Kingswood Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by ensuring that leaders at all levels check the impact of their actions more thoroughly in order to secure even better outcomes, especially for disadvantaged pupils.
• Improve pupils’ outcomes further by ensuring that pupils develop sufficient mathematical confidence to move swiftly on to deeper learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors are ambitious for their pupils. They ensure that pupils are well prepared for secondary school both academically and in terms of their social and emotional development.
• Leaders acted swiftly to redress the dip in progress seen in reading and mathematics last year. Their well-thought-out actions have seen a clear improvement for current pupils.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and respond appropriately to rectify any areas that need developing. For example, they have instituted new approaches to reading in both key stage 1 and key stage 2. Sometimes, however, leaders do not check the impact of their work as thoroughly as they could. This means they do not always secure the best possible improvement in outcomes, especially for disadvantaged pupils in the middle prior attainment group.
• Leaders take a research-based approach to developing practice. Staff are encouraged to engage in training and study that expands their understanding. For example, several members of staff have pursued postgraduate qualifications in childhood development and have used this knowledge to adapt the curriculum in Year 1. This has had an immediate impact on the quality of pupils’ writing for the better.
• Training and professional development opportunities are a strength across the federation. Leaders provide a combination of whole-school mandatory training and a bespoke menu from which staff can self-select. This means staff can access the training they need to meet their appraisal targets as well as to pursue specialisms needed for their roles. The staff who spoke to inspectors were highly complimentary about the development they receive.
• Staff at the earliest stage of their careers say that they receive excellent support and guidance to shape their practice.
• The curriculum is a real strength of the school. Effective planning across all subjects leads to good learning and gives pupils something purposeful and concrete to write about, for example design and technology instructions for Goldilocks. Topics centre around well-chosen texts, which ensures that pupils experience high-quality literature. Trips and visitors into school, such as theatre groups, complement the taught curriculum well.
• Leaders ensure that they promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. There are regular opportunities for pupils to reflect both on their learning and on deeper philosophical questions. Religious education days immerse pupils in the beliefs and practices of different faiths. Empathy is very well fostered. For example, older pupils took part in a mock ‘sleep out’ in the school to help them understand what it is like to be homeless. To strengthen their understanding, they explained their experiences to their key stage 1 counterparts. Global arts day ensures that pupils are exposed to artists and techniques from around the world.
• Additional funding for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is used effectively to provide appropriate support and interventions. Staff receive the training they need to deliver these interventions well. Consequently, pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium is used to ensure that pupils have access to a range of sports and opportunities to compete with other schools in and beyond the federation. The quality of PE teaching is strong.
• Progress has improved this year for disadvantaged pupils. However, leaders’ evaluation of the use of the pupil premium is not as incisive as it could be. Consequently, there are still pockets of slower progress that remain to be addressed.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective.
• Governors, including those new to the governing body, avail themselves of training, including the federation’s induction programme, to ensure that they have a good range of skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles.
• There is a new system of visits to school as well as ‘working together’ days to ensure that governors have plenty of opportunities to get to know their schools well.
• Governors are clear what the priorities for the school are and inform themselves appropriately in order to be able to challenge school leaders. For example, they commissioned an external speaker to come and advise them about how to reduce exclusions.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school provides regular training on current issues so that staff know what to look out for to keep pupils safe. Checks on the suitability of adults to work or volunteer at the school are rigorous. Leaders are aware of any issues or concerns in the local area. They use this knowledge to inform their safeguarding practices.
• Leaders ensure that paperwork related to safeguarding issues is kept up to date. For example, they carefully log all correspondence with outside agencies. In this way, they can check that help is being provided in a timely manner, and they can chase up where this is not the case. This attention to detail means that the most vulnerable families are given the help they need.
• The school’s arrangements for meeting the needs of pupils with particular medical conditions are very robust. There are clear systems in place to deal with any injuries or accidents. Leaders ensure that first-aid training is regular and comprehensive.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Pupils show high levels of engagement in lessons and talk with enthusiasm about their learning. Routines are well established, which ensures that lessons proceed smoothly.
• Time in lessons is often used effectively, for example for pupils to edit their writing and to explain their answers. However, mathematics teaching does not give pupils enough opportunity to develop the confidence to move on to deeper learning as soon as they have finished their previous task. This means that occasionally time is wasted, which slows their learning.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge which they use to plan well-sequenced learning in subjects across the curriculum. They use questioning effectively to help pupils clarify their learning.
