Setting

Mrs J Aldridge The Headteacher Rudyard Kipling Primary School Chalkland Rise Woodingdean Brighton East Sussex BN2 6RH

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Kipling Primary School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 10 March 2011, for the time you gave to our phone discussion and my visit prior to the inspection and for the information which you provided during the inspection. Please pass my thanks on to the pupils who spoke to me in lessons and at playtime, and to staff and representatives of the governing body with whom I held discussions.

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Kipling Primary School

As a result of the inspection on 8 October 2009, the school was asked to address the most important areas for improvement which are set out in the annex to this letter.

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Kipling Primary School

Having considered all the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made good progress in making improvements and good progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Kipling Primary School

Although attainment across the school remains broadly average, it is rising quickly. Progress rates are generally good and, in 2010, the Year 6 results in the end-of-year teacher assessments showed pupils, including those in the school’s ASC special facility, had made gains to reach higher levels of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Kipling Primary School

The school has taken positive and determined action to raise pupils’ achievement. It has involved staff in introducing an effective system for assessing, tracking and analysing the progress of all pupils. Assessments, including pupil progress meetings, take place regularly and contribute well to pupils’ overall progress. This process has enabled the school to identify those at risk of underachieving, focusing on what they need to do to improve. Class teachers are held to account by senior leaders for the Tribal 1-4 Portland Square BRISTOL BS2 8RR T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0845 123 6001 Direct F 0117 315 0430 email :sarah.cartlidge@tribalgroup.com Page 2 progress of their pupils. Teaching assistants play a key role in implementing the intervention strategies that are now more closely tailored to pupils’ needs. These are proving successful, especially focused group work and booster classes. The school’s

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Kipling Primary School

data show accelerated progress for pupils capable of working at the higher levels.

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Kipling Primary School

While there is a rising trend of attainment for older pupils, progress rates for younger pupils have been more variable over time and attainment remains lower in Key Stage 1. The school has acknowledged this and extended access to a play-based and language-rich curriculum into Year 1, particularly to support the high proportion of pupils whose speech and language skills are well below expectations on entry. This initiative is having a positive impact on pupils’ levels of engagement and helping to improve their communication skills. The later transition into the Year 1 basic skills curriculum is managed well, helping to speed up the progress pupils make in reading, writing and mathematics during the rest of their time in Years 1 and 2.

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Kipling Primary School

The senior leadership team has monitored teaching and learning rigorously, identified areas for improvement and worked alongside colleagues in a coaching role. This has brought about sharper planning for the very specific needs of groups of pupils by gender and ability, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the most able. Evidence from the monitoring visit, supported by the school’s own monitoring, shows that teaching has improved and is generally good. Resources are used well to ensure that pupils engage in active learning. A creative curriculum ensures imaginative contexts for learning that relate to real life. For example, some Year 4 pupils were working in groups to tackle measurement challenges in mathematics and could talk confidently about how they might apply the skills and knowledge gained when cooking, shopping or mending things.

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Kipling Primary School

Teachers use data from marking and assessments to provide pupils with helpful feedback on how well they are learning. This information is used well to set clear targets for pupils. Pupils know and understand their learning targets for writing and mathematics, which are suitably challenging. They are given regular opportunities in ‘target-getting’ sessions to assess their own learning, working with teachers to be clear about their next steps to learning.

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Kipling Primary School

The very purposeful leadership of the headteacher, well supported by the senior leadership team, has established high expectations. Partnership working, in class by pupils, among staff and with parents and carers, has created a cohesive school community, determined to seek higher achievement. Exceptional teamwork has maintained the good behaviour seen at the previous inspection. There is an emerging track record of improvement which the school is well placed to sustain over time, as actions taken continue to impact on outcomes for all pupils. It has received very effective support from the local authority’s School Improvement Partner and educational consultants. More recently, skilled senior leaders, ably supported by the governing body, have led improvement work and the need for external intervention has been reduced. Page 3 I hope that you have found the inspection helpful in promoting improvement in your

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Kipling Primary School

school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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Kipling Primary School

Wendy Forbes Additional Inspector Page 4

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took

 Improve the progress of all pupils by:  closely monitoring teaching to ensure that all teaching mirrors the best practice that currently exists in the school  ensuring that the more able pupils are provided with more challenging work in order to increase the number of pupils gaining the higher National Curriculum levels.  Strengthen the effectiveness of the use of assessment by:  more effectively monitoring how well all teachers are using assessment to inform future learning  undertaking more frequent checking of pupils’ work in English and mathematics to ensure that concerns are effectively followed up  setting challenging targets for all pupils.

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