Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School

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118601 Unique Reference Number Kent LEA 280351 Inspection number 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 Inspection dates Paul Sadler AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Beaman Close School address Primary Type of school Cranbrook Road Voluntary controlled School category Cranbrook, Kent TN17 1DZ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01580 211365 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01580 211768 Fax number 207 Number on roll Mrs Celia Hanlon Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paul Dorrington Headteacher 7 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280351 15 June 2006 - 4 to 11 16 June 2006 Inspection Report: Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is situated in a modern building in the village of Goudhurst in the Weald of Kent. It also serves the village of Kilndown which is some distance away. Almost all pupils are of White British backgrounds and the proportion eligible for free school meals is relatively low. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is broadly average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with a few outstanding features. ‘I am extremely happy with all aspects of the school and feel very fortunate that my children have the opportunity to attend’ is a typical comment by a parent. In some areas, inspectors judge that the school is more effective than leaders and managers believe, as the latter are awaiting further evidence of recent improvement. The school provides good value for money. Pupils attain above average standards in their work and achieve well. This represents an improvement since 2005 when standards in the national tests were average. This is because weaknesses in the teaching have been identified and put right. Teaching is now good and some features, such as the quality of marking and assessment, are outstanding. Further improvements are planned, including the way in which teaching assistants are best used in the classroom. Pupils’ personal development is good. They are self-confident and have a very good

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Grade: 2

understanding of how to stay healthy and safe. Pupils enjoy school, as is shown by their excellent attendance and behaviour. They make an outstanding contribution to the community, both locally and by collecting for charity. Pupils get a good start in the Reception class, where standards and the quality of provision are good. An older pupil said, ‘The Reception children soon learn how to behave and join in’. The curriculum is good, with opportunities to learn and apply a range of skills, for example in the current opera project. Pupils receive outstanding care, guidance and support. Those with learning difficulties or disabilities are very well supported and all pupils are given very good advice on how to improve their work. Leadership and management are good. Leaders and managers have correctly identified the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Effective action has been taken, for instance, to improve teaching and behaviour. The school is correctly working on

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Grade: 2

improving the consistency of subject leadership. Improvement since the last inspection has been good and the school is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Improve the consistency of subject leadership by ensuring all leaders receive additional training for their roles.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress and attain above average standards. The school believes standards and achievement to be average, which was the case in the summer of 2005 when some targets were not met. However, the school has identified and tackled the reasons for this and the standard of work of current Year 6 pupils suggests that the challenging targets set for 2006 will be reached, representing considerable improvement. 2 Inspection Report: Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 Pupils start school with broadly average levels of skills and experiences and make good progress in the Reception class, with most reaching and a few exceeding the goals expected for five-year-olds. This good progress continues in Years 1 and 2. By Year 2, most can read a simple text with fluency and can write a paragraph accurately. Pupils continue to make good progress in Years 3 to 6 and by Year 6, most are writing

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Grade: 2

accurately and at length in an appropriate style. Their handwriting is neat and legible and spelling is accurate. Pupils also achieve well in other subjects, including mathematics, music and information and communication technology (ICT). For example, older pupils are creating their own opera production for which they prepare presentations using computer programs such as PowerPoint. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good and have some outstanding features, which have a positive effect on their learning. The school’s supportive ethos helps pupils to feel safe and develop in confidence. Pupils of all ages show mature and responsible attitudes. Behaviour in and out of class is consistently good, which is an improvement since the last inspection. Bullying is dealt with promptly and effectively. Attendance is well above average; pupils are enthusiastic about coming to school and enjoy their learning. Younger pupils are aware of the potential safety hazards in and out of school, and know how to seek help when necessary. The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Relationships are very good. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern society as they are taught about others’ cultures and viewpoints. This aspect is recognised as an area for further

