Kilsby Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and pupils’ outcomes by:
  • further accelerating pupils’ progress in writing by improving the standard of presentation of pupils’ work across all subjects
  • ensuring that teachers match work to pupils’ abilities more accurately so that all pupils, especially the most able and the most able disadvantaged pupils, are appropriately challenged to make better progress
  • ensuring that teachers teach pupils more effectively about different faiths and cultures
  • increasing the opportunities for pupils to use mathematics skills in other subjects so that they can deepen their understanding.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • further refining middle leaders’ use of information about pupils to more precisely assess the impact of actions for improvement of groups of pupils, not just individuals
  • reviewing the targets for the performance management of staff so that they are more precisely linked to pupil progress and attainment
  • ensuring that leaders have up-to-date evidence and relevant information to support their evaluation of the school’s performance.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The decisive actions of the trust have enabled the school to secure effective teaching and outcomes for pupils. The trust has provided effective support through shared training and staff development opportunities. Leaders and teachers speak highly of the opportunities they have to develop their practice and approaches to learning.
• Senior and middle leaders have an accurate picture of the school’s performance. They use their strong links with schools within the trust to secure their judgements about further plans for school improvement as well as the standard of pupils’ work. School development plans are closely linked to these evaluations.
• Leaders have invested heavily in the professional development of teachers and middle leaders. This has ensured more consistency in approach to planning and assessing teaching and learning and has resulted in sustained pupil progress. The recent promotion of a senior member of staff to deputy headteacher has maintained continuity and secured a strong leadership with the interim headteacher.
• Leaders and teachers monitor the progress of pupils closely. Current information shows that pupils are making at least good progress and securing age-appropriate skills and knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders correctly identified improvements needed in the teaching and learning of mathematics. There is an improving picture across all age groups, with most pupils working at a greater depth of understanding with problem solving and reasoning.
• Subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator, are becoming a strength. They know the areas in need of improvement in their areas of responsibility and are becoming more proactive with their checking of progress. They work effectively with other colleagues within the trust to ensure that their judgements are correct and plan suitable next steps for pupils in their learning.
• The school’s curriculum offers a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop and learn new skills. Pupils enjoy the experience days which introduce them to a new theme or topic. One pupil described how pupils in his class had created an Egyptian mummy, and another pupil excitedly described how pupils in his class had turned their tables into Viking long ships.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding effectively to support the very few disadvantaged pupils and carefully target pupils for academic and pastoral support. The recent appointment of a family support worker has been successful in supporting vulnerable pupils and their families.
• Leaders use the additional funds provided through the primary physical education and sport premium to good effect. In addition to providing teaching and coaching skills, pupils have increased access to sporting activities. Participation in sporting competitions has also increased. Pupils speak highly of the sports coach and appreciate the wide variety of sporting opportunities he has provided.
• Leaders plan effectively for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Funding for this group of pupils is used effectively, especially for providing specific interventions to support the learning of individual pupils. These pupils make good progress from their starting points. Highly skilled teaching assistants are deployed effectively to support pupils to achieve their best.
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They show tolerance and respect for others. They understand democracy and the importance of rules and laws. One pupil told the inspector: ‘Learning about laws is important. For example, if somebody is texting when driving then they are breaking the law and could kill someone. We need to know that, so when we are older we know not to do it.’
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is developed well. The Christian ethos in the school encourages the pupils to always consider friendship and forgiveness. The values of cooperation, achievement, respect and equality are evident in the way pupils conduct themselves and are recognised in the daily reward of house points. Nevertheless, leaders have not ensured that pupils have a deep enough understanding of different faiths and cultures in order to be able to discuss them with confidence and clarity.
• Although leaders have an accurate picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, they do not carefully consider the relevance of some evidence for their self-evaluation of the school’s performance.
• The small number of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in the school enables leaders and teachers to know these pupils well and track them as individuals. However, middle leaders in particular are not yet adept at tracking the progress of these pupils as specific groups to see if any are falling behind. Leaders are in the process of adapting a new assessment system to bring the school in line with the rest of the trust to support this.
• Leaders have ensured that performance management is linked to improvements in teaching and learning. They know where teaching is strongest and where additional support is required. They use this information to ensure that good progress for pupils is sustained. However, leaders have rightly identified that performance management targets need to be more precise in order to effectively hold teachers to account.

