Kingsley Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the progress of the most able pupils in all key stages, so that they apply their knowledge and understanding in order to work at greater depth, by:
  • ensuring that teachers provide pupils with more challenging opportunities and tasks
  • providing reading books that are exciting and challenge pupils’ thinking.
• Further improve progress in writing by the end of key stage 2, by ensuring that:
  • pupils get regular opportunities to develop and practise their writing skills in subjects other than English
  • teachers consistently use feedback and assessment to help pupils improve their work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher and her leaders are fully committed to improving teaching and learning so that standards rise. They have developed a strong ethos centred on achieving the very best for the pupils. This ethos is shared by all staff and governors. It is reflected in the continual focus on improving pupils’ progress and providing the best experiences for learning they can.
• Teachers are very well motivated. They respect the headteacher’s continual push for improvement and give her strong support. Staff said that they believe the school is well led and managed. The enthusiastic approach of staff has raised pupils’ aspirations.
• Leaders maintain a strong focus on improving outcomes for all pupils. They consistently review pupils’ progress and closely evaluate the impact of teaching and additional support. As a result of these actions, pupils are making good and improving progress at key stages 1 and 2. However, they have correctly identified that the progress for the most able pupils is not as strong.
• The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced and provides pupils with opportunities to explore key concepts in some depth. Homework provides some further practice of pupils’ skills. However, in some subjects and topics, there are not enough opportunities provided for pupils to practise writing skills.
• The school provides a wide range of extra-curricular activities, which encourage art, creativity and particularly sport. Leaders make effective use of the primary physical education and sport premium to increase opportunities for pupils to engage in physical activity and develop healthy lifestyles. The daily mile, yoga bugs and balance bikes encourage healthy exercise in school.
• Leadership of SEND is strong. It promotes an excellent ethos and culture in school of everyone belonging and everyone being valued. The special educational needs coordinator has worked productively with external agencies. Funding for this group is used highly effectively, especially in providing specific interventions to support the learning of individual pupils. Most pupils with SEND make strong progress from their starting points.
• Staff access a wide range of high-quality support and training to further develop the quality of their teaching, learning and assessment. Staff spoken to highly value these opportunities and are quick to share new knowledge and skills with other teachers within the school. Teachers recognise and value the trust the headteacher has in them to continually develop their teaching and, as a result, give pupils the best education possible.
• Performance management is administered and led effectively. Targets set are challenging and directly linked to the school’s identified priorities. The headteacher has developed a clear culture of every member of staff being accountable for the learning and outcomes of all pupils.
• Parents are very positive about the work of the school. Of those who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, and free-text service, the overwhelming majority are highly positive in their praise for what the school is providing for their children. As one parent stated, ‘I think Kingsley is a fantastic school. The staff are friendly and approachable. My son has made excellent progress and is excelling there, for which I can’t thank them enough.’
• Both the local authority and school improvement partner have guided the school well in making the improvements needed. The school has responded well to this advice.

