Kingstone and Thruxton Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by: ─ strengthening the role, impact and accountability of middle leaders to further improve the quality of teaching and pupil progress ─ refining school improvement action plans by setting targets that are specific, time-related and measurable and by monitoring and evaluating the impact of actions more precisely ─ further developing governors’ capacity to hold leaders to account through reviewing the impact of school improvement actions ─ ensuring that the school complies with government guidance on what academies should publish about the proposed spend and rationale for the pupil premium and the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics by: ─ ensuring that there are more opportunities for pupils of all abilities to develop their problem solving and reasoning skills through more extended challenges.
• Improve the quality of pupils’ writing by: ─ ensuring that handwriting and presentation are of a consistently high standard in all years.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher provides strong leadership. Since the previous inspection, she has ensured that the quality of teaching and learning has improved rapidly. Consequently, pupils are making good progress as they move through the school.
• The school receives good support from the Kingstone Academy Trust and, in particular, the executive headteacher. The federation with Kingstone High School is of great benefit to the school in the sharing of management expertise, teachers and facilities.
• Leaders and governors successfully communicate the vision and ambition to pupils, staff and parents through expectations, values and the school motto, ‘Achieving success together’.
• Effective systems are in place to evaluate the performance of staff. Leaders hold teachers to account effectively for pupils’ achievement because they set carefully thought-through targets to measure teacher performance against school outcomes.
• Leaders secure and sustain improvements to teaching, learning and assessment through regular professional development to address areas for improvement. Staff value the training that they have received and the support provided by leaders to improve their planning. They also value the feedback that they receive from leaders to improve their practice.
• Self-evaluation is accurate, and leaders know the school well and focus on the right areas for improvement. However, school improvement planning is not sharp enough. The impact of actions taken, the planning of precise next steps and setting measurable targets require further improvement.
• Middle leaders have recently been appointed. They are starting to play a key role in leading developments across the curriculum. However, they are not yet having an impact on the quality of teaching and pupil progress in their subjects.
• Leaders ensure that funding for pupils who are disadvantaged is used well to meet pupils’ specific needs. There is evidence that well-targeted actions, such as the pastoral support, are leading to good outcomes for pupils, both academically and in their personal development. Well-planned interventions are regularly evaluated to ensure that they continue to have a positive impact.
• The curriculum is well planned. It is broad and balanced. The pupils enjoy learning about a wide range of topics, which start with a key question. Pupils said that they find the lessons fun because they have many new experiences, such as taking part in a ‘flash mob’ and ‘hill walk’. Opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in writing and maths are built into the curriculum. The curriculum is enriched with extra-curricular activities, such as dance, choir, cookery, sewing and gardening.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. There are plenty of enrichment activities and special events, such as a visit to London to the British Museum to see the Egyptian artefacts and to watch a performance of ‘Matilda the Musical’. Pupils also learn about the various religions and visit places of worship.
• Pupils have good opportunities to learn about British values and they are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They constantly show values such as tolerance and respect in their everyday interactions with each other and with adults.
• Leaders know pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities very well and monitor their progress in detail. They ensure that funding received for these pupils is used effectively through targeted intervention groups and specialised resources. As a result, provision for these pupils has improved substantially.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium funding is also used effectively. It has increased pupils’ participation in sport. It is used to employ a sports coach and provide a range of activities that pupils enjoy. Pupils have many opportunities to take part in competitions, such as the Hereford Summer Games, and experience a range of sports, such as athletics, football, lacrosse and tag rugby. The coach works alongside teachers to help them improve their skills in teaching PE.
• Parents are very positive about school life and most would recommend the school to others. Typical comments from parents include, ‘The teachers are magnificent and they all have my respect’ and, ‘There is a good balance of academic and sports lessons’.

Governance of the school

• Governors are well informed about the life of the school. They ask challenging questions to bring about further improvements. Governors have a secure understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement. This is as a result of regular reports of assessment information and reports from leaders.
• Governors recognise the improvements that the school has made since the previous inspection. One said that the ‘school is in a very different place now’. They come into school and provide support to develop staff; however, the impact of leaders’ actions on their action plan is not shared rigorously with them.
• The governors monitor the spending of the school’s finances, including how the pupil premium, special educational needs funding and PE and sports funding are spent. Governors are particularly rigorous in keeping up to date with the progress of pupils who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Safeguarding

