Pembury School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 October 2024

With its high expectations, this school gets pupils happily involved and immersed in school life, inside and outside of the classroom. Pupils develop a keen interest, curiosity and enjoyment in their learning. Adults help them to tackle often-demanding tasks successfully. Pupils' positive achievement stretches beyond academic subjects. The school also supports pupils to become proactive citizens in the school community. It inspires them to reflect carefully about their responsibilities in the wider world. The school takes developing pupils' leadership skills very seriously. Pupils are given a strong say in many things that affect them. It is pupils themselves who often recruit and train the next generation to responsible positions, such as 'anti-bullying ambassador'. Through this approach, the school aims to equip pupils with the confidence and understanding to continue making a difference in the future. Breaktimes are active, social and fun times. The school plans these opportunities carefully. Pupils have a plentiful supply of imaginative equipment and resources across the school's large site. They use these creatively and productively, developing everything from their imaginations to their communication, negotiation and teamwork skills. Alternatively, pupils eagerly but patiently wait in line to lose themselves in a book in the school's new rainforest library.

What the school should improve

• On occasion, the school does not make sure that pupils' knowledge is secure before moving them on to more complex work. This sometimes leaves some pupils struggling unhelpfully with tasks, or with gaps in their knowledge or errors in their understanding. The school should ensure that all staff are sufficiently skilled at using effective techniques for checking pupils' understanding and adapting what they do next as a result to improve pupils' learning.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)