Chevening, St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Chevening, St Botolph’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Chevening Road, Chipstead, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2SA

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Outcome

Chevening, St Botolph’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations. Many pupils achieve well, personally and academically. The school encourages pupils to be ambitious for themselves. Pupils’ talents and interests are nurtured well. All pupils can represent the school in a range of sporting competitions and performances. These include tennis, hockey or performing Broadway musicals at local theatres. The opportunities help to strengthen pupils’ self-esteem and resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants pupils to be ‘courageous advocates’ that have compassion for the wider world. Staff encourage pupils to take responsibility for their actions. They help pupils to understand their impact on other people and the environment. For example, pupils learn about the experience of refugees. They write to members of parliament to consider making changes about the use of plastics. Pupils organise charity events and collect donations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils can hold positions of responsibility, such as ‘nurture ambassadors’ who help pupils talk about their worries or concerns. Year 6 ‘buddies’ model the school’s values and help children in the early years to settle quickly. Pupils develop their understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen. Their behaviour is typically calm in the classroom and around the school building. This contributes to pupils feeling safe and happy at school. School 3 and 4 June 2025

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

The school has an ambitious curriculum. Subject curriculums begin with what children in the early years should know and be able to do. Knowledge and skills build progressively and in a logical order. Teachers deliver subject content in this precise order. Pupils learn more complex ideas because new learning builds well on what they already know.

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

Teachers check pupils’ knowledge and skills regularly. They ensure that pupils routinely practise and revisit what they have been taught. Teachers mostly address errors, misconceptions and gaps in understanding well. However, in a few curriculum areas, checks on pupils’ understanding are not as robust. This means sometimes teachers do not precisely know what pupils have remembered, can do or have built fluency in. Gaps develop in pupils’ knowledge, and this hinders their progress in understanding more complex ideas and thinking.

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

Staff have the knowledge to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Generally, the right support and adaptations to teaching and resources are made. This enables pupils with SEND to learn the same curriculum alongside their peers.

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

The school’s curriculum is supported well by a broad and diverse range of books. Staff deliberately choose texts that encourage respect for others and different cultures. Pupils enjoy reading and are enthusiastic about the books they read. Staff closely follow the school’s systematic approach to teaching phonics with precision. Staff are well trained, and they identify where pupils have gaps in their reading knowledge. The school puts in place suitable support to help those pupils to catch up and keep up. Books are matched to pupils’ reading abilities, and pupils have opportunities across the day to practise their reading. This helps to build pupils’ confidence and fluency in reading effectively.

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

When children in the early years begin school, they are swiftly taught routines and behavioural expectations. They are encouraged to be kind. As a result, they help their friends if they get upset. They problem solve together to find solutions to make one another happy. This prepares them well for their next stage of learning. Consequently, the behaviour of pupils across the school is typically sensible and learning is rarely interrupted.

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

Most pupils attend school regularly. There are robust procedures in place to monitor if pupils’ attendance rates drop. The school works together with parents and carers to discuss reasons for absence and find solutions. They put in place actions that enable pupils to attend school regularly and promptly. These actions are having a positive impact and supporting pupils to attend school regularly and promptly.

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

The school provides a range of experiences to develop pupils’ character and self-help skills. For example, there are a number of adventurous overnight excursions where pupils are encouraged to challenge themselves, be independent and learn to work as part of a team. Pupils learn about different types of relationships and how to stay healthy. They attend workshops on how to manage anxiety and support their well-being. They learn life- School 3 and 4 June 2025

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saving skills in swimming and risks such as the dangers of gang culture. This all helps to further develop pupils’ confidence and to cope in life beyond school.

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The local governing body have secure oversight of the school. They closely check the school’s effectiveness, including the workload and welfare of staff. They ensure that the decisions for school improvement are made in the best interests of 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 curriculum areas, the checks on what pupils know and remember are not robust. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the expertise to precisely check, identify and address gaps in those few curriculum areas.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2019. School 3 and 4 June 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). School 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Jennifer McCloskey

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school operates and manages a breakfast- and after-school club.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to some pupils about their learning. School 3 and 4 June 2025

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 spoke with the chair of the local governing body and some other governors.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documentation relating to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Kieran Bird, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector School 3 and 4 June 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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