• The well-thought-out activities on the homework ‘menus’ add to the regular spelling, reading and mathematics tasks that pupils are expected to complete. These menus complement the curriculum well and encourage parental involvement. Homework books show that learning at home contributes to learning in class. For example, pupils completed their own maps of Antarctica for their ‘Polar Explorers’ topic.
• Phonics teaching is effective and develops pupils’ understanding of sounds well. This complements the very strong focus on reading in key stage 1 to prepare pupils well for the more complex learning they will meet in key stage 2.
• Pupils are keen readers and teachers use the curriculum well to promote a love of reading. The range of inspirational texts used to anchor each topic is central to this.
• Teachers show pupils how to critique each other’s work. This supports pupils to make improvements in their writing and promotes strong collaborative skills. There is clearly trust and respect between pupils as they support each other to improve their work.
• The curriculum provides ample opportunities for work on anti-discrimination. Pupils as young as Year 2 learn about equality of opportunity for women as part of their superheroes topic, when they look at how Malala Yousafzai fought for the right to education for girls.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are very confident learners. The pupils who spoke to inspectors could explain clearly what they were learning about.
• Pupils have ample opportunities to listen to each other. The curriculum supports and encourages pupils to listen to and challenge each other’s views respectfully, for example through regular philosophical debates.
• Pupils take tremendous pride in their work. The books inspectors saw showed consistently high standards of presentation.
• Relationships across the school are very strong. Pupils and adults co-exist harmoniously in a culture of mutual respect that is palpable.
• Pupils have a very well-developed understanding of bullying, including how it may manifest itself online. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are trained in being able to mediate situations so that they do not escalate. Consequently, pupils state that incidents of bullying are extremely infrequent.
• Pupils, including those in the younger year groups, know that they can talk to a trusted adult. The pupils who spoke to inspectors said this made them feel very safe.
• Pupils are confident in aspects of how to stay safe. They appreciate that the school helps them to understand what is happening in their local area so that they know how to avoid any potentially dangerous situations. They have a particularly thorough understanding of e-safety. They are adamant, for example, that you should never give out your personal details to anyone you meet online. The fire alarm went off during the inspection and inspectors were able to see how exceptionally sensibly pupils left the building and lined up outside.
• Pupils understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Older pupils who spoke to inspectors reported how they debated the benefits of fruit and grains, when making smoothies during enterprise week. There is a wide variety of clubs that pupils can choose from. Swimming is a particular strength of the school and pupils develop a real love of the sport, with many choosing to pursue it in their own time.
• The greatest of all these strengths is the support that leaders have established for pupils’ emotional well-being. The school has invested in training mental health first-aiders who look out for, and respond to, early signs of distress. There is a range of bespoke therapy available to support pupils. Staff are developing an in-depth understanding of the effects of early trauma and how to minimise these. In this way, pupils’ emotional and psychological well-being is exceptionally well catered for.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Conduct in and around the school is exemplary. Pupils of different ages mix well at lunchtimes, and the atmosphere is really convivial. Playtimes are harmonious affairs, pupils look out for one another to ensure that everyone has a positive experience.
• Pupils with particular behavioural needs are given excellent help to manage their behaviour. For example, pupils have a safe space that they can go to when feeling distressed, and they have a mentor that they can check in with regularly. This has led to a significant reduction in the rate of exclusions this year.
• Pupils are very positive about behaviour in class. There are rarely any incidents of off-task behaviour.
• The number of incidents logged on the school’s internal behaviour monitoring system has also decreased because leaders analyse incidents carefully. They therefore identify concerns swiftly and put in effective actions to address them.
• The strong improvements in attendance gained last year have been maintained. The rate of persistent absence also fell considerably last year. Leaders have also been successful at maintaining this for a second year running.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• There has been a lot of work to improve progress in mathematics across key stage 2, after progress fell to below average for last year’s Year 6 cohort. Current pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are making good progress overall from their starting points throughout the school. Where teachers have not ensured that pupils have the confidence to move on to work that deepens their learning, progress occasionally slows.
• Outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check are in line with the national average, having risen again after a dip in 2017. This solid foundation underpins pupils’ future learning in reading and writing well. For example, many pupils are confident and accurate spellers.
• Pupils make good progress in reading, particularly in key stage 1. The approach to reading adopted for early readers is proving highly effective, particularly for those pupils who join Year 1 with low starting points. They quickly catch up to end the year at age-related expectations.
• Pupils read confidently, both in class and when reading with inspectors. They talk enthusiastically about the books they are reading and use a range of strategies to ensure that they understand the text. They are confident and able to answer a range of questions on what they are reading.
• Pupils are confident writers. They make good progress in developing both the content and the craft. Because they learn well in, say, history, when they write about life during the plague or the holocaust, they have an authentic voice. They acquire punctuation and grammar skills appropriate to their age and use increasingly sophisticated vocabulary.
• Outcomes in ‘learning across the curriculum’ books show that pupils are learning age-appropriate skills across many subjects. For example, pupils who spoke with inspectors had a very good knowledge about where the Vikings came from and of the factors that led to them colonising other countries.
• Pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points as a result of the tailored interventions in place for them. These are delivered effectively and therefore meet their needs well.
• Specialist teaching in PE, participation in competitions with other schools, and access to a wide range of sporting activities ensure that pupils’ physical development is good. Pupils learn to swim particularly well. A much higher-than-average proportion of pupils can swim at least 25 metres by the time they leave in Year 6.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Leaders ensure that their actions lead to strong outcomes for children. As a result of leaders’ effective actions, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development has continued to rise so that it is in line with national averages. This represents strong progress from children’s starting points into the early years. Many children start with low levels of language and communication skills. A significant, and increasing, proportion have speech and language difficulties. Additionally, a much higher-than-average proportion of children have little or no English when they join the school.
• Leaders provide a highly stimulating environment that sparks children’s interests. For example, at the time of the inspection, caterpillars were making their cocoons. Children were enthralled by this. They talked excitedly, using the correct language. Reception children explained how many caterpillars there had been and that five of them were currently in their cocoons. They knew that they would then turn into butterflies. Work on the life cycle of a frog enabled Nursery children to explain that tadpoles grow legs at the froglet stage. Children in Nursery were seen by inspectors completing their chick diaries for the day after watching eggs hatch. They used vocabulary such as ‘incubator’ to explain the process.
• Children are equally well able to use their own imagination to engage in extended play that stimulates their thinking and develops a range of skills. For example, a group of children in Reception were making potions, which they incorporated into a complex scenario involving having to hide the finished product and stand guard over it lest it fell into the wrong hands.
• Specialist teachers in music ensure that children make very strong progress in the subject, learning simple notation confidently by the end of Reception.
• Leaders have designed the environment to support children’s independence. Resources are easily accessible. During the inspection, a group of children building their own houses and flats out of junk modelling equipment knew exactly what they wanted, for example for the windows and doors, and where to get it.
• Children show excellent levels of concentration. They are kind to each other. They listen and respond to instructions well and show respect for the adults who look after them.
• The same high standard with regards to safeguarding is evident in early years as it is throughout the school.
• Leaders provide high-quality training so that staff can share exemplary practice and develop their skills.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 100574 Lambeth 10086805 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 873 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair (co-chairs) Headteacher Charles Asher and Alexandra Cambouris Kelly Foster (upper site); Gillian Roberts (lower site) Telephone number 020 8670 3576 Website Email address www.kingswood-primary.lambeth.sch.uk kingswood@ghf.london Date of previous inspection 12 to 13 March 2013

Information about this school

• Kingswood is much larger than an average-sized primary school, with four classes in each year group.
• This school is part of the Gipsy Hill Federation, a hard federation of six primary schools and a children’s centre overseen by two executive headteachers and one governing body. Each school has its own headteacher.
• This school is housed on two sites, with one for early years and key stage 1 pupils and the other for key stage 2 pupils. These sites are a short distance apart on the same road.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND, including those with education, health and care plans, is higher than average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is double the national average, and a number of these pupils are at the very early stages of learning English.
• The school represents a very diverse community, with almost four fifths of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. This is a much higher proportion than average.
• The school runs a breakfast and after-school club on both of its sites.
• Over the last few years, there have been significant staffing issues which have affected capacity at senior leadership level.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited all year groups on both the upper and lower sites jointly with school leaders. These observations covered a range of subjects, including music, reading, phonics, PE, science and mathematics.
• The inspection team looked at a range of work in pupils’ mathematics books and ‘learning across the curriculum’ books, often alongside school leaders.
• Inspectors held meetings with staff, school leaders, governors and a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils both formally and informally in lessons, in the playground and in the dinner hall in order to gather their views about learning and behaviour. They also read with pupils from Years 2, 3 and 6 and attended assemblies.
• The inspection team considered a range of documents, including those related to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, the minutes of governing body meetings and information about pupils’ academic outcomes.

Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, lead inspector Teresa Neary Ellie Whilby Jeffery Quaye Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector