Goodnestone Church of England Primary School

Goodnestone Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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118686 Unique Reference Number Kent Local Authority 280369 Inspection number 30 April 2007 Inspection date Ruth Westbrook Reporting inspector

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

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Primary Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 50 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Nicola Ellen Chair Cliff Collins Headteacher 13 November 2000 Date of previous school inspection The Street School address Goodnestone Canterbury CT3 1PQ

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01304 840329 Telephone number 01304 840262 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 30 April 2007 Inspection date 280369 Inspection number .

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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

This is a small school. It is arranged in three classes. The Foundation Stage is taught with Years 1 and 2. A very small number of pupils are at an early stage of learning English. The number of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is small. Inward and outward mobility levels in the school are higher than is usual.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, 30 April 2007

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Grade: 2

The school's overall effectiveness is good and a number of aspects of its work are outstanding. One of these is the pastoral care of pupils. The strong, caring ethos in the school is underpinned by a clear set of values that are shared by all. As a result, pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. At the heart of this is very effective spiritual, moral and social development which promotes very good relationships between members of the school community. Older pupils provide very effective support to younger ones, and are good role models. New pupils who arrive in the school are supported readily by others and speak very positively of the welcome they receive. Pupils share their views confidently and feel involved fully in decision-making through the school council. This helps them to make an outstanding contribution to the school and local community. The headteacher, staff and governors have

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Grade: 2

improved the quality of provision significantly since the last inspection. As a result, standards have risen at Key Stage 1 and 2. They are now above average, and pupils' achievement is good. A good start is made in the Foundation Stage, where pupils make good progress in all areas but especially in personal development. Here, children respond well to encouragement to work independently and play cooperatively. They are resourceful and confident. Pupils enjoy school immensely. The good curriculum is balanced and stimulating. It includes all the required elements and a number of enriching additions such as foreign language learning. The wide range of activities provided is possible because the school develops very effective partnerships with a number of organisations and the local community. Sporting activities, provided with the support of a secondary sports college, promote the development of healthy

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Grade: 2

lifestyles. Links with businesses encourage a good awareness of the world of work, which supports good future economic well-being. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to practise using their information and communication technology (ICT) skills in other subjects. Pupils' enjoyment is enhanced by the good teaching and learning in the school which they find 'interesting' and 'fun'. Teachers and other adults know pupils well and set out clearly at the start of lessons what it is pupils need to learn. Pupils have personal targets in writing which, along with marking of their work, give a clear indication of the steps they need to take to improve. Pupils are less clear about their targets in numeracy and science and marking does not always identify quickly enough the next steps which pupils need to take. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and governors give clear direction for

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Grade: 2

the school. There is a commitment from all staff to contribute towards leadership and provide good care, guidance and support which enables all pupils to thrive and succeed. Very effective relationships are formed with parents, and their views are taken into account. Their responses to the questionnaire for this inspection were overwhelmingly positive. 'My children are nurtured and well cared for. Their individual personalities are celebrated and they are encouraged to express themselves thoughtfully and confidently' is a typical parental comment. The school has made good progress since the last inspection, having dealt particularly well with the weaknesses identified in the provision of the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. This good track record of improvement signals good capacity for improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• ensure that all pupils have targets for improvement in core subjects and receive regular feedback on their progress towards them, including the next steps to achieve them 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, 30 April 2007 • give pupils more opportunities to use and develop their ICT skills in their learning across all subjects.

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Grade: 2

Children's attainment on entry to the school is typical of that found nationally. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage, where there is a good emphasis on personal and social development. By the end of Year 2, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are above average, which is a big improvement since the last inspection, when they were below average in all three areas. Pupils at Key Stage 2 build well on these higher standards. Although pupils in Year 6 in 2006 attained standards that were broadly average in all three subjects, pupils currently in Key Stage 2 are on target to achieve standards that are above average. All pupils, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities, achieve well from their various starting points, making good progress through the school. Pupils who are at an early stage of learning English are making very good progress with their acquisition of language, as a result

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral and social development, is outstanding because of very effective provision. Pupils value the strong links with the church, which support the development of Christian values. Their cultural development is good, with their understanding of other faiths and cultures supported by the curriculum and a programme of visits. Pupils demonstrate the school's values of 'caring and sharing' in their relationships with each other. New pupils are helped by others to settle quickly into the school community. Pupils take full advantage of encouragement to express their opinions on school life. The school council, led by older pupils, involves younger pupils well and contributes ideas for school improvements such as remodelling the adventure playground. Pupils feel that the council helps to make the school a safer place by helping pupils with difficulties. Pupils enjoy being active

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Grade: 1

and take part enthusiastically in exercise and swimming. Behaviour is good. Pupils respond well to positive encouragement and celebration of their achievements. Attendance and punctuality are good. Pupils arrive at school early, eager to start the school day. Pupils effectively organise activities to raise money for the school and charities.