Governance of the school

• The governance of the school is strong. The trust has provided effective training which has brought increased rigour, challenge and accountability to the school’s leaders.
• The governors are clear about their roles and responsibilities. Their knowledge and understanding of the school is strong. They make frequent checks to ensure that the information they receive from the school’s leaders is accurate.
• The governors challenge information about pupils’ progress and actively pursue lines of enquiry to ensure that leaders’ actions lead to improvements.
• The governors diligently monitor the use of additional funds, such as the pupil premium. They understand that provision for the small numbers of pupils involved needs to be monitored carefully. Governors realise that they need to ensure that leaders more accurately record the precise impact of actions to support disadvantaged pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and the statutory requirements are met. Effective procedures and systems are in place. Staff and governors receive regular training, and this extends to those who staff the school’s breakfast and after-school clubs. Leaders keep precise records which show effective work with external agencies.
• The care and culture of safeguarding within the school is evident in the way pupils feel safe. The small size of the school means that pupils and staff know each other well. Pupils trust adults in the school and say they know who to talk to if they are worried. Pupils representing the school council talk knowledgeably about how the school keeps them safe, including how to stay safe online.
• Leaders have taken effective action to deal with incidents of poor behaviour. Pupils say that bullying is scarce but, if incidents do occur, they are dealt with quickly and efficiently by staff.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Support from the trust has ensured that the quality of teaching is good. Teachers know pupils well and use exciting and innovative experiences to engage pupils in learning.
• The teaching of phonics is a strength of the school. Pupils observed by the inspector were competent using their phonics skills in lessons and are fluent, confident readers who demonstrated good understanding of the text.
• Teachers and teaching assistants across all classes engage pupils well, and this helps to create a positive environment for learning. Pupils are well supported by teachers and teaching assistants, who use effective questioning to check pupils’ understanding. As a result, pupils are focused on learning and know what to do to improve.
• Teachers have improved the way they plan and teach writing across the school since it opened. Pupils now make connections between reading and writing which encourages them to address errors as they write. For example, the most able Year 5 and Year 6 pupils were planning and writing a job application based on their learning about Egyptian mummification.
• The quality of pupils’ writing is good. Grammar, punctuation and spelling is good. Pupils get frequent opportunities to write in different genres and across the curriculum. Teachers use ‘first of the month’ tasks to enable pupils to write at length independently.
• Teaching assistants are highly skilled and support pupils very well. Teachers quickly identify pupils who need support or challenge and teaching assistants use questioning and effective verbal feedback to extend and deepen these pupils’ learning. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are sensitively and competently supported so that they achieve the best they can.
• Although leaders have worked hard to continue to improve teaching and learning, too few pupils achieve the highest levels in writing.
• Teachers do not consistently set high expectations for the standard of presentation for pupils’ work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• From their admission into Reception, children are taught to respect each other and care for their school environment. There is a strong ethos of friendship and tolerance for others. Pupils in Year 6 are able to demonstrate their ability to empathise with others from different backgrounds, lifestyles or cultures: ‘We treat people fairly, so people can be what they want to be. It is important to give people a chance and be considerate.’
• Pupils are enthusiastic learners and relish the ‘experience days’ that introduce new topics of learning. Teachers and teaching assistants model positive attitudes and perseverance with learning. As a result, pupils are developing increasing resilience in lessons and are eager to work with more independence.
• Pupils hold positions of responsibility in school and willingly volunteer to help in the community with initiatives like ‘litter picking’. Elections for these positions have helped pupils to understand key British values, such as democracy and the importance of law.
• Pupils can explain the impact of breaking the law and talked about the consequences for the criminal and the victim, showing that they have a deep understanding of moral issues.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils show respect and consideration for others. They are confident to express their opinions and speak highly of the behaviour in school. Pupils follow the anti-bullying policy that they helped staff to write and say the school is a safe place.
• Pupils’ conduct and self-discipline is good and they take pride in their school. House captains can articulate how pupils are working towards accumulating house points for good behaviour, hard work and sporting achievements.
• Attendance is broadly in line with the national average. Leaders carefully monitor the attendance of individuals and take appropriate action to improve the persistent absence of a small group of pupils.
• Pupils enjoy their learning, including the enriched curriculum. However, when the teaching is not well matched to their abilities, some pupils lose concentration and are not always ready to learn.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2016, the published outcomes for pupils’ attainment at the end of key stages 1 and 2 showed an improvement over the previous year. At the end of key stage 1, the proportions of pupils attaining the levels expected or above for their age were in line or above the national figures for reading, writing and mathematics. At the end of key stage 2, pupils achieved broadly in line with national figures.
• Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics is continuing to improve in all year groups. School leaders have improved the quality of teaching and set high expectations for learning.
• In 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics screening check was above national average. Similarly, the percentage of pupils achieving the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling by the end of key stage 2 was above national figure. These achievements were a result of improved teaching and a significant improvement on the previous year.
• The pupil premium is used effectively to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders closely scrutinise the outcomes of this very small group of pupils. While most of the current pupils are attaining similarly to non-disadvantaged pupils, some of their outcomes were below those of other pupils nationally in 2016.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve well in relation to their starting points. Personal education plans ensure that targets are focused on improving pupils’ progress. Leaders and external specialists support pupils and their parents and undertake regular reviews so that barriers to learning are addressed as quickly as possible.
• From their starting points, the most able pupils, particularly in key stage 2, do not make as much progress as they could. Recent improvements in teaching and learning to ensure more opportunities for challenge in English and mathematics are having a positive impact. Consequently, the number of pupils working above the level expected for their age is increasing, but this requires further development.
• The number of most-able disadvantaged pupils is too small to specifically report on their progress without risk of identifying them.
• The mathematics leader has encouraged teachers to focus more sharply on addressing gaps in pupils’ learning. As a result, teachers plan lessons that are well structured on pupils’ prior learning. However, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to use mathematics skills in other subjects.

Early years provision Good

• Children in the early years make a good start to their school life. The teacher provides an engaging and exciting environment for children to explore. Routines are established, so children settle quickly to their learning.
• The teacher plans topics and lessons that are inspiring and interesting to engage the children. Provision is constantly adapted and changed to meet the developmental needs of the children. Children are stimulated and eager to learn.
• Adults adapt learning activities so that children have opportunities to practise their skills in play. The well-planned indoor and outdoor provision for children means that there are frequent opportunities for children to extend their learning without direct adult supervision.
• The early years is well led. The teacher’s professional knowledge and determination to provide the best for the children results in a quality learning environment where children are confident, enthusiastic learners.
• Children enter the early years with skills and abilities broadly in line with national figures in reading and writing and slightly above in mathematics. This is because most of the children come from the nearby pre-school whose staff work closely with the early years leader. As a result, the pre-school has introduced similar systems and resources, so that children are better prepared when starting school.
• Teaching of phonics is strong and children make rapid progress.
• Children make good progress during their time in the Reception Year. By the time they leave the early years, a higher than average majority achieve a good level of development and they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Most-able children achieve well in the early years and children are challenged to extend their thinking and problem solving in different areas of learning. The inspector observed children extending their learning about numbers to a hundred by solving mental addition problems with real money in a fruit and vegetable shop.
• Adults plan a varied and rich curriculum for early years children and know the children well. They work together to provide quality teaching and learning. They use high-level vocabulary and specific questioning techniques to challenge children to explain and deepen their understanding as well as extend their vocabulary.
• Links with parents are good and they share in the ongoing assessment of the children’s learning. Adults are adept at assessing children’s learning and this ensures that activities are effective in supporting children’s next steps.
• Safeguarding is effective and all the statutory responsibilities are met. However, regular checks for wear and tear of resources and provision should be carried out to ensure that children continue to be safe in their play. In addition, adults’ plans for provision should detail adequate, constant supervision of children.

School details

Unique reference number 141079 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 10031112 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 96 Appropriate authority Academy trust Chair Lucy Stawt Headteacher (interim) Lindsey Evans Telephone number 01788 822711 Website www.kilsbyprimary.net Email address head@kilsby-ce.northants-ecl.gov.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school converted to an academy on 1 July 2014. It is part of the Innovate Multi-Academy Trust.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. There are three mixed-age classes: Year 1 and Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6. Children in Reception are educated as a separate class.
• The vast majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.
• The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching and learning in lessons in all classes. Most of these were observed jointly with the interim headteacher or chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust.
• The inspector observed the teaching of early reading skills, including phonics, and listened to pupils reading.
• The inspector considered the range and quality of information provided on the school’s website.
• The inspector scrutinised examples of pupils’ work across different subjects and talked to pupils about their school.
• The inspector spoke informally to parents at the beginning of both days and considered the 38 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View) and the staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.
• The inspector held discussions with the interim headteacher, the CEO of the trust, the deputy headteacher, the school’s middle leaders, the chair of the governing body, representatives of the governing body and representatives from the trust. The inspector also met the newly appointed headteacher who is due to take up post in September 2017.
• The inspector looked at a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, development plans, records of monitoring of teaching and learning, the most recent information on pupils’ progress and achievement, and information relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and records of involvement with outside agencies for pupils.

Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector