Churchill Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Churchill Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Rysted Lane, Westerham, Kent TN16 1EZ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 13 and 14 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ smiling faces show how much they enjoy being part of this school. They feel well- looked after by nurturing staff. Pupils feel safe and know who to go to if they have a problem. They are incredibly kind to each other and to visitors of the school. Respect is the foundation of the relationships between pupils and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils rise to meet these expectations and, for the most part, they achieve well. At breaktimes, pupils play well together. They eagerly share the exciting equipment available to them. Pupils harmoniously take turns at dressing up, practise their skipping or climb on the adventure playground. If pupils want to choose a less energetic activity, they can read in the ‘quiet area’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the leadership roles they undertake. This includes peer mediators who help pupils resolve any friendship issues they may have during social times. This means that bullying is a rare occurrence. Pupils appreciate belonging to one of the four cathedral houses. It makes them ‘feel part of a caring community’. House captains and sports leaders take their responsibilities of helping others seriously.

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

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. There are regular, planned opportunities for pupils to revisit important themes and concepts. These become more complex as pupils move through the school. Teachers check how well pupils understand important knowledge effectively. Typically, they address misconceptions quickly. Appropriate adaptations to the curriculum are made for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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

In some subject areas, the school has recently reviewed and updated the curriculum. The school is still assessing the impact of these changes on pupils’ learning. This means that some pupils are not yet accumulating the knowledge and skills they need. Occasionally, pupils find it difficult to remember important subject content beyond simple facts.

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

In the early years, the curriculum is planned with precision. It has been designed to help children in Reception overcome the wider challenges they may face as they start school. For example, some pupils begin school with less confidence to interact with their peers. There is a sharp focus on developing children’s vocabulary and communication skills. Children are keen to share what they know about the different stories and rhymes they learn. They are confident communicators who use complex vocabulary in their wider play.

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

Pupils develop into fluent readers with a love of different stories. Teachers encourage pupils to read by enthusiastically talking about the books they enjoy. Pupils begin learning phonics at the very start of Reception. The school has put effective plans in place to address the low outcomes in the 2024 national phonics check. Teaching and support staff work closely to model sounds in a consistent way. Leaders carefully check how well pupils know their sounds. When pupils are not achieving as well as they could, the school 13 and 14 May 2025

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carefully plans additional support. Extra sessions, delivered by knowledgeable staff, help these pupils to read with increasing accuracy.

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Pupils display positive attitudes to their learning, which starts in the early years. Routines across the school are well-established and effective in creating a calm environment. Pupils are attentive and keen to actively participate in their learning. In Reception, children learn remarkable resilience when they find activities challenging.

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Most pupils attend school regularly. The school works hard to promote positive attitudes to attendance. This includes celebrating pupils who attend well. However, there are still some pupils who are persistently absent from school. The school provides individual support and challenge where pupils’ absence from school is too high. They work closely with parents to encourage regular attendance. This is beginning to improve the attendance of many pupils. However, some pupils’ attendance is still not improving quickly enough.

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The development of pupils’ emotional resilience is at the heart of the school. Where pupils need more help with their worries, sensitive staff provide bespoke support. Trips and access to books that explore diversity help pupils develop a mature understanding of different families, faiths and cultures. Pupils are proud of raising money for charity through the creation of their own enterprise projects. There is a wealth of sporting and creative clubs for pupils to further develop their talents and interests.

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Staff value the ‘family feel’ of the school. ‘Friday flowers’ and ‘well-being days’ help staff to feel appreciated. Leaders carefully plan professional development opportunities to ensure they have a knowledgeable staff team. Governors are effective in their challenge and support of the school. They are committed to supporting the school in providing high- quality education for all pupils.

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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 school has not ensured that there is a clear sequence of knowledge and skills. As a result, pupils do not always recall key knowledge and make links with their previous learning. Leaders should ensure that these curriculum improvements are embedded so that gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills are addressed.  A small number of pupils, including some who are disadvantaged, do not attend school regularly. Leaders recognise this and the impact this absence is having on how well these pupils learn and achieve. The school needs to continue with their work to ensure identified pupils are supported to attend regularly. 13 and 14 May 2025

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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.

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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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chairs of governing body Michael Fevyer and Rowan Waller (co- chairs) Headteacher Kathy Jax

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 December 2019 and 9 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a voluntary controlled school in the Diocese of Rochester.  The most recent section 48 inspection, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place in February 2025.  The school offers a before- and after-school club, overseen by the governing body.  The school does not 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. 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. 13 and 14 May 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 the headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and support staff. The lead inspector also met with representatives from the governing body, including one of the co-chairs of governors, and the local authority.  The lead inspector had a telephone call with a representative from the Diocese of Rochester.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their

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learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to a range of pupils read.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in some 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.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff, pupils and parents. They also spoke to a range of staff and pupils about their views of the school and spoke to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Stephen Cattell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrea Harris Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 May 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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