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Grade: 2

Most teaching is good but there is some variation, with some outstanding and some satisfactory lessons. Teachers and other adults know pupils well and they respond well to the needs of individual pupils. The planning for lessons is detailed, and effective in meeting the needs of the mixed-age classes. Where teaching is satisfactory, activities which match the different abilities of pupils within the class are not consistently planned. Good liaison between class teachers and teaching assistants ensure that adults are providing good support within lessons, and this is particularly effective for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and those at an early stage of learning English. As a result, pupils are managed well. Their contributions to lessons are valued and they settle well, responding to encouragement. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, 30 April 2007

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Grade: 2

Assessment is used well to track pupils' progress through the year and from year to year. This is used to set targets, particularly well in writing, which has been a focus for improvement. Marking of pupils' work is not always linked to their personal targets or the learning objective so does not always identify clearly the next steps for a pupil.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good because basic literacy and numeracy skills are promoted well in other subjects. For example, Year 6 practised their creative language in myths written in history. However, there are fewer opportunities for pupils to practise and apply their ICT skills in other subjects. Planning takes careful account of mixed-age classes. Learning is made more interesting through an enriching programme of visits, including residential trips for older pupils and visitors into school, as in science week. There are extremely effective links with other schools and businesses. This helps to extend what the curriculum has to offer so that it covers a full range of activities. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities that are well attended.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support given to pupils are good, with some outstanding features. Staff provide a high level of personal support which promotes pupils' outstanding personal development. Relationships between all members of the school community are excellent. There is very close cooperation with parents so that staff know pupils very well. Integration of pupils who arrive in the school mid-year is very effective. Some of these pupils have significant social and educational difficulties, but their needs are very well met. There are good child protection procedures in place and safeguarding meets statutory requirements. The school has good procedures for assessing pupils' attainment and checking their progress. Both parents and pupils are involved in this. These procedures are used well to identify targets in writing but less consistently in numeracy. Pupils do not have targets for ICT or science.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and governors have an accurate view of the school's strengths and areas for development. Planning from year to year addresses these areas and there is clarity on the current priorities for improvement amongst all members of the school's staff. They are involved in the planning process and there is good leadership of subjects. Leadership of the Foundation Stage is good and has led to substantial improvements in recent years. Systems for checking the school's work are well established and governors are involved in the review process. The current emphasis is on improving teaching through classroom observation and checks on teachers' planning. There is less emphasis on checking pupils' learning and progress by looking at their work. However, the school is planning to increase the range of skills of leaders for evaluating its work. Because of the size of the school, a number of innovative and effective

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Grade: 2

partnerships have been established to enhance the curriculum and provide additional support to promote very positive personal development. Governors make a good contribution to the 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, 30 April 2007 work of the school. They give strong support to the headteacher and manage resources well to ensure that the school makes effective use of its small budget. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, 30 April 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, 30 April 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, 30 April 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, 30 April 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 May 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, Goodnestone CT3 1PQ We visited your school recently. Thank you for the help you gave us while we were there. We enjoyed our visit and learning about your school. You might like to know what we think about the school and how we think it can be made even better. • It is a good school and aspects of it are outstanding. • You make good progress through the school and reach standards which are above average. • Your headteacher and all other staff look after you extremely well. As a result, you feel happy and secure in school so you attend well. • Your school council makes a strong contribution to the school community and helps you to present your views on school life confidently. • You enjoy being in school very much and like the small size of it. This means everyone gets to know each other and you are friendly and caring towards each other. This helps you to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

feel safe in school, and contributes to your outstanding personal development. • There are many and varied activities for you to enjoy which you find fun and interesting. You take advantage of opportunities to be healthy and active. To improve further, we have asked the school to do these things: • We feel that your progress could be even better if the feedback on your work gave more regular and more precise information on what you need to do next to improve. • Many of you are good at using computers but we would like to see pupils of all ages using them in all subjects. Yours sincerely, Ruth Westbrook Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Goodnestone Church of England Primary School, 30 April 2007

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