Teynham Parochial Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Teynham Parochial Primary School are supported to 'learn, enjoy and grow' in a warm and nurturing environment.

Pupils enjoy coming to school to see their friends and teachers. One pupil told inspectors that the school is 'just perfect'.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils to treat each other with respect and kindness.

Pupils learn to be inclusive and accept each other's differences. This is demonstrated in their behaviour when they work together in lessons and play cooperatively during social times. Pupils feel safe and secure as bullying is very rare.

Leaders address it quickly if it does occur.

Pupils have a strong understan...ding of what it means to be a responsible citizen. For example, they work hard to reduce their impact on the environment by litter picking and by carefully recycling materials.

Pupils raise awareness of important global issues, such as lack of sanitation, through the school's 'global neighbours' campaign.

Pupils benefit from a curriculum that is enriched with a range of trips to help them develop their learning. For example, pupils explained how a trip to Canterbury Cathedral links to their study of the Anglo-Saxons in history.

Some pupils take part in a Makaton club and in some sporting activities at lunchtimes. However, the wider club offer is currently limited.

Pupils do not achieve as well as they should in all subjects because the quality of education is not yet of a consistently high quality.

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

Leaders have ensured through the new curriculum that pupils learn a well-balanced and interesting range of subjects. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported well to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

The curriculum is well sequenced overall.

In mathematics, teachers deliver the curriculum with expertise so that pupils build strong foundations for future learning. For example, in Year 6, pupils apply their prior knowledge of partitioning to add and subtract with decimal numbers. However, in some subjects, such as history and music, pupils do not always learn the curriculum in the order that is intended.

This means that not all pupils build securely on their learning, and have some gaps in their knowledge. In music and phonics, where the curriculum is still being embedded, teachers' subject knowledge is not as strong. This means that pupils do not make progress in their learning as quickly as they should.

In mathematics, teachers use expert questioning to check what pupils know and remember. However, in some subjects, including in phonics, teachers do not always use a consistent approach to checking pupils' learning. Teachers frequently use questioning to identify gaps in learning.

However, they do not always adapt plans to address these quickly enough.

Children in Reception begin their phonics learning as soon as they arrive at the school. Staff have received some training to deliver the new phonics programme.

However, this has not yet ensured that the teaching of phonics is consistently as precise as it should be across all phases. Pupils do not always read books that help them to practise the sounds that they know. This is because books are not yet explicitly matched to the new scheme.

Older pupils read with fluency and benefit from many opportunities to read widely and for pleasure.

Children in the early years engage with interest in their learning. They show high levels of self-control when waiting for an adult to help them.

Adults support children well to learn and use new vocabulary. For example, children confidently explained the component parts of a flowering plant. Leaders select activities carefully so that children build on their knowledge securely.

However, there is some work to do to improve this further during their independent learning time.

Leaders have established high expectations for behaviour. Pupils behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning.

Most pupils attend school regularly. Leaders are working hard to identify and reduce barriers that affect the attendance of some groups. However, they know that there is more work to do to further improve the attendance of those who are persistently absent.

Pupils develop resilience and learn how to look after their mental and physical well-being through the well-planned personal development programme. Pupils know about the impact of drug and alcohol misuse. They learn about global issues, such as the impact of climate change, by debating the news.

Pupils explore a range of beliefs and viewpoints through planned opportunities to meet with people from different religions.

Staff enjoy working at the school and feel well supported by the headteacher, who they say is mindful of their workload. Leaders have implemented a programme of professional development for staff.

However, this has not yet provided subject leaders with the confidence and expertise that they need to ensure that the new curriculum is implemented consistently well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders keep clear and concise records so that they can monitor pupils whom they are concerned about.

They work alongside other agencies so that pupils and their families get the help that they might need. Staff are well trained so that they know how to identify risks and refer concerns quickly to leaders. Leaders perform important safety checks on new staff before they begin working in the school.

Pupils trust adults to keep them safe and to listen to their concerns when they are worried. Pupils have a strong understanding of how to keep themselves safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Subject leaders have not yet had sufficient training and time to effectively monitor the implementation and impact of the new curriculum.

This means that there is inconsistency in the quality of curriculum delivery in some subjects, including in phonics. Leaders need to review their plans for professional development so that subject leaders develop the expertise that they need to support staff in improving their knowledge and practice and have the capacity to ensure that the curriculum is taught in the order in which it is intended. ? Leaders have not yet identified a clear approach for ensuring that decodable books match the sounds that pupils have learned in phonics.

This means that some pupils who are learning to read do not get sufficient opportunity to practise and embed their phonics learning. Therefore, they do not progress through the scheme as quickly as they should. Leaders need to implement a system for matching books that is understood and used by staff in all phases, so that pupils develop self-efficacy and fluency in their reading quickly.

Also at this postcode