Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery

Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 05–06 December 2011 Inspection number 378210 Unique Reference Number 110995 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 378210 Inspection dates 5–6 December 2011 Reporting inspector James Kidd

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 202 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andy Jones Headteacher Fiona Rimmer Date of previous school inspection 9 July 2007 School address Middle Lane Kingsley Frodsham WA6 6TZ Telephone number 01244 981 300 Fax number N/A Email address admin@kingsleycp.cheshire.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It rates council children's services, and inspects services for looked after

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children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. They observed 15 lessons or part-lessons taught by eight teachers. They held meetings with pupils, including those with particular responsibilities, staff and two members of the governing body. They also talked informally with parents and carers at the start of the school day and after the Early Years Foundation Stage Christmas play. They observed the school's work, and looked at internal and external pupil progress data, school improvement planning, minutes of governing body meetings and child protection and safeguarding documentation. Inspectors also scrutinised 71 questionnaires returned by parents and carers, 12 completed by staff and 108 returned by pupils in Key Stage 2.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.  ■ Attainment in Key Stage 1 and the impact of the school’s work to address the apparent decline, suggested by data. ■ How and with what impact the school is attempting to improve pupils’ skills in writing. ■ The level of challenge in teaching and whether it is good enough to promote at least good learning and progress. ■ The quality and accuracy of assessment as a tool to foster learning.

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Information about the school

This smaller than average primary school is set in a rural location about three miles from the centre of Frodsham. It draws its pupils from a wide area and two-thirds of its pupils are from outside the immediate catchment. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is also well below that usually seen. Most pupils are White British and there are currently no pupils in the school with English as an additional language. A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection. Kingsley Community Primary has Healthy School status, holds the Activemark award for its work in physical education and has the Financial Management in Schools Standard. ‘Wizzies’, a privately-run before- and after-school school club shares the school site. It is subject to a separate inspection and receives

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Information about the school

a separate report which is available on the Ofsted website. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

This is a good school. Outstanding care, guidance and support from teachers and teaching assistants ensure that pupils are happy in school and enjoy the many and varied activities open to them. As a result, pupils’ attendance is consistently high and they enter school in the morning looking forward eagerly to the day ahead. In the words of their parents and carers, ‘Our children are very proud of their school because it is such a happy and friendly place.’

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Main findings

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills which are generally in line with the expectations for their age. They make good progress in nursery and reception. This good progress is maintained across the rest of the school and pupils leave Year 6 with attainment which is above average overall, but is well above in mathematics. This represents good achievement for all groups of pupils, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for those whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable. However, although improving, the percentage of pupils in both Key Stages reaching the higher National Curriculum levels in writing is not as high as it should be.

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Main findings

Pupils develop well personally. Their behaviour is good. They engage positively with their learning and have an outstanding awareness of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. They are proactive in their work for charity and are actively involved in a variety of activities in the local community and beyond; their work for the Ugandan appeal, for example, is a byword in the local area and is just one element of the school’s exceptional promotion of community cohesion.

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Main findings

The quality of teaching is good overall and is sometimes outstanding. The school recognises, however, that there needs to be more emphasis on pupils discussing their work before they begin their writing assignments. The curriculum comprises a wide range of enrichment and extra-curricular activities, often the result of the outstanding partnerships, which the school has with many external agencies. The school is now placing a sharper focus on developing the topic work programme, in order to enable pupils to practise their writing skills in all subjects of the curriculum.

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Main findings

Kingsley Community Primary is a ‘thinking school’ and one in which performance in all areas of its life is continuously under review. Strong leadership, a well-informed governing body and high staff morale ensure that school self-evaluation is accurate and leads to the establishment of clear plans for on-going improvement. The school, therefore, has good capacity for further improvement and provides good value for money.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ Continue to increase the percentage of pupils reaching the higher National Curriculum levels in writing at the end of both Key Stages by:  giving pupils more opportunities to rehearse their ideas through talk before putting pen to paper  embedding on-going assessment in class to inform how teaching and activities may be amended and meet pupils’ learning needs even more closely  further developing the application of pupils’ writing skills through topic work, thus enabling them to reinforce these skills across the curriculum.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils are generally fully engaged in lessons and are eager to learn. When given the opportunity, they enjoy working in pairs and in groups, to act as extra learning resources for their classmates. They are also delighted when their peers succeed and compliment their classmates warmly when they give accurate answers to difficult questions in class. They are also proud to show visitors their work and react positively to the written comments of their teachers about how they can raise their standards. Many pupils are so motivated to learn that they complete extra work at home.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