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Grade: 2

development. Pupils understand the importance of healthy eating; for example, they show preference for more salads and vegetables in their lunch. Pupils’ contribution to the school and wider community is outstanding. They help to raise funds for worthwhile causes, such as the Asian Tsunami appeal and for cancer research. Pupils are well aware of environmental issues and express their views freely about how the school could be improved further. The school council carries forward their views and has been effective in bringing about changes. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are working enthusiastically towards a theatre production as part of an opera project, thus equipping them with skills that will be useful in their future life and work.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good and, as a result, pupils learn well. In the Reception class, teachers know when to help pupils and when to leave them to learn independently. Throughout the school, teachers plan work that meets pupils’ individual needs and challenges them to achieve more. Resources, particularly the interactive whiteboards, are used well to 3 Inspection Report: Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 stimulate pupils’ interest and to add clarity to teachers’ explanations. The work is challenging; for instance, following job applications and interviews, older pupils were taking on all the roles in a theatre production, including aspects such as lighting and stage management. A particular strength is the marking of work to help pupils to improve it. Teachers monitor each pupil’s progress to identify strengths and remedy weaknesses. In Years 1 to 6, a simple but effective system is used, but that used in

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Grade: 2

the Reception class is unnecessarily time-consuming. Teaching assistants provide good support to individuals but are not yet used as effectively to support all pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Pupils in the Reception class have a good range of activities to develop their skills and independence. Older pupils are taught the full range of subjects, and interesting links are made that improve the skills they will need in adult life. The opera project is a good example as this uses not only music and drama, but skills of literacy, numeracy and technology in ways that are relevant to their stage of development. Pupils are also taught personal, social and health education in ways that encourage them to develop positive relationships with others. The good range of out-of-school activities, including residential experience, extend pupils’ skills and opportunities. Some parents wish there were more sporting activities but the school, has had difficulty in recruiting sufficient numbers for these to be viable, having tried hard to do so.

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Grade: 1

The school judges this aspect as good, but the inspection evidence shows that it is outstanding as there are no significant weaknesses. There is a strong caring ethos in the school and personal support for pupils is exceptionally good. ‘Buddies’ from Year 6, for example, ensure that their partners in the Reception class are well supported. There is an excellent commitment to meeting individual needs and preparing pupils well for their next stage of learning. Induction to the school is enhanced by home visits and close liaison with local pre-school groups. This helps parents and children to feel at home in school. Child protection procedures are in place and understood by all staff, but not all staff have received formal training. There is good involvement of external agencies where additional help is necessary or where there are concerns. Health and safety procedures are very good and there are regular checks to ensure pupils’ safety and welfare.

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Grade: 1

Academic support and guidance are particularly good. The monitoring of pupils’ progress is outstanding. It helps staff to set appropriately challenging targets. Pupils are involved in measuring their progress towards meeting these targets. 4 Inspection Report: Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good, although the school believes it to be satisfactory as leaders and managers have been waiting for further evidence of the impact of recent improvements. There is a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and appropriate action is taken to remedy the weaknesses. For instance, the Year 6 test results in 2005 were disappointing for the school. Weaknesses in teaching were identified as the reason. These have now been put right and pupils are making better progress. The views of parents are sought and their suggestions are acted upon. Parents are involved in areas such as supporting individual reading and acting as sports coaches. Subject leadership is strong in literacy and numeracy. In other subjects, it is more variable and the school has identified this as a priority for development. Excellent work has been done to monitor pupils’ progress and to advise them on how to do

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Grade: 2

better. Leaders and managers are supported by an able and experienced governing body which monitors the school’s work effectively. Good financial decisions and external fundraising have enabled the already good accommodation and resources, for instance in ICT, to be improved further. There has been good improvement since the last inspection, particularly in pupils’ behaviour, and the school is well placed to develop further if pupils’ achievements continue to improve at their present rate. 5 Inspection Report: Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We very much enjoyed talking and listening to you and seeing your work when we visited your school recently. We want to thank you for spending the time to do this. This letter is to tell you what we thought of your school and how it can be even better. We think your school is a good one, which is improving. These are some of the best things we found about the school: •you make good progress in your work •you are taught well •almost all of you come to school every day and on time •children in the Reception class get off to a good start in school •you are very confident and talk to each other and to adults in a mature way •your behaviour is good and you work well together •you enjoy school because there are lots of interesting things to do, both in and out of lessons, such as the opera project •you do a lot of things to help other people, both in Goudhurst and Kilndown and across the world, through raising money

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

for charity •the school has very good buildings and equipment •your parents agree with us that it is a good school To improve the school further, we have asked the staff to have more training on some of the subjects you are taught.

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