• Safeguarding practices are well established and are effective. Senior leaders and governors have ensured that there is a culture and ethos of keeping children safe from harm.
• Regular training, undertaken by staff and governors, includes all aspects of safeguarding, including how to prevent pupils from being at risk from radicalisation and extremism. This training equips staff with the knowledge and skills that they need to detect pupils who are potentially vulnerable and the knowledge of what to do if they have a concern. All staff receive appropriate and regular updates about child protection.
• Staff are vigilant in looking for and tackling any potential safeguarding issues. They keep a watchful eye on vulnerable pupils and work closely with the school’s safeguarding team if they have even minor concerns.
• Leaders report safeguarding concerns to the appropriate authority, when relevant. They also ensure that in-school support is tailored well where relevant. The school works well with agencies to safeguard pupils. Record-keeping is detailed and thorough. Children missing from education procedures are followed up well. Safety is taught throughout the curriculum. The single central record is well maintained and up to date and contains all the required information.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the previous inspection. These aspects are now good across the school. Teachers are held accountable for the progress of every pupil in their class at regular progress meetings. The impact of interventions for pupils who are at risk of falling behind is checked rigorously.
• Most teachers have good subject knowledge owing to the training that they receive. This helps them to explain clearly what pupil must learn and enables them to teach concepts securely so that pupils progress well. Teachers demonstrate and model effectively what pupils need to do and ensure that they all understand their work so that lesson objectives are met.
• Teachers intervene at timely intervals to check on pupils’ learning. They suitably address any misconceptions that individuals might have and give the necessary guidance about what must be improved, thereby enabling pupils to make faster progress.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Teaching ensures that pupils can build words effectively and that they understand what they are reading well. Pupils took pride in demonstrating their reading skills to inspectors and showed that they understood the text that they were reading well. Teachers provide many opportunities for reading and encourage a love of reading.
• A number of strategies have been introduced to enable all pupils to produce a higher standard of written work. Through an engaging curriculum, pupils demonstrate their ability to write well for a range of purposes and different audiences. Both boys and girls enjoy writing; however, their handwriting and presentation are not of a consistently high quality.
• Well-planned use of practical resources, especially in mathematics, ensures that pupils grasp concepts quickly and are able to solve real-life problems. In a key stage 2 lesson, pupils were engaged measuring the playground in order to gain an understanding of perimeter. While pupils achieve well in mathematics, their progress is not as good as it could be. This is because they do not have enough opportunities to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills through extended challenges.
• Teachers have developed very positive relationships with the pupils and expect pupils to work hard in lessons. Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to the progress that pupils make because they are well trained. All adults know what part they play in lessons and offer a good level of support to all abilities. Teachers provide suitable opportunities for pupils to work together, and this further develops their personal and social skills and opportunities to share ideas.
• Homework is based on the skills, knowledge and understanding of what the pupils are currently learning. It provides an opportunity for the pupils to enhance their learning and to challenge them further. Pupils said that homework is beneficial in helping them to improve.
• Teaching of specialist subjects, including music and modern foreign languages, is a strength of the school. This is because the school makes effective use of the teachers and facilities from the local high school. Consequently, pupils have good attitudes towards these subjects and are making good gains in their learning. They learn to play a range of instruments and sing in the choir.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are confident and have a positive self-esteem. Pupils know how to be successful learners and have positive attitudes to learning.
• Pupils are polite, courteous and have good manners. They are respectful to each other and adults. They ensure that visitors are made to feel welcome. They display a strong sense of pride in their learning, the school and the wider community.
• As a result of the good pastoral guidance and support offered their personal skills are developing well. Pupils said that they feel safe and secure. They are taught how to keep themselves safe, for example when online. Parents who met inspectors spoke very positively about how well they their children are looked after.
• Instances of bullying and name calling are extremely rare. Pupils said that they are taught what to do if harassment occurs and that staff deal with concerns or worries that they might have swiftly.
• There are many opportunities for the pupils to contribute to wider society, such as the Young Hopefuls, who do good deeds for others in the local community.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Staff, parents and pupils all agree that this is the case.
• High expectations for behaviour are set. The school is orderly, and pupils respond quickly and correctly to instructions from staff. They manage their own behaviour well and are positive about the school’s behaviour management system.
• School records show that incidents of poor behaviour in the classrooms are extremely rare. When they do occur, effective strategies are put in place to support pupils who display challenging behaviour, so that learning is not disrupted.
• Pupils’ attendance is in line with the national average. Evidence shows that when staff have worked with parents the attendance of pupils has improved. Leaders have a coherent and successful strategy to address non-attendance issues and improve the achievement of individual pupils. Good attendance is recognised and suitably rewarded.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils work hard and make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2016, Year 6 pupils’ progress was significantly above average in writing and mathematics and in the top 10% of all schools nationally in reading. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• The work in pupils’ books and the school’s assessment information shows that current pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, pupils do not make accelerated progress in mathematics because there is a lack of extended challenges in order to deepen pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills.
• Leaders ensure that skills progression is consistent year on year in other subjects taught. For example, in art, when pupils were sketching the school building they learned to improve their skills of observational drawing by mapping size and position.
• The teaching of phonics is consistently strong, and the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is above average. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress in phonics from their starting points.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language make rapid progress. This is because their learning needs are identified and addressed well, so that they settle quickly.
• The most able pupils are presented with work that requires them to think carefully about their learning and master specific topics. The books show that, from their starting points, the progress of the most able pupils is similar to that of other pupils with the same high starting points nationally.
• Disadvantaged pupils make equally good progress to reach standards that are close to the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. This reflects not only the good teaching that they receive but also the effectiveness in the way in which the additional funding is spent so that they perform as well as they can.
• Low-attaining pupils make good progress in all subjects because they receive good-quality targeted support. Pupil progress meetings highlight any pupil of any ability who is falling behind and suitable action is taken to get pupils back on track.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making good progress from their starting points. This is because the leader is effective in overseeing their progress and evaluating the impact of the extra support that they receive.
• Leaders place a strong focus on improving teaching and raising aspirations. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps as they move through the school. Those in Year 6 have received a good all-round education so are well prepared to start their secondary education.

