curriculum. Pupils love learning and rise to meet the challenge the school provides. Pupils are confident and articulate. They explain some complex concepts, such as plate tectonics in geography lessons, with confidence and clarity. Pupils’ books show a breadth and depth to their learning that reflect the ambition of the curriculum. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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

Pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum. They relish the learning opportunities they are provided with. Pupils are proud of their achievements. The school has high ambition for all pupils, including those considered disadvantaged. In most subjects, it has carefully chosen what it wants pupils to know and remember.

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

Staff carefully consider how to build pupils’ learning over time. In the Reception class, children’s learning shows they are being successfully prepared for Year 1 and beyond. Across the school, pupils focus their attention on different tasks well. Pupils’ books show they have opportunities to apply and practise their knowledge effectively. However, in a few curriculum subjects, staff do not rigorously check what pupils understand. Consequently, some pupils do not remember and apply their learning well enough.

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

The school swiftly identifies if pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND are well cared for and achieve as well as their peers. Overall, pupils achieve well, and by the end of key stage 2, published results match the national average in English and mathematics.

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

Pupils and staff share the belief that reading is the heart of all learning. Staff have a sense of urgency when teaching pupils to read. The school has a consistently effective approach for ensuring pupils learn the letters and the sounds they make. Children in Reception learn phonics from their earliest days in school. Any children joining the school requiring extra help to catch up receive effective support. Pupils become fluent and accurate readers. They love reading. Pupils relish being exposed to different books and stories. They are particularly proud of their library. They enjoy the books from diverse cultures and those with characters from different backgrounds. 21 and 22 January 2025

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The school’s work on attendance is exceptionally effective. Its excellent work with the communities represented in the school has dramatically improved attendance. The school’s meticulous checks and support for pupils and their families have a deeply positive impact. This means pupils attend well, and parents and carers are supportive of the school’s efforts.

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Pupils consistently act with respect and kindness. They are impeccably polite to adults and each other. Children in the Reception class are explicitly taught the language to resolve problems and express themselves. As a result, learning across the school is rarely disrupted and playtimes are positive and safe.

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Pupils learn to be well-rounded modern citizens. They have a clear understanding of how to treat others. Their understanding of difference is well developed and consistently applied. Pupils with SEND take part in all the experiences and clubs and feel a sense of equity and welcome. The school provides a wide range of opportuities for pupils to expand their talents and interests. Pupils relish the chances to engage in competitive sports and musical performances.

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Governors are effective and methodical in their approach. They offer appropriate support and challenge to the school. The school collaborates well with parents and external agencies. Its work to support families puts the school at the heart of its local community. Staff, including those at the start of their career, feel valued and listened to. They see their work as fulfilling.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not clearly defined what pupils should learn and how this is checked. In these subjects, pupils do not learn key knowledge as well as they could. The school should identify what it wants pupils to learn and remember in these subjects and make checks on this learning to inform future teaching.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school currently uses one unregistered 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 21 and 22 January 2025

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 The inspection team met with the headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and pupils. The lead inspector met with the members of the governing body, including the chair of governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design, and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also reviewed pupils’ work from a range of other subjects.  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 inspection team observed behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.

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They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day. They considered the views expressed in Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors spoke with groups of staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Toby Martlew, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Michael Green Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 2025

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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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