Newington Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school This is a happy, caring school. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and are enthusiastic in all they do. Pupils are welcoming and friendly, behave well and are respectful to adults and each other.

Pupils are proud of their school and their achievements. The executive headteacher has taken decisive and effective action to secure improvements in the school. The head of school and governors share the ambition and vision to provide the best for pupils.

Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), generally achieve well and are currently making good progress fro...m their starting points. However, progress is a little uneven across the school. Effective action has been taken to improve pupils' achievement in mathematics.

Leaders are keeping a close check on this to make sure that the new, successful approaches are fully embedded. Effective leadership of teaching means that the quality of teaching and learning is typically good. Further improvements are planned to eradicate inconsistencies and ensure that expectations for what pupils can achieve are high.

The provision for children in the early years has strengthened. Children get a good start to their education, thrive and make good progress. The curriculum has been revised to ensure its breadth and balance.

However, further development is ongoing to ensure that the curriculum is cohesive in its intention and implementation. Phonics skills are taught well, but pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their skills across the key stage 1 curriculum. Leaders set great store in developing teachers' expertise and leadership skills.

Many middle leaders are new to role and developing their skills. The impact of their work is not yet evident in pupils' outcomes. Staff work hard to build positive relationships with parents and carers and support them to help their children.

Parents have confidence and trust in the leadership of the school and are positive about what the school offers their children. There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Pupils feel safe in school and are well looked after.

Leaders have successfully improved attendance, although it remains slightly below the national average. The number of pupils who are persistently absent has been considerably reduced.

Information about this school

The school is federated with Lower Halstow Primary School.

The executive headteacher was appointed in September 2018 and provides leadership for both schools. Newington Church of England Primary also has a head of school. Both schools share a governing body.

This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. There is one class in each year group. The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below average.

The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average. The school is a voluntary controlled Church of England primary within the Diocese of Canterbury. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in October 2016 and is due for reinspection in 2022.