All groups of pupils make good progress and achieve well across the school. A strong emphasis on developing the accuracy and impact of assessment demonstrates that there has not been a decline in attainment in Key Stage 1 and that pupils in Years 1 and 2 continue to progress well. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is higher than at the time of the previous inspection and has improved at a faster rate than the national trend: standards in English are above average and are well above average in mathematics. In both Key Stages, more pupils reach the higher National Curriculum levels in mathematics than in writing, but the school’s work to tackle this issue is beginning to have an impact and inspection evidence shows that more pupils than hitherto are demonstrating the potential to reach these levels.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils feel safe in school. They generally comport themselves with maturity and are welcoming to visitors. They have an excellent understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and are not afraid to explain to visitors what makes a balanced diet. The school council, for example, has played a seminal role in developing the healthy options in the school canteen. Pupils see the importance of emotional well-being, too, and, as play leaders and ‘buddies’, are ever willing to support and help their peers. Pupils in Year 6 also support children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and help them to settle down quickly into their new surroundings. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong, get on well with each other and celebrate both religious and cultural diversity. Their impressive skills in information and communication technology (ICT), their good academic progress and their active involvement in a

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

variety of enterprise activities ensure that they are well-prepared for the future.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning Taking into account: Pupils' attainment 1 The quality of pupils' learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress The extent to which pupils feel safe 2 Pupils' behaviour 2 The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 2 The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being Taking into account: Pupils' attendance 1 The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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How effective is the provision?

Warm relationships between pupils and between teachers and pupils are more than apparent in every classroom. Learning is promoted well by the vibrant display in all areas and pupils in Year 3, for example, are motivated to improve their standards in English by the large poster of Winston Churchill expressing pupils’ targets in literacy. The quality of teaching is good throughout the school and there are examples of outstanding practice in both Key Stages. Challenge is realistic for all groups and leads to pupils making at least good progress in their lessons. In a Year 4 literacy lesson, for example, pupils were delighted to share their complex sentences with the rest of the class and were also proud to define the terms ‘subordinate clause’ and ‘main clause’ to the inspector. The quality of teaching in mathematics is particularly impressive and is often complemented by links to real-life situations: as a result,

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How effective is the provision?

pupils see the importance of numeracy and verbalise their calculations with the utmost accuracy. The school recognises, however, that in some lessons, pupils do not always have sufficient opportunities to discuss their ideas with their classmates before they begin their written work, with the result that their ideas are not extended as fully as they could be. Assessment is accurate and is good overall. There are examples of detailed marking which gives pupils clear advice on how they can improve their work. On-going assessment in class, as a tool to inform how the lesson should continue if pupils’ learning needs are to be met more closely, is a positive feature in many lessons, but its quality and impact are inconsistent across the school.

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How effective is the provision?

The curriculum has a positive impact on pupils’ academic and personal development. Music, for example, is a major strength and the school band and choir have an enviable reputation at a range of venues in the local community and beyond. During the inspection, for example, pupils sang in Chester Cathedral and the quality of their performance received many plaudits from those who heard them. Drama is popular among pupils and each class delivers a dramatic performance at least once each

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How effective is the provision?

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low year. There is a good variety of extra-curricular and enrichment activities, which are well-attended and valued by pupils. They make particularly positive comments about the residential trips, for example. Themed days and weeks that complement learning in lessons, and topic work, entitled ‘Contexts for Learning’, promote the progressive development of pupils’ skills across the curriculum. The school is aware that this programme requires further development if it is to ensure that pupils are able to reinforce their writing skills in all subjects.

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How effective is the provision?

Care, guidance and support are outstanding and recognised as such by pupils, who comment, ‘The grown-ups look after us and are always there if we need to talk to them.’ Pupils who sometimes find the learning difficult are supported very well by the committed and talented team of teaching assistants in lessons and also in small groups. As a result, pupils with learning difficulties and those whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable feel valued in school and are able to take full advantage of everything on offer. There are comprehensive induction procedures in the Early Years Foundation Stage and the school places a strong emphasis on ease of pupil transition across classes and Key Stages. There are very good links with a variety of secondary schools and pupils know what to expect from the next stage in their education.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision The quality of teaching Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 1

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How effective are leadership and management?

Inspirational leadership from the perceptive headteacher, who is supported well by a talented senior team, ensures that the clear vision for school development is shared by all. Staff, at all levels of experience and responsibility, are proactive in their search for on-going improvement. As a consequence, assessment is now sharper, and above average levels of attainment have been maintained over several years.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