Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Develop teaching in the early years to ensure that all children make the same strong progress as pupils in other key stages.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The executive headteacher is an inspirational leader. She is uncompromising in her drive to improve standards for pupils and utterly committed to developing the skills and qualities of her staff. She leads with purpose and conviction. Her ambition for every child to excel is shared across the school. The executive headteacher makes very effective use of the school’s distinct ethos and values to ensure that all pupils have ‘a sense of worth and contribute something special’.
• Leaders have improved the quality of teaching in the school. They have made excellent links with the local alliance of schools so that teachers and other adults can seek out the best practice. Staff benefit from an exceptionally well-developed programme of professional development, including support for emerging leaders. This provision meets staff’s individual needs adeptly. Leaders have established an ‘open door’ culture that means teachers enjoy being coached and mentored. Consequently, staff are very self-reflective and committed to improving their practice. Staff talk about the ‘buzz’ of working at the school and that leaders ‘listen and encourage new ideas’.
• Leaders’ have ensured a thorough approach to managing staff performance. They provide teachers with helpful advice and guidance on how to improve. Those new to the profession are very well supported; this secures their commitment to the school. As a result, teaching across key stage 1 and 2 is outstanding and is increasingly effective in the early years. Middle leaders work very closely with senior leaders to ensure that teaching becomes even stronger. This is especially the case for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who are disadvantaged.
• Leaders have a deep and thorough knowledge of the school’s strengths and areas that require further attention. They evaluate closely the progress of different groups and keep a watchful eye on the performance of vulnerable pupils. They are very quick to address issues that arise and provide additional support for those pupils who face barriers to achieving well. For example, leaders have developed an innovative curriculum which supports the achievement of pupils with social and emotional health needs very effectively.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They are unanimous in their praise for the high quality of teaching and the levels of progress their children make. One parent commented, ‘the school consistently works to achieve the best for all’. Another parent reported that leaders are incredibly supportive, listen to concerns and work well together to address issues. There are strong systems in place that ensure frequent communication between home and school and the vast majority of parents surveyed would recommend the school.
• Additional funding is used especially effectively. Disadvantaged pupils receive high-quality support that meets their individual needs well. Leaders have made particularly effective use of funding to increase parents’ skills to support their children. As a result, disadvantaged pupils learn well, achieve high standards and, in some cases, perform better than their peers. The funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities but not an education, health and care plan is also well targeted so that these pupils receive precise and valuable support to do well.
• Leaders make excellent use of the additional funding for sports. Pupils’ participation rates have risen dramatically and pupils now experience over 20 different kinds of sports activities. Pupils enjoy taking part in competitions and, for the first time, pupils from Temple Ewell are reaching regional and even national finals for their age groups. The sports funding is also used effectively to promote healthy lifestyles, with more pupils taking part in the ‘change for life’ programme and gaining a love of sport.
• The curriculum is stimulating and interesting. Leaders have established a ‘creative’ curriculum which fosters pupils’ curiosity and gives them extensive opportunities to reflect and ponder. The very extensive range of trips and visits provides further stimulation and enrichment. Pupils are especially well prepared for life in modern Britain because they are exposed to a wide range of different cultures and religions. Pupils learn to be thoughtful and reflective. This was evident in the inspection when pupils asked perceptive questions during a visit from a Japanese teacher. The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is excellent. Pupils have established a spiritual garden with a ‘hope tree’ that they use for reflection and prayer. Pupils are very knowledgeable about faith and religion. For example, in key stage 2 they learn the difference between the concepts of ‘omniscient’ and ‘omnipotent’.
• Leaders work very closely with other schools in the Deal Learning Alliance. There are strong links between Kingsdown Church of England Primary School and Temple Ewell because of the shared leadership of the executive headteacher. The Aquila Multi-Academy Trust provides effective support, including leadership development opportunities, as well as additional scrutiny and challenge. As a result, both leaders and teachers benefit from observing best practice in the local area, as well as further afield. There are also well-regarded systems in the federation and in the multi-academy trust to check and moderate work at the end of each key stage.

Governance of the school

• Governors are extremely committed and dedicated to the school. They possess highly relevant expertise and bring their wide-ranging experience to their work with the school. They visit the school frequently to observe the improvement work that leaders undertake. They are closely attuned to the views of parents and act as resolute champions of the school in the community.
• Governors are highly knowledgeable about the strengths and weaknesses of the school because they make very good use of opportunities provided in the local area and the trust to keep up to date with educational changes. As a result, they offer significant effective challenge and support, especially over the impact of the spending of additional funding.
• The governing body exercises effective oversight of the pay and performance of staff, especially that of the executive headteacher and the head of school. Governors keep an especially close eye on the school’s work to keep children safe and are very knowledgeable about potential risks for pupils. Trust leaders also provide helpful support and challenge through school improvement board meetings and monitoring visits.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that their systems to recruit staff and keep children safe are very effective. Governors make regular appropriate checks to ensure systems are effective, for example reviewing whether the correct employment checks are in place. Staff receive frequent helpful updates, as well as regular training on safeguarding, which ensure they are fully versed on their responsibilities. Those new to the school receive comprehensive training as part of their induction and leaders have a good knowledge of the risks in the local area.

• All staff, including those at an early stage in their career, know what to do if they are worried about a child. Leaders keep thorough records and ensure that they react swiftly to any concerns. Leaders are especially determined to ensure that families receive the appropriate support or help from other agencies. As a result, families report that leaders go the ‘extra mile’ to seek the best outcomes for vulnerable pupils.
• Parents have great confidence in school leaders. Rightly, they feel that pupils are safe. Parents particularly commented on the extra care and attention children with medical issues received and the length to which staff went to ensure the safety of their children. Pupils feel safe and well looked after. They are very sure that adults will help them if necessary.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• All staff have the highest expectations possible for what pupils at Temple Ewell can achieve. They are determined that pupils achieve well. Pupils try very hard to do their best. Teachers are unanimous that the school has improved a great deal since the previous inspection.

• Teaching is outstanding because teachers make excellent use of their subject knowledge to plan exciting and engaging lessons. For example, the mixed Year 4 and 5 class carried out an experiment testing soil samples to explore which sample was most like the soil on Mars. Pupils worked hard and gained a substantial understanding of key concepts such as acid and alkali, as well as how to use practical equipment to test a hypothesis.
• Teachers promote thinking and problem-solving skills very effectively. In mathematics, pupils learn key concepts in depth but are also able to apply their knowledge to word problems. Most impressively, pupils can explain their thinking, both in their books and during activities. All pupils make excellent progress, including the most able.
• All pupils enjoy reading and the library is a vibrant and colourful space, popular with pupils of all ages. Teachers use a range of techniques to promote high standards in reading, including choosing high-quality texts for class readers. Teachers are especially effective at planning reading activities that meet the needs of the different groups in their class. This is particularly the case with the most able. Pupils delight in the sophisticated language used in texts.
• Teachers’ planning is very effective. All teachers are highly adept at planning for the different age and ability groups within their classes. They make excellent use of achievement information to ensure that tasks are challenging, especially for the most able. They intervene quickly when pupils fall behind and ensure that pupils have access to props and prompts when necessary. Consequently, pupils achieve well across a wide range of subjects.
• The teaching of writing is now very strong. Strategies to increase the quality of writing are embedded so that more pupils than previously are writing at a greater depth. Pupils have a very good understanding of vocabulary, punctuation and the structure of different kinds of writing. Teaching provides pupils with an excellent range of opportunities to write at length across subjects. Pupils are especially skilful at editing and correcting their work, improving both the accuracy and the content.
• Pupils enjoy learning. They take homework seriously and, in key stage 2, complete the homework challenges they are set to a high standard. During the inspection, pupils told the inspector that ‘lessons are fun’. This view is echoed by parents, who reported how much their children enjoy coming to school. Parents are also very positive about the regular advice and communication they receive about their children’s progress.
• Teachers provide high-quality support and guidance for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The support staff work well in partnership with teachers so that these pupils make good progress. Those with very low starting points are supported especially effectively because all adults are determined that they achieve. Teachers make especially good use of additional apparatus to sustain pupils’ learning.
• Disadvantaged pupils are very well supported by all teachers because they have a good understanding of the barriers that these pupils face. These pupils also receive effective additional individual help in class for reading and writing when they require support. Overall, these pupils achieve well and, in some cases, are achieving greater success than their peers, for example in the Year 1 phonics check.
• Teachers make very effective use of the school’s assessment policy. Pupils receive clear guidance about what they have done well and what improvements need to be made. Pupils are especially diligent in checking and correcting their work. As a result, they learn from their mistakes and make rapid progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.