Early years provision Good

• The early years is led and managed well. The early years leader has established
• When they join school, a proportion of the children have weaker basic skills than those effective links with parents and pre-schools. As a result, children settle quickly into the Reception class, grow in confidence and become increasingly independent. of typical four-year olds. For example, their communication, literacy and mathematics skills are less well developed than those of children of a similar age. During their time in Reception, children make good progress in all areas of learning. The proportion reaching a good level of development is in line with the national average. As a result, children are ready to start Year 1.
• Staff continuously assess the progress that children make. They use their knowledge of individuals to plan learning that challenges the children to achieve success. Leaders make effective use of the extra funding for those that are disadvantaged and those that have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ensures these pupils also make good progress.
• The quality of teaching is good. Children are provided with opportunities to develop their communication and language through real-life experiences, practical activities and role-play. For example, in preparation for an induction visit for next year’s Reception intake, the children made number lines on long strips of paper so they could teach the new children about numbers.
• The learning environment has a vast array of stimulating experiences and resources for children to choose from. For example, during the inspection, children were busy making puppets and a puppet theatre, using materials such as cardboard, scissors, string and tape. Outdoors, children were busy using computer tablets to time how long it takes to ride a bicycle up and down a ramp. Activities were interesting and engaging and children really enjoyed them and made good gains in their learning.
• There is a happy and productive atmosphere in lessons, and children’s behaviour is good. Staff have high expectations of manners and courtesy, which they model well. As a result, children learn and play together well. Routines are well established.
• Phonics is taught well and children enjoy practising their letter sounds. For example, the children made good use of their phonic skills when they wrote their own risk assessments to keep themselves safe for a school trip to the beach.
• The early years leader has an accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses in provision. Planned actions are monitored carefully to ensure that they have the desired impact on achievement. She leads an effective team by monitoring practice and providing training and support to continuously improve teaching and its impact. There are good relationships between adults and children and the staff work well together as a team.
• Parents are effectively involved in their child’s learning. The school communicates well with parents so that they know how to support learning at home. Staff keep parents informed about their child’s progress on a day-to-day basis and at meetings that are more formal.
• Staff keep the children safe and leaders fulfil the statutory welfare, health and safety requirements for this age group. Staff have undergone relevant safeguarding training and safeguarding procedures are implemented effectively.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 137415 Herefordshire 10032595 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 Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 159 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher James Wright Steve Fisher (Executive headteacher) Telephone number 01981 250338 Website Email address www.kingstone-thruxton.hereford.sch.uk/ sfisher@kingstone-thruxton.hereford.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 16─ 17 April 2015

Information about this school

• The school does not comply with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish about the proposed spend and rationale for the pupil premium and the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium.

• The school became an academy converter on 1 September 2011. It is a member of the Kingstone Academy Trust and support is brokered by the multi-academy trust. It. operates as part of a federation with Kingstone High School, with which it shares a governing body and some staff. These include an executive headteacher, who oversees the work of the school’s headteacher. The school has been inspected twice previously, since converting to an academy.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• Almost all pupils are White British.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium funding is average.
• The school meets the government’s floor standard (the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress).

• The school does not have provision for two-year olds.
• There have been a number of changes in staff since the last inspection.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors evaluated teaching and learning in 15 lessons. Two lessons were conducted jointly, involving the headteacher and executive headteacher.
• Pupils’ work was reviewed during lessons and a more detailed scrutiny was made of pupils’ books with subject leaders. Pupils read to inspectors and inspectors spoke with pupils throughout the inspection in order to gather their views.
• Discussions took place with leaders, a group of teachers and teaching assistants and an external consultant who supports the school’s work. Discussions also took place with members of the governing body.
• A range of documents was reviewed. These included the school’s self-evaluation summary, action plans for school improvement, records of the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning, performance management documents, minutes of meeting of the governing body, the school’s own assessment information and records related to behaviour, attendance and the safeguarding of children.
• The behaviour of pupils was observed in lessons, in assembly, at break time and at lunchtime as well as when they were moving around the building.
• Inspectors took account of the views of parents through Ofsted’s online parent survey, Parent View, and talking to them at the start of the school day. Inspectors also took account of the views of staff and pupils.

Inspection team

Lynda Townsend, lead inspector Michael Appleby

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector