Newington Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Newington Community Primary School Princess Margaret Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 6HX

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Outcome

Newington Community Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Hannah Tudor. This school is part of the Coastal Academies Trust which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Kate Greig and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Dave Roberts.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of this nurturing school. Staff are well attuned to pupils’ learning and emotional needs. As a result, pupils get the right help to feel safe and achieve well. Right from the start in Nursery, pupils learn the school’s high expectations through consistent daily routines. They take pride in living up to the school’s aspirations and earning certificates of achievement in the Newington celebration assemblies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils. Leaders recognise that, in the past, pupils have not attained as highly as they could by the end of key stage 2. They have made many changes to the curriculum and teaching, which have had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They participate eagerly during lessons and focus intently on their learning. Pupils encourage each other to behave well. If any reach the top of the school’s behaviour ladder and receive a golden ticket, the class celebrates with them generously by having a round of applause. The school environment is calm and purposeful. Pupils are considerate when walking around the school, holding doors open for each other. Everyone is included at social times as pupils play happily together. 17 and 18 June 2025

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

The school has developed an ambitious and logically sequenced curriculum from the Nursery to Year 6. In many subjects, curriculums have been further refined. The most important knowledge pupils must understand and remember is clearly identified. Staff notice if pupils struggle with their learning and support them, so they do not fall behind. Pupils learn the curriculum securely right from starting in the Nursery. Historic published data for key stage 2 national tests does not reflect how well pupils are now achieving. Owing to the school’s work to improve the curriculum and how it is taught, pupils now learn securely.

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

Staff have secure subject knowledge and explain the curriculum well. During lessons, staff pick up on and address pupils’ misconceptions. They adapt their teaching, activities and resources so that all pupils can access the same curriculum and achieve well. The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or difficulties (SEND) and meets their needs effectively.

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

Checks on pupils’ understanding are used regularly in more established subjects such as reading, writing and mathematics. Staff routinely revisit previous learning so that pupils embed it into their long-term memory. Staff use questioning effectively to identify any gaps in understanding. More formal checks on pupils’ learning enable the school to identify areas of the curriculum where pupils struggle most and which they must address. This is helping pupils in key stage 2 to close their legacy gaps in learning.

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

In the wider curriculum, the school’s approach to checking pupils’ understanding is inconsistent. Staff do not know where pupils lack essential knowledge, so gaps are not addressed. As a result, sometimes pupils do not progress as securely as they could through the wider curriculum subjects. Sometimes, in the wider curriculum subjects, activities are not consistently well enough designed. Pupils do not get the precise challenge or support they need, and some do not achieve as highly as they could.

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

The school places a strong emphasis on reading. In the early years, children are immersed in music and rhyme as they begin to explore the sounds that letters make. They are well prepared for Year 1. In the past, some pupils struggled to become fluent readers and their progress through the curriculum in key stage 2 was not secure. The school has taken effective action. The majority of pupils now meet the phonics screening check standard and are fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.

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

The school does all it can to improve pupils’ attendance. Staff support parents and carers to overcome barriers to bringing children to school. The school ensures that families get help when it is needed.

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

The school excels in nurturing pupils’ character. Pupils understand what the school values mean and strive to reflect them in how they treat others. The school offers a wide range of enrichment experiences such as excursions to local areas of significance, places of worship and theatre trips further afield. Pupils enthusiastically engage in a variety of school-run clubs, and these opportunities are especially impactful for disadvantaged 17 and 18 June 2025

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pupils. Pupils learn how to keep safe on the internet and while playing in the local community.

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Trustees carry out their statutory responsibilities well. Trustees ensure that the trust systems work effectively to support schools. They challenge the impact of the school’s work effectively and use this information to continually support positive changes which are in pupils’ best interests.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils in key stage 2 have legacy gaps in their learning in the foundation subjects. As a result, they do not progress through the curriculum as securely as they could. The school should ensure that checks on pupils’ understanding are carried out securely in these subjects, so that staff know precisely where pupils have gaps in their learning and they give pupils the support they need to catch up.  In the wider curriculum subjects, teaching activities are not consistently well enough designed to offer pupils the precise challenge or support they need. Some pupils, therefore, do not achieve as highly as they could. The school should develop staff in the wider curriculum, so they can enable pupils to achieve the school’s ambitious aims.

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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 outstanding 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. 17 and 18 June 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Newington Community Primary School, to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in March 2017.

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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). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Coastal Academies Trust in July 2024.  The school runs its own nursery.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the principal and other senior leaders. They also met with trustees, local governors and the trust’s director of school improvement. 17 and 18 June 2025

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 Inspectors met with some pupils to discuss their learning.  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’ interest first.  Inspectors considered parents’ views expressed through Ofsted Parent View, including any free-text comments.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Throughout the inspection, inspectors met with groups of staff. They also considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jo Brinkley, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Kate Owbridge Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 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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