Grimsdyke School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Grimsdyke receive an exceptional education. They are kind, friendly and eager to learn.

Pupils demonstrate impeccable manners towards one another and the adults that work with them. The 'School Values Champions' work with leaders to consistently embed the respectful culture. Bullying is very rare.

Pupils feel able to raise concerns in the knowledge that they will be listened to by adults. This helps pupils to feel safe and be kept safe at school. Parents and carers are effusive in their praise for the school.

They appreciate the care that staff take to ensure that their children are safe and achieve their potential.

Pupils are keen to atten...d school and contribute to their community. They are proud to take on additional responsibilities as prefects, school councillors, house captains and eco-warriors.

There is a range of extra activities available to pupils, including dodgeball, netball and chess club, as well as lunchtime junior choir, which is attended by 70 pupils each week.

Leaders and staff have very high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is broad and ambitious.

Pupils, including children in early years, are deeply engaged in their learning and produce work of excellent quality across all subjects. As a result, pupils achieve highly and are very well-prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

Pupils follow a rich and ambitious curriculum that matches the breadth and depth of what is expected nationally.

In each subject, and the areas of learning in early years, leaders have identified the important knowledge and skills pupils need to learn and remember. This is logically sequenced so that pupils return to, practise and embed important concepts. This allows them to apply and connect their learning across the curriculum and build a depth of knowledge and understanding.

For example, in science, children in early years explore different materials. They secure the vocabulary they need to describe how materials can be changed, such as 'squash', 'squeeze' and 'twist'. This foundational knowledge supports older pupils to compare the properties of different materials, such as metals.

Similarly, in geography, children in Reception develop positional and directional language and use this when mapping their route to the post office. Older pupils draw on this knowledge when studying maps of different locations and land uses. Across the school, pupils develop a very secure understanding in different subjects.

Teachers are skilled at supporting pupils to know and remember more over time. Staff routinely help pupils to recall previous learning, focusing on key concepts and useful vocabulary that they will need now and in their future study. Beginning in early years, staff model and practise questioning with children to nurture their language development.

This supports pupils to progress well through the curriculum.As a result, outcomes over time are high, including in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly.

They are well-supported with appropriate adaptations, when needed, to ensure that they benefit from the same ambitious curriculum and achieve well.

The curriculum is also designed to help pupils see links within and between the subjects they are learning. For example, pupils use their scientific knowledge when discussing healthy diets in physical education lessons.

The curriculum is further enriched through carefully selected visits. For example, pupils in Year 6 visit Dover to investigate the tunnels that supported Operation Dynamo and the evacuation of Dunkirk.

Reading is prioritised across the school.

Pupils begin phonics from the start of their Reception year. Staff are well-trained and implement the school's programme with consistency and precision. Any pupils who need extra help with their reading are prioritised.

As a result, pupils become confident and fluent readers. 'Reading Ambassadors' are enthusiastic about recommending books to pupils in the new school library. They have worked with all stakeholders to design new reading lists that include non-fiction and poetry, alongside more familiar texts, ensuring that these are accessible to all readers.

Pupils' wider personal development is exceptional. The curriculum is very well-designed to help pupils to understand important values such as democracy, equality and diversity. These are embodied in school life, for example, when pupils vote for their school council representatives.

Pupils enjoy supporting their wider community. For example, they fundraise for various annual initiatives such as the Christmas Fair, while also recognising celebrations such as Anti-Bullying Week.

Staff have very high expectations for pupils' behaviour, which are consistently met.

Pupils are keen to contribute to the life of the school, for example, serving as 'playground pals' for younger pupils. Pupils are actively taught how to behave towards one another. For example, pupils understand how those with SEND might need different types of help.

This contributes significantly to the fair, welcoming and inclusive environment. Pupils feel safe because they know they can share concerns with trusted adults and use the school's 'safe spaces'. They can put their concerns in the 'worry monsters' and 'post boxes', which they know will be responded to.

Pupils have consistently high attendance and they are keen to receive the 'on-time owls' as a reward for their punctuality.

Staff are very well-supported and are rightly proud of the school community. They feel that their well-being is considered.

Those responsible for governance know the school well. They provide leaders with appropriate and helpful support and challenge to work towards their shared and ambitious vision.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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