Benenden Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 February 2022

Pupils are enthusiastic about their school. They are happy to attend and particularly appreciate the way staff look after them. Staff are caring and they know pupils well. Teachers have high expectations of pupils. From early years, children learn how to follow the school's rules and how to treat each other with respect. Bullying rarely happens and is dealt with quickly by staff if it does. Unkindness is dealt with well by adults. Pupils who are worried about something routinely go to adults for help or advice. Those pupils who need a quiet place to go to if they are upset visit the 'hedgehog room' where they can get help from adults. Pupils regularly attend the school's after-school clubs. These include street dance, French, chess, computer coding and tag rugby. Leaders use outside agencies and specialist sports coaches to provide clubs in judo and tennis. Pupils value the specialist tuition that these coaches provide. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their independence and to assume positions of responsibility. Several lunchtime clubs are operated by Year 6 pupils, such as netball and football. Pupils have the opportunity to apply to become 'eco warriors' so that they can contribute to the ways that the school is environmentally responsible. Pupils feel like they have a say in the decisions made in school. Several were chosen to help leaders plan a new 'reflection garden' in the school's grounds.

What the school should improve

• Assessment is not consistently effective across all subjects. In some subjects, teachers do not fully understand how pupils' learning is developing. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could in all subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment well across the curriculum.

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