• Pupils are brimming with confidence and pride. They treat each other and adults with great courtesy and respect. They describe the school as being like a ‘family’, where everyone looks out for each other.
• Leaders are highly ambitious for all their pupils. They plan a wide range of activities to raise aspirations. Of especial note is the work they do in science, taking pupils to local and national events, including the National Science Centre in York. There is an explicit aim to increase girls’ enjoyment of science, with very good links made with local science-based businesses. As a result, girls are more interested in science based careers.
• There is a palpable sense of community within the school. Parents are delighted to be part of the Temple Ewell family. The strong parent group, which, alongside the link with the church, creates further opportunities for pupils and families to come together.
• Pupils enjoy a huge range of leadership opportunities in the school. These include attending the school council and the spiritual council. There are also house captains, sports leaders and ‘Junior Road Safety’ officers. Pupils really enjoy taking part and contributing to life in school, for example by leading assemblies on road safety or planning the spiritual garden.
• Pupils are very knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe. They are taught from a young age about the potential risks associated with using a computer. Older pupils learn life-saving skills and about the changing tides, an especially useful skill given that the school is in close proximity to the sea.
• Attendance is good and most pupils rarely miss a day. Those few pupils who are regularly absent due to medical concerns are very well supported. One parent of a child who has health needs commented that the school always goes ‘above and beyond’ to support her child. Pupils’ punctuality is excellent, with pupils keen to arrive in school early to maximise their time there.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.

• Pupils try their hardest in lessons and take great care and thought over their work. They are very eager to share their successes with visitors and happy to talk about what they enjoy, as well as how they have learned from their mistakes. They are very proud of their achievements and know the value of working hard.
• Incidents of poor behaviour are very rare and dealt with effectively by leaders. Leaders have developed a range of useful strategies to support pupils who struggle to concentrate, including a ‘nurture group’. As a result, there have been no exclusions of any kind in the past three years.
• Pupils know that making mistakes is part of learning. Pupils are resourceful and resilient, and used to getting on with work and doing their best.
• The school rules and the school values are well known by pupils. They are sure that behaviour across the school is excellent. Parents also unanimously support this view.
• Pupils are very welcoming of others, including those from different faiths and cultures. One pupil commented, ‘They know I don’t believe the same things but it doesn’t make any difference.’ Other pupils who arrived mid-year reported that they were made to feel welcome so they settled in very quickly.
• Bullying is very rare and, when it does occur, it is dealt with very effectively. Pupils are confident that teachers take any concerns seriously and listen to them. Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make substantial progress from their starting points. By the time pupils leave, they are very well prepared for their next stage of education. The most able pupils achieve exceptionally well and all are eligible for a place in the local grammar schools.

• In 2015 and in 2016, the vast majority of pupils achieved the expected standards for their age and many exceeded them. Current information shows that all pupils in Year 6 are on track to meet the expected standard in all subjects.
• Pupils make excellent progress in reading and achieve well. Standards in 2016 were above those seen nationally in both key stages. Furthermore, a higher proportion than the national average exceeded the expected standards. Current achievement information shows that this trend continues, with nearly half of the current pupils across the school exceeding the age-related expectations.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check is above the national average. Disadvantaged pupils achieved well, with all of these pupils meeting the expected standard in 2016. Virtually all of the pupils in Year 2 who took the phonics recheck were successful.
• Progress in mathematics is very strong, with both boys and girls performing at a high standard. In 2016, all pupils achieved the expected standard, with some exceeding the standards in both key stages. Current information and work in books show that the proportion of pupils working at greater depth in mathematics has increased significantly. This represents excellent progress.
• Pupils attained highly in science in 2016. Work in books shows that this remains the case because leaders ensure that science is well established in the curriculum and the leadership of science has a high profile across the school.
• In 2016, the most able pupils made less progress than expected in their writing at the end of key stage 2. Current information, external moderation and work scrutiny show that across the school there is a substantial increase in the proportion of the most able pupils writing at greater depth. Teachers have made well-judged changes to how they extend pupils’ vocabulary, grammar and understanding of more complex punctuation.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress and attain well overall. In 2016 in key stage 1, these pupils achieved standards significantly above similar pupils nationally. These pupils continue to achieve well because of the effectiveness of the additional support they receive. As a result of the outstanding teaching, many of these pupils outperform their peers.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points. They particularly benefit from tailored and well-matched support from additional adults. Therefore, they attain well in reading, writing and mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• Leaders maintain a close check on the provision for children in early years to ensure it is increasingly strong. The current leader of early years, who is new to teaching and new to the role, receives very effective support from an early years specialist leader at Temple Ewell, and benefits from close links with an experienced practitioner in a local school. As a result, leadership and teaching in the setting are developing rapidly.

• Children start school with broadly average skills and understanding. Many make good progress and the vast majority achieve the early learning goals across all areas. In 2016, a few pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities made good progress from very low starting points but did not achieve a good level of development. Leaders have acted swiftly to support these pupils to catch up by adapting the curriculum in Year 1 to better cater for their starting points. Current achievement information shows that these pupils are making very strong progress.
• Children enjoy learning at Temple Ewell. They choose appropriate activities and engage in tasks with energy and vigour. They show good levels of concentration and persistence. For example, children enjoyed using metre rules to measure aspects of the outdoor classroom following a teacher-led session on shape and measure earlier in the day.
• Safeguarding procedures are thorough. Staff have received the appropriate levels of training. Children show great confidence in adults who keep a close eye on them and ensure that the children are safe. There are suitable checks made by governors on the site to ensure that all requirements are met.
• Children get off to a good start with developing their communication skills but are not yet entirely confident in taking turns and listening to each other. The leader of the setting has already established a vibrant environment that promotes high quality learning and play. Children communicate confidently, and ably told the inspector the nativity story in some depth and detail.
• The leader of early years knows the children well. Assessment information is used adroitly to analyse the progress that children make so that teaching is tightly focused on the needs of individual children. Current information shows that a few able children are not making as much progress as they might and will not exceed the expected standards. However, the vast majority of children, including those that are disadvantaged, get a strong start to their education and are well prepared for Year 1.
• Children play and learn well together. They are closely supervised by adults. At playtimes, children play easily with and alongside each other. They know routines well and they learn to look after each other. Adults engage children in games and ensure that all children are happy and enjoying their free time. Adults prompt children well with skilful questioning, for example encouraging children to explore the difference changes made to the flow of water and how quickly objects sped along the pipes.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Adults work closely together to plan activities that match children’s varying starting points. As a result, children become increasingly confident in blending words and then forming letters. Many children make good progress with their early reading and writing skills. A few pupils do not make as rapid progress as others because the activities on offer do not enable the most able to develop their learning fully. Occasionally, over-exuberant children hinder the learning of others and slow the progress made.
• Parents are fully involved in their children’s learning. There are innovative systems in place to share children’s achievements and there are regular opportunities for parents to see and comment on the progress children make. Parents’ events are well attended, with parents very positive about the quality of information they receive about their children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139436 Kent 10026740 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 142 Appropriate authority Academy trust Chair Mrs Pamela Mousley Executive Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mrs Jo Hygate 01304 822 665 www.temple-ewell.kent.sch.uk/ headteacher@temple-ewell.kent.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in five classes, all of which cater for different age groups.
• The executive headteacher is also headteacher of Kingsdown Church of England School. The special educational needs coordinator also works across both schools.
• The executive headteacher is a national leader of education and is providing support to another local primary school.
• The early years leader is new to the school and new to the profession.
• The school, previously judged as good, converted to an academy in February 2014. In September 2016, the school joined Aquila Diocese of Canterbury Multi-Academy Trust.

• The overwhelming majority of pupils are of White British.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and eligible for the pupil premium funding is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, middle leaders and staff. The inspector also met with governors and staff new to the profession.
• The inspector met with representatives of the Aquila Multi-Academy Trust and a representative of the local authority.
• The inspector visited all classes in the school to observe pupils’ learning across every age group, accompanied by either the executive headteacher or the head of school.
• The inspector looked at work in pupils’ books and discussed pupils’ attainment and progress with leaders, especially the literacy and topic books of the most able pupils.
• The inspector spoke to pupils informally and formally, meeting with groups of pupils with leadership responsibilities. The inspector also attended an assembly.
• Parents’ views were taken into account through the 62 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.
• The inspector also took account of 22 survey responses submitted by staff.
• The inspector checked records and documentation relating to safeguarding, behaviour, minutes of meetings, staff appraisals and monitoring and improvement planning.
• The inspector reviewed the checks made on staff about their suitability to work with children.

Inspection team

Seamus Murphy, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector