Saltwood CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe and enjoy coming to school. Relationships between pupils and the adults in school are warm and caring and expectations are high.

Pupils know that there is always a grown-up who can help them deal with any worries. Bullying is very rare and if it happens, staff respond quickly. Pupils celebrate their classmates and nominate them for the weekly 'Good Citizen' award.

Pupils receive rewards for reading regularly. On self-designed bookmarks, pupils collect points for every book they read. Pupils are proud to show off the huge displays of completed bookmarks around the school.

Pupils learn that they can make a difference in the world. Eac...h class has chosen its own 'Courageous Advocacy' project. These projects raise money for charities and promote kindness throughout the school.

The school council voted to bring in 'reading buddies', where pupils from different year groups enjoy reading to each other.

Clubs and trips enhance what pupils learn in the classroom. For example, pupils have enjoyed trips to Brockhill Country Park to re-enact battles with shields they made in lessons.

Pupils talk excitedly about the visits they have had from authors, musicians and actors.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to learn a broad range of subjects. Leaders are clear in identifying the 'big ideas' and concepts that pupils need to know in each subject area by the time they leave school.

In some subjects, such as history and science, these big ideas are not broken down well enough. It is not always clear what pupils need to learn or in what order. As a result, pupils cannot always make a connection between previous and new learning.

Leaders recognise that there is more work to do to make sure that all teachers are clear about what pupils should know by the end of each year.

Pupils learn to read from the moment they start school. They learn to read a wide range of well-selected books that help them become enthusiastic and fluent readers.

They enjoy reading aloud to adults and bring in their own books from home to share with their classmates and teacher. Some pupils do struggle to read at first. Extra support each day from their class teacher helps these pupils to keep up.

Staff in Reception plan a range of exciting learning activities to develop children's curiosity. For example, inspectors saw children build a dam in a half-pipe to stop water from running down the pipe. The very next day, this dam was bigger and more ambitious than it had been the previous day.

Though children enjoy these activities, it is not always clear what the intended learning is. The curriculum does not yet concisely set out what children need to know by the end of Reception, to prepare them for Year 1.Pupils with SEND are well supported by staff to access the full curriculum.

In physical education (PE), leaders have carefully selected sports that are accessible for all, such as tri-golf or sitting basketball. Pupils with SEND have access to a range of support that helps them develop the skills they need in order to learn independently. This is carefully monitored to make sure that pupils get the right support at the right time.

Classrooms are typically calm places to learn. Teachers have high expectations for pupils to always try their best. As a result, pupils behave well around the school and during breaktimes.

Pupils are respectful of differences. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures and can make comparisons with their own experiences. As one pupil explained, 'Everyone is equal here, everyone has the same rights.'

Pupils learn how to keep healthy and safe when online. Clubs and trips are open to all pupils to nurture their many interests and talents.

Governors work closely with school leaders, the Diocese of Canterbury and the local authority.

Governors have an accurate picture of what is being done well and what needs to improve further. They check that staff workload is manageable and school priorities are clearly defined. Their shared vision of 'Love, creativity and strength' is at the heart of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have clear systems in place to make sure that every pupil in the school is safe and known. They have ensured that staff are trained well to spot the signs that a pupil may be at risk.

Staff know how to report concerns and, when necessary, do so immediately and concisely. Leaders communicate well with external agencies to make sure that families get the right support when they need it.

A mental health support worker provides help to pupils who are struggling to attend school regularly.

Support is also available to pupils if they feel worried while at school. This service is also open to staff.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not yet identified the critical knowledge that pupils need to learn in all subjects across all phases of the school.

As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could. For this reason, the transition statements have been applied. Leaders should make sure that knowledge is precisely identified and carefully sequenced in all subjects from Reception to Year 6.

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