West Malling Church of England Primary School and McGinty Speech and Language Srp

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 January 2023

Pupils are happy and thrive in this caring school. Children develop very positive friendships with one another. For example, older pupils take responsibility for children in the early years, reading to them and walking with them to the local church. This helps younger children to feel secure. Parents echo this and said, 'The school provides a supportive and nurturing environment.' Pupils learn about the school values and apply these to their school life. For example, the values of 'perseverance' and 'love' are lived out by pupils in their attitudes to work and friendships across the school. Leaders have high ambition for all pupils. Staff ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who attend the school's specially resourced provision engage fully in the life of the school. As all pupils move through the school, they develop their knowledge and skills across a broad range of subjects well. Pupils behave well and feel safe. When bullying happens, adults address this swiftly. Pupils encourage one another in class and enjoy the company of their friends when at play. One pupil expressed the views of many and said, 'Whatever happens, everyone is always there for you, the teachers and the pupils.'

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, teachers are not clear about how to teach the curriculum effectively. This means that there is too much inconsistency in the delivery of the curriculum. Subject leaders need to clarify their pedagogical approach in some subjects to ensure teachers implement the curriculum consistently and support all pupils to achieve as well as they should in all subjects.

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