St Peter's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St Peter’s Church of England Primary School Hawkenbury Road, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5BW

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

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

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness 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 March 2014. 11 and 12 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and of the part they play in making it a happy and successful place to learn. They appreciate the spaces such as the new library that have been designed to incorporate their ideas and relish the many opportunities on offer to be involved in the wider life of the school. Pupils excitedly explain their roles as librarians or lunchtime leaders. They discharge these roles diligently and delight in helping others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind to each other. They champion the school’s values of courage, respect and compassion. Classmates are thrilled when others are successful. They recognise and celebrate when challenges have been faced and overcome along the way.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behaviour is exemplary. Staff provide support to any pupil who needs a little help from time to time to manage their emotions or behaviour. The school is calm, settled and orderly. Pupils know that it is important to work hard and try your best. They aspire to this in everything they do and attain highly, particularly in English and mathematics. Pupils are very well prepared, both personally and academically, for the next stages of their education.

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

The school has ensured that an ambitious curriculum is in place. It is clearly ordered to help pupils learn key knowledge in all subjects from Reception to Year 6. Staff are given the support they need to deliver this curriculum with increasing confidence and consistency so that pupils learn well. The sharp focus on key knowledge that is evident in English and mathematics, is developing in the wider curriculum. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs quickly and carefully identified. This helps teachers to adapt learning well for pupils with SEND, so that they are fully included and successful.

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

Learning to read is a priority. As soon as children start school in Reception, they learn phonics. Staff quickly identify any pupils who start to struggle and provide the support they need to keep up or catch up. Pupils learn to read quickly and well. By the end of key stage two, pupils typically attain highly in national end of key stage assessments. Pupils are keen readers. They enjoy discussing the increasing intricacies of plots and motivations of characters in the wide selections of books they read about. Trips to the local library help encourage pupils to become avid readers.

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

Pupils have extensive vocabularies. There is a sharp focus on talk and communication that starts in early years. Staff expertly encourage children to talk about what they are doing as they explore and play. They carefully introduce and model new words and phrases. This prepares children well for key stage 1.

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

Pupils enjoy learning about a range of different subjects. They are highly engaged with their learning across the school. For example, in music, younger pupils exuberantly explore playing instruments and start to learn about musical notation. Older pupils carefully perform songs they have learned on guitars. 11 and 12 February 2025

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The school has ensured that everybody shares a strong understanding of the school’s values and how these influence daily school life. This has been clearly set out. The behaviour policy is consistently applied. This helps pupils understand how they are expected to behave. Pupils value the rewards and praise they are given for being ‘kind, ready, respectful and safe’. Relationships throughout the school are warm, considerate and inclusive. Pupils like coming to school. They attend well.

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The school’s work to help pupils to be responsible, respectful and active citizens is exemplary. Opportunities to take part in charity work or take part in community events are weaved through pupils’ school experience. Pupils learn about tolerance and equality. They understand concepts such as democracy and how this works in both the school and the wider world. Pupils are mature, considerate and compassionate.

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The new leadership team have a sharp focus on improving outcomes for all pupils, despite changes in school location and staffing. They have successfully built a united school community. Staff feel that their views and workload are considered when decisions are made. Governors know the school very well. They carry out their duties highly effectively. Parents welcome the many opportunities for them to be included in school life. They are rightly confident in the school to ensure that their children are safe, happy and learning well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The wider curriculum has been revised. Sometimes, teaching is not as confident and clear in these subjects. The school should continue to check that the wider curriculum is helping pupils to remember essential knowledge and build on this as successfully as is seen in English and mathematics.

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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. 11 and 12 February 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). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 March 2014 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 In March 2021, the school moved to the current school building and in September 2021 expanded to a be a one-form entry school.  The headteacher took up her position in January 2023.  The school is part of the Diocese of Rochester. Its last Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) inspection was in June 2019.  The school provides wraparound care in the form of a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not currently use any provider of 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. 11 and 12 February 2025

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 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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspectors met with a range of school staff. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors and had telephone conversations with a representative of the local authority and the Diocese of Rochester.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art and music. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult as part of the early reading deep dive.  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, spoke to some parents at the school gate and met with a parent.  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 and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Deborah Perkins, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Oliver Allen Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 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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