Temple Mill Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching and learning further so that:
  • throughout the school, most-able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve at the highest standards in a range of subjects
  • disadvantaged pupils, particularly those in key stage 2, achieve more strongly in writing.
• Improve leadership and management so that:
  • pupils’ understanding of world religions, and of British values, is strong. `

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• School leaders share an unremitting desire to provide the very best for pupils at Temple Mill. Together, leaders work tenaciously to evaluate carefully what the school does well and what could be even better. Leaders’ action plans are carefully thought out and delivered successfully over time. Strong leadership has ensured that standards of education at Temple Mill are good.
• The acting headteacher is supported by talented middle and senior leaders. The deputy headteacher provides exemplary support. She is diligent and hard-working and carries out her many roles and responsibilities to a high standard. Leaders at Temple Mill work together effectively to ensure that most pupils achieve well.
• Staff at Temple Mill demonstrate a keenness to improve provision further. Those who responded to the staff survey hold leaders in high regard and unanimously say that they enjoy working at the school. The positive, enthusiastic way that staff work contributes hugely to Temple Mill’s ongoing success.
• The nurturing atmosphere throughout the school is almost tangible. Leaders promote positive attitudes between pupils, who demonstrate in their actions how important it is to look after each other and be friendly. Pupils say, ‘School is like one big family, where we all get along happily together.’ The school provides a safe and secure environment in which to learn.
• The curriculum at Temple Mill has been carefully planned. Pupils benefit greatly from the many learning opportunities provided across a range of subjects. Creative learning in subjects such as music and art is a strength of the school. Pupils state, ‘We love learning because lessons are really interesting and fun.’
• Leaders provide effective support for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Appropriate plans are put in place to adapt learning for this group of pupils, and teachers are adept at implementing learning activities in line with the good guidance provided by the SEN coordinator. As a result, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make typically good progress from their starting points.
• The sports premium is used well. For example, leaders target some of this money to engage more girls in physical activities and competitive matches. Pupils relish the many opportunities to play sports and know the importance of a healthy physical lifestyle.
• Parents are very positive about the school. Many commented to inspectors how much the school has changed for the better in recent years. One comment, typical of many, stated: ‘My son is excelling at Temple Mill. He enjoys going to school, has a positive attitude to learning, and always strives to do his best.’
• Leaders use the pupil premium grant mostly to good effect. Additional support, such as extra learning and care for disadvantaged pupils’ welfare needs, helps most of them to achieve well. However, leaders know that some disadvantaged pupils are not yet achieving as well as they should.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. For instance, pupils develop a good sense of empathy towards others less fortunate than themselves and ` actively enjoy raising money for charities. They are well placed to contribute successfully to life in modern Britain.
• However, leaders have not yet ensured that learning opportunities about world religions and British values are wholly effective. For example, despite being caring and respectful of each other, some pupils cannot talk confidently about different faiths or cultures, or about British values and why they are important.

Governance of the school

• Governance is strong. Governors use a wide range of information, such as visits to school, meetings with leaders and pupils’ progress data, to evaluate carefully the school’s effectiveness. They use this knowledge well to monitor leaders’ actions and provide appropriate support and challenge for further school improvement. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities to a high standard.
• The trust provides high-quality support to the school. Trustees have been instrumental in assisting leaders to develop staff and improve the standard of education at Temple Mill. The trust has high aspirations for all pupils and willingly provides investment in time, expertise and money to ensure that overall outcomes continue to rise.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• When recruiting new staff, all appropriate background checks are made. These are recorded accurately on the school’s single central record. Importantly, key staff are trained well in safer recruitment and know what actions to take to employ staff suitable to work with children.
• Leaders ensure that staff are trained effectively in safeguarding. For instance, timely learning on topics such as peer-on-peer abuse keeps staff up to date on emerging child protection matters. Staff at Temple Mill demonstrate a secure understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and what to do to keep children safe from harm.
• Pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of personal safety. Pupils explained the importance of protecting their identity when using the internet. They know that people online might not be who they say they are. As a result, pupils know the risks associated with social media and using the internet.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers assess accurately what pupils know and understand. Teachers are mostly skilful in developing pupils’ thinking and helping them to learn more deeply. In the very best lessons, teachers adapt learning activities appropriately to meet pupils’ individual needs.
• Mathematics is taught well. Lessons are challenging for most pupils, requiring them to grapple with a range of suitably difficult problem-solving activities. Appropriate resources are at hand to ensure that pupils have the necessary equipment they need to explore fully their mathematical learning. `
• Most pupils learn to write well. Teachers skilfully plan writing exercises across the curriculum and provide rich and purposeful activities to engage pupils’ interests. For instance, pupils in Year 6 were successfully developing their writing skills as they learned about the history of money. Pupils carefully drew information from a range of different sources to inform their written work.
• Typically, phonics is taught well. Staff have good subject knowledge and use a range of suitable techniques to help pupils learn their letters and sounds. For instance, staff model sounds clearly for pupils and provide frequent opportunities for pupils to repeat and practise phonics learning. Most pupils sound out new words confidently, carefully and accurately.
• Creative learning at Temple Mill is typically of a high standard. For example, in Year 3, inspectors were impressed with pupils’ dramatic artwork, including paintings, sculptures and aboriginal art all linked to their study of Ted Hughes’ book ‘The Iron Man’. Pupils talked confidently about the different creative techniques they used when creating their wonderful work.
• The support from teaching assistants is good. For instance, the additional help provided for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, and for those who speak English as an additional language, helps these pupils make strong progress from their individual starting points.
• Some disadvantaged pupils, particularly in key stage 2, do not achieve highly enough in writing. Leaders are aware of this, but their actions are not yet impacting positively enough on disadvantaged pupils’ achievement in this subject.
• Sometimes, teaching is not planned well for most-able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. When this is the case, learning does not challenge these pupils to think hard enough in a range of subjects. Occasionally, most-able pupils complain that work is too easy for them. Consequently, some of these pupils do not make strong enough progress in their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is good.
• Pupils are supported to attend well. Leaders are tenacious in providing care and guidance to families where attendance is not good enough. They set high expectations and promote successfully the importance of attending school regularly. A mark of leaders’ success is that no groups of pupils are disadvantaged by missing too much education.
• Pupils agree that bullying rarely happens at Temple Mill. They say that when they fall out with friends, or have arguments, staff are swift to help resolve any issues. Pupils told inspectors that they would happily turn to any member of staff if they had a worry of concern.
• Pupils show good tolerance and respect. They know, for instance, that it is wrong to discriminate against anyone for their sexuality or the colour of their skin. This was summed up eloquently when one pupil commented: ‘It’s really important to treat ` everyone the same way as you would like to be treated yourself.’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• In lessons, pupils typically listen to adults and their peers respectfully, and work hard to produce work of a good quality. They respond well to the guidance they are given by teachers and resolve determinedly to improve their work. Lessons are usually industrious as a result.
• Pupils are keen to contribute well to the life of the school. For example, school councillors relish the opportunity to represent the views of their peers and to work towards ‘improving Temple Mill’. Pupils like supporting the wider community and state the importance of ‘helping others who are not as lucky as us’.
• Staff set high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Systems to manage this are embedded successfully and understood well by pupils. Staff uphold consistently the school’s strategy to promote pupils’ awareness and understanding of ‘earning their learning’. Pupils rise to this challenge, valuing their education and behaving well throughout the school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In the 2018 Year 1 phonics test, most pupils achieved the standard expected for their age. Current pupils are achieving similarly well. Good phonics teaching, taught systematically, ensures that pupils learn their letters and sounds rapidly.
• In 2018, most pupils achieved well in their key stage 1 reading, writing and mathematics national assessments. Importantly, the number of pupils achieving at the highest standards increased, most notably in reading and mathematics.
• In key stage 2 national assessments, most pupils made strong progress, particularly in writing. Leaders’ focus on teaching writing across the curriculum strengthened pupils’ outcomes in this subject.
• Most current pupils are achieving well throughout the school. School progress information and work in exercise books demonstrate that, in most subjects, pupils’ progress is strong across the curriculum.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language achieve well in a range of subjects. Leaders track closely the achievement of these groups of pupils and act swiftly to provide the support they need to make good progress.
• Despite better achievements in 2018 national assessments, some most-able pupils throughout the school are not achieving at the highest standards. This is because teaching does not yet routinely challenge them successfully.
• In key stage 2, some disadvantaged pupils are not achieving well enough in writing. Leaders know that there is a small difference in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers, and that they are not making the progress they are capable of. `

Early years provision Good

• The leadership of the early years provision is good. The early years leader has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for further development across the provision. For example, she is working hard with the team to sharpen the use of quality questioning to broaden children’s vocabulary and their emerging reading and writing skills. Teaching is being developed well in the early years.
• Children achieve well in the early years. The curriculum is vibrant, and staff carefully plan activities to meet the children’s interests and inspire their natural curiosity. Learning is promoted successfully, and most children are ready to start the next stage of their education in Year 1.
• Within the early years, parents are involved actively in their children’s development. For example, parents contribute effectively to teachers’ assessments of children’s emerging needs in reading and writing. One parent summed up the views of many, stating: ‘Teachers involve us and take on board our views.’
• Children’s personal development in the early years is a strength of the school. Staff provide children with clear guidance and set high expectations for their behaviour. Children develop well the skills and aptitudes, such as cooperating with others and following instructions, to be successful young learners.
• The safety of the children is of paramount importance for all staff. The children are supervised in safe and secure classrooms and outdoor learning areas. Safeguarding is effective, and all statutory health and safety requirements are met in the early years.

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School details

Unique reference number 142394 Local authority Medway Inspection number 10053475 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 238 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Barbara Fincham Acting Headteacher Mrs Deanne Daburn Telephone number 01634 338 200 Website www.templemillprimaryschool.co.uk Email address office@templemill.medway.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school joined the Howard Academy Trust in December 2015.
• The school is currently run by an acting headteacher.
• Temple Mill is an average-sized primary school. Most pupils are White British. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is similar to the national average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is above rates seen nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN support is above average. The proportion who have an education, health and care plan is below the national average.

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Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning throughout the school, spoke to pupils and looked at work in their books. The majority of observations were conducted jointly with senior leaders and with the director of education from the trust.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, middle leaders, groups of pupils, the chair and vice-chair of governors and a representative from the trust.
• Parents’ views were gathered at the start of the day, and 37 responses, including written comments to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were also considered. The inspectors also analysed 13 responses to the staff questionnaire, and 27 responses to the pupil survey.
• A range of documents was reviewed, including: the school’s development plan and self-evaluation document; the school’s single central record of employment checks on staff; information about pupils’ achievement, attendance, behaviour and safety; information about the school’s performance management of staff; governing body reports; and trust reports of the school’s performance.

Inspection team

Dom Cook, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Shazia Akram Her Majesty’s Inspector `