Chevening, St Botolph’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Chevening, St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations.

Many pupils achieve well, personally and academically. The school encourages pupils to be ambitious for themselves. Pupils' talents and interests are nurtured well.

All pupils can represent the school in a range of sporting competitions and performances. These include tennis, hockey or performing Broadway musicals at local theatres. The opportunities help to strengthen pupils' self-esteem and resilience.

The school wants pupils to ...be 'courageous advocates' that have compassion for the wider world. Staff encourage pupils to take responsibility for their actions. They help pupils to understand their impact on other people and the environment.

For example, pupils learn about the experience of refugees. They write to members of parliament to consider making changes about the use of plastics. Pupils organise charity events and collect donations.

All pupils can hold positions of responsibility, such as 'nurture ambassadors' who help pupils talk about their worries or concerns. Year 6 'buddies' model the school's values and help children in the early years to settle quickly. Pupils develop their understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen.

Their behaviour is typically calm in the classroom and around the school building. This contributes to pupils feeling safe and happy at school.

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

The school has an ambitious curriculum.

Subject curriculums begin with what children in the early years should know and be able to do. Knowledge and skills build progressively and in a logical order. Teachers deliver subject content in this precise order.

Pupils learn more complex ideas because new learning builds well on what they already know.

Teachers check pupils' knowledge and skills regularly. They ensure that pupils routinely practise and revisit what they have been taught.

Teachers mostly address errors, misconceptions and gaps in understanding well. However, in a few curriculum areas, checks on pupils' understanding are not as robust. This means sometimes teachers do not precisely know what pupils have remembered, can do or have built fluency in.

Gaps develop in pupils' knowledge, and this hinders their progress in understanding more complex ideas and thinking.

Staff have the knowledge to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Generally, the right support and adaptations to teaching and resources are made.

This enables pupils with SEND to learn the same curriculum alongside their peers.

The school's curriculum is supported well by a broad and diverse range of books. Staff deliberately choose texts that encourage respect for others and different cultures.

Pupils enjoy reading and are enthusiastic about the books they read. Staff closely follow the school's systematic approach to teaching phonics with precision. Staff are well trained, and they identify where pupils have gaps in their reading knowledge.

The school puts in place suitable support to help those pupils to catch up and keep up. Books are matched to pupils' reading abilities, and pupils have opportunities across the day to practise their reading. This helps to build pupils' confidence and fluency in reading effectively.

When children in the early years begin school, they are swiftly taught routines and behavioural expectations. They are encouraged to be kind. As a result, they help their friends if they get upset.

They problem solve together to find solutions to make one another happy. This prepares them well for their next stage of learning. Consequently, the behaviour of pupils across the school is typically sensible and learning is rarely interrupted.

Most pupils attend school regularly. There are robust procedures in place to monitor if pupils' attendance rates drop. The school works together with parents and carers to discuss reasons for absence and find solutions.

They put in place actions that enable pupils to attend school regularly and promptly. These actions are having a positive impact and supporting pupils to attend school regularly and promptly.

The school provides a range of experiences to develop pupils' character and self-help skills.

For example, there are a number of adventurous overnight excursions where pupils are encouraged to challenge themselves, be independent and learn to work as part of a team. Pupils learn about different types of relationships and how to stay healthy. They attend workshops on how to manage anxiety and support their well-being.

They learn life- saving skills in swimming and risks such as the dangers of gang culture. This all helps to further develop pupils' confidence and to cope in life beyond school.

The local governing body have secure oversight of the school.

They closely check the school's effectiveness, including the workload and welfare of staff. They ensure that the decisions for school improvement are made in the best interests of pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few curriculum areas, the checks on what pupils know and remember are not robust. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the expertise to precisely check, identify and address gaps in those few curriculum areas.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2019.

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