Folkestone Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Folkestone Primary love the school and feel loved by the school. A close and warm relationship between staff and pupils is present throughout. Pupils speak passionately about the wide range of clubs, trips, opportunities and events at school.

They value activities such as the 'children's university'. This gives children a sense of possible future pathways while allowing them to build around six weekly courses in life skills. Pupils enjoy making choices about their learning.

Practical learning brings them a sense of fulfilment. Pupils feel encouraged by the lengths leaders go to bring all pupils into these activities.

Pupils feel a sense of expectati...on from staff and rise to this.

They are impeccably polite to adults in the school and particularly visitors. Pupils feel safe, and if a conflict arises, they are confident that adults will resolve this. Bullying is not tolerated in pupils' eyes, and they trust staff to address this effectively.

Pupils can self-regulate and self-manage. They use the zoned system in the playground, and feel that this not only keeps them safe, but prevents conflict over equipment. The zones are maintained by pupils' understanding of equity and fairness.

In lessons, behaviour is calm and settled.

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

The curriculum offer starts with an exceptional early years setting. The provision within the early years from age two onwards is of the highest quality.

Planning provides a well-considered mix of free-choice learning paired with direct teaching. Pupils in the early years do very well in early reading and early mathematics. The application of knowledge from across the breadth of the curriculum is exemplary.

Early years children confidently explained how active volcanoes changed as part of the small-world play area. They also could talk knowledgeably about Rosa Parks and equality while junk modelling a setting for the story. Accurate assessment in the early years ensures that children get what they need.

No matter a child's particular needs or background, they are well cared for and educated.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported as part of an inclusive culture of accurate early identification and effective support. Pupils with complex needs are sensitively included and achieve the best possible outcomes.

This strength is reflected across the curriculum. All pupils access a broad and well-considered curriculum. They rapidly become fluent and accurate readers.

Comprehensive training means all staff become experts in teaching reading. Where pupils do not keep up with this, support and interventions close the gap with peers effectively. Pupils' love of reading is evident, and they are avid readers beyond phonics and reading lessons.

In key stage 1 and 2, some aspects of the curriculum are not as well developed. In these subjects, the newness of the curriculum is reflected in a mixed quality of how well subjects are taught and how much pupils remember. The provision in English and mathematics is more secure than in foundation subjects like art and geography.

Similarly, assessment is not yet used as effectively in some foundation subjects.

Pupils' personal development and behaviour is exceptional. There is a cohesive and well-considered approach to managing children's physical and mental well-being.

There is a comprehensive programme for teaching children tolerance, equality and being a positive part of their local community. This starts in the early years and continues throughout the school.

Attendance and persistent absence are well managed.

Leaders track and support this exceptionally well. High levels of attendance reflect pupils' positivity in coming to school and how much they value the work done to support them. When behaviour does not meet the school's expectations, including bullying, staff are quick to act.

Pupils appreciate that any concerns they have will be swiftly addressed. The school has a positive environment, with pupils managing their emotions and actions effectively.

Leadership is effective.

The trust and governors work closely to challenge and support the school. Turner School's support has positively influenced the development of subject leaders and foundation subjects. A rich and inclusive culture around personal development and a calm and orderly environment exist.

The leaders engage well with parents, reflected in the overwhelming majority of parents saying they would recommend the school to others.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school keeps meticulous records and is accurate in identifying concerns and the level of these concerns.

The management of these is supportive but stringent. The school is unafraid of providing challenge, internally or externally. They are committed to securing what is best for the pupils involved.

Effective work with a wide range of trust and local authority programmes supports pupils' best interests. All staff are trained and supported in safeguarding matters. Some of this knowledge needs more frequent refreshing, but this does not compromise the high-quality culture of safeguarding.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subjects are still at an early stage of implementation. This means that the strong practice seen more widely is not yet fully secure in a small number of subjects. Leaders need to continue to embed and refine the curriculum to ensure it is taught with consistently high quality and that assessment is well embedded.

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