Governance of the school

• The leadership provided by the governing body is good. A core of governors have provided frequent monitoring of priority areas for the school since the last inspection. Consequently, they challenge and support the school on what needs to improve further.
• The governing body carries out its statutory duties well. All governors are fully trained in line with the most recent government guidance and they ensure that safeguarding policies and procedures are implemented robustly.
• The financial management of the school meets statutory requirements. Governors have a clear strategy for the effective use of the pupil premium and other additional funding that appropriately meets the needs of the pupils.
• The school’s website is kept up to date with all relevant information, so that parents can access any information required.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a very strong culture of safeguarding that is rigorously upheld by all staff within the school. Staff and pupils know each other well and pupils trust the adults. They know whom to talk to if they are worried. Parents are justifiably confident that the school’s systems keep their children safe.
• Leaders carry out rigorous checks to ensure the suitability of adults working on site. Governors have training in safer recruitment, and support staff take care to ensure that all safeguarding processes are fully implemented.
• Leaders pursue any concerns over pupils’ welfare tenaciously and records are maintained in an exemplary manner. A strong pastoral team of staff is tenacious in its ability to follow through actions and make sure that parents and their children receive the help they need.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching and learning has improved since the last inspection. School leaders have created a positive learning culture and taken effective action to address any issues. As a result, teaching is now good across the school.
• The new policy for written feedback is starting to have an impact where it is consistently applied and pupils are having the opportunity to interact with it. In Year 6, for example, at the start of the day, pupils look at their work from the day before and check whether there is anything they haven’t understood. They may then correct errors they have made. However, the policy is not consistently applied throughout key stage 2 and, as a result, in some classes, pupils are uncertain how they can improve their writing.
• Teaching assistants and teachers work closely together to make sure that pupils receive the extra guidance and support they need as quickly as possible. Both teaching assistants and teachers have a very good knowledge of their pupils and this enables them to provide interesting and challenging learning opportunities to enable pupils to make good progress.
• The teaching of phonics is effectively developed across the school. This is reflected in the increasing proportion of pupils who are successful in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Although there is an increasing number of pupils who come into the school with special educational needs, the school is still reaching above national figures in phonics.
• Inspectors listened to a range of pupils read and were impressed by the clarity of their reading and their understanding. Pupils were keen to share their enthusiasm for reading. However, the most able readers felt that they wanted more challenging books to read at school.
• Across all subjects, teachers are aware of the need to develop pupils’ language skills, both spoken and written. In some classes, there are good opportunities to extend pupils’ learning. These include surrounding pupils with challenging texts and providing opportunities to talk through ideas before beginning to write. However, writing in topic books across the school is not showing that pupils have enough opportunities to practise their writing skills. This is particularly evident in lower key stage 2 and the slow progress made by the most able pupils by the end of key stage 2.
• The new mathematics programme, recently introduced to school and supported by effective leadership, has improved the teaching of mathematics. Teachers’ subject knowledge is stronger, and they are more confident and effective in developing pupils’ mathematical skills. Work in pupils’ books confirms that there are many opportunities for pupils to apply and consolidate their skills. There are, occasionally, opportunities for regular problem solving and some examples of pupils’ work at greater depth. Though most groups are currently making good progress across school, the school is aware that it needs to maintain its focus on progress for the most able to ensure that it is above the national average.
• Teaching promotes good rates of progress for low- and middle-ability learners, but does not consistently enable the most able pupils to reach greater depth. Although these pupils consolidate their skills effectively, they are not given consistent opportunities to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding in more advanced ways.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils show highly positive attitudes and a keenness for learning. They take part confidently in lessons and take pride in their work. Pupils concentrate well in lessons and collaborate very effectively with one another. They are proud of their school and the very positive relationships they have with the staff.
• The school has a strong sense of community, which supports pupils extremely well. The staff are systematic and proactive in anticipating potential welfare issues and they pursue any concerns doggedly. The introduction of mindfulness in school is having a positive effect on pupils’ and staff’s mental health and well-being.
• The school offers a caring environment where pupils feel safe and well looked after. The additionally resourced bases typify this. Pupils here respond well to staff and enjoy their learning. One parent commented, ‘He has built amazing relationships with the staff and become a confident little boy because of this. I would 100% recommend Kingsley School to other parents of children with SEND as no matter how much support a child needs, it is not a problem and the staff welcome and support parents too.’ An overwhelming majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and those who spoke to the inspectors, also support this parent’s comment.
• The school provides a breakfast and after-school club for pupils, who are given the opportunity not only to meet socially before and at the end of the day, but also to take part in a variety of activities, including drawing and building castles.
• The teachers are passionate about the benefit of sport and exercise for pupils’ physical and emotional well-being. An emphasis is placed on the importance of sport and outdoor activity. The opportunities for physical education and sport at the school are very good and this gives pupils a wide range of activities to choose from. As a result, a large proportion of pupils are involved in either team or individual sports.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Most of the pupils know how to regulate their own behaviour effectively. Those pupils who may need emotional support have excellent relationships with adults. These relationships help pupils to manage their behaviour well.
• Pupils are punctual to lessons and get organised quickly. They recognise that, in school, there are others who have very particular needs. This sometimes delays them getting started on their work. Nevertheless, pupils are very clear that they have a responsibility to help and give their peers every support to help them understand their task.
• Pupils are proud of their school. They take care with their books and there is no litter around the school site.
• Pupils told inspectors that they have no real concerns about bullying and that it is extremely rare. They have every confidence in the staff to address bullying, should it occur.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Since the previous inspection, in key stages 1 and 2, pupils’ achievement has improved. Current assessments and work in books show that pupils in both these key stages are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the most able pupils are making slower progress than others.
• Since the previous inspection, outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check have improved and are now above the national averages. This supports well pupils’ achievement in reading by the end of key stage 1.
• At the previous inspection, overall progress in key stage 1 in writing and mathematics was less strong than for reading. This is not now the case. However, the most able pupils are not making the same good rates of progress as others in all subjects.
• In 2018, reading progress by the end of Year 6 was broadly in line with the national average. However, the progress that pupils made in reading by the end of key stage 2 has significantly improved for disadvantaged pupils since the last inspection and was well above average for this group in writing and mathematics. The progress of the most able pupils was lower than that of others nationally in all subjects. The current work in topic books also shows inconsistency in progress for the most able pupils. Leaders have rightly identified the progress of the most able pupils as a focus for improvement.
• Parents are positive about the progress their children are making and feel that the school provides them with useful information about their children’s progress.
• Pupils with SEND have their developmental needs met through interventions and support plans. This enables them to make strong progress from their starting points.

Early years provision Good

• Though there is an increasing number of children with special educational needs entering Nursery, the proportion of children who achieve a good level of development at the end of Reception Year broadly matches that seen nationally. Teachers’ good understanding of the early years curriculum requirements ensures that increasing proportions of children are ready for the challenges of key stage 1. Increasingly, more children are working beyond the typical level for their age. As a result, children make good progress whatever their starting points.
• Children who need to catch up are beginning to do so. Disadvantaged children and those with SEND make good progress from their starting points. They are well supported, particularly in their physical and communication skills, because staff know children well.
• Teaching is good. It is imaginative and well planned. Children are happy, engaged and curious through the many stimulating opportunities to learn. Teachers take account of children’s needs and interests to ensure that they access all areas of learning. Children are encouraged to identify and manage risks, plan and reflect on their work, and work together.
• Nursery is an exciting place. The good quality of talk is evident, with a strong focus on literacy. Phonics skills are taught accurately and systematically through Reception class. The use of big books each day stimulates the love of books.
• Children learn in a climate of respect and responsibility that promotes effective learning. They are well behaved and develop good relationships with adults and other children. Children understand the importance of taking turns and working together.
• Arrangements for ensuring that children are safe are in place. Staff know the children very well and individual needs are catered for. The partnership with parents is very positive and they say that their children are safe. All welfare requirements are met. Parents contribute to learning journeys and consequently feel part of their children’s learning. All children starting Nursery receive a home visit, which gives individual parents the opportunity to ask questions about their children starting school.
• Leadership of the early years provision is effective. Systems are in place to ensure accurate assessments and high-quality, effective provision. Leaders have rightly identified that the most able children are not sufficiently challenged to enable them to make greater gains by the end of Reception.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 111601 Hartlepool 10059042 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 484 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mr John Vale Mrs Alison Darby 01429 273102 www.kingsleyprimary.com admin.kingsley@school.hartlepool.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 20 September 2016

Information about this school

• Kingsley Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average. The school is funded by the local authority to provide additionally resourced provision in key stages 1 and 2 for 25 pupils with autism spectrum disorder.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.
• The school has a breakfast club and provides after-school care at the end of the school day.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team observed teaching and learning in most lessons. The headteacher and other leaders visited some of these lessons with inspectors.
• The inspectors held discussions with governors, the headteacher, some subject leaders, the local authority, teachers and teaching assistants, and leaders for special educational needs and safeguarding.
• The inspectors spoke to pupils about their school, observed pupils’ conduct around the school, and looked at pupils’ work.
• The inspectors examined a range of documents, including the school’s own systems for the tracking of pupils’ progress, school evaluations, safeguarding documentation, other key policies and records of attendance.
• An inspector listened to a group of pupils read.
• There were 36 responses to Parent View, the Ofsted online survey, for the inspectors to analyse. There were 48 responses to the online staff survey. The inspectors had discussions with parents in school and staff on their views of the school’s provision.

Inspection team

Ann Muxworthy, lead inspector Kate Byrne Janice Gorlach

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector