Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You lead the school with passion and a determination that pupils will enjoy their learning in a safe, nurturing environment. You have built a cohesive staff team which shares your vision for excellence. Your deputy headteacher also provides strong leadership and is an excellent role model for staff. Her classroom practice and use of coaching skills to support colleagues are key in driving school improvement. Relationships between pupils and staff are very constructive. As a result, pupils are happy, work hard and are reflective learners. Pupils’ enjoyment of school was evident right from the start of the inspection, as they ran through the school’s gates, keen to get to their classrooms to start their learning. They enthusiastically join in extra-curricular clubs and regularly achieve well in local sporting events. Music is a strength of the school, with flourishing recorder groups and a choir. The choir were very proud to sing at the O2 Arena on the day of the inspection. There are many examples of rich, vibrant and exciting learning experiences enjoyed by pupils, such as the forest school and residential visits. Staff, parents and carers, the local authority and governors are all highly appreciative of your astute leadership and understanding of how pupils learn. You have a sharp eye for identifying effective teaching and learning, with a clear sense of how well tasks have been matched to pupils’ abilities. Most lessons observed and books seen indicate that pupils are challenged appropriately in their learning. However, you agree that this is not consistent across the school and have rightly made this a priority for improvement. Parents were keen to tell me of the strong community spirit which you have established in the school. This is evident through parents’ involvement in reading initiatives, such as being ‘mystery readers’ in the early years and fundraising to commission a reading tree in the school’s entrance hall. Since the previous inspection, senior and middle leaders have become more effective in their roles. For example, their thorough analysis of pupils’ assessment information showed that pupils needed to improve their calculation skills in mathematics and deepen their understanding of what they were reading. As a result of strategies introduced in these subjects, many pupils now achieve standards above those expected for their age, and disadvantaged pupils’ attainment has risen considerably. Teachers who are responsible for the standards of achievement in subjects other than English and mathematics benefit from the strong and effective support provided by your senior team. You are aware, however, that pupils’ progress in these subjects is not yet secure and that the rigour of subject leadership for all subjects needs to be developed further. After the previous inspection, the governing body was asked to develop its monitoring role in order to have a greater impact on school improvement. Since then, it has worked tirelessly to play an effective role in monitoring the school’s performance closely. Governors gather first-hand information to inform their discussions and decisions. Their visits are more focused and so governors know the school well. They are beginning to monitor the wider curriculum to ensure strong progress across a range of subjects besides English and mathematics. Teamwork is a strength of the school. As a result, everyone is clear about how the school can improve further. Leaders are taking the right actions to achieve these improvements. Safeguarding is effective. All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and regularly updated in line with current statutory guidance. Suitability checks on staff, volunteers and all who regularly visit the school are recorded in an exemplary manner. Entry to the site is rigorously controlled. The emotional and physical well-being of the pupils defines the culture of the school and is of paramount importance to all staff. Pupils feel safe and happy in school. They trust their teachers to help with any worries they may have. The very few incidents of poor behaviour are quickly and effectively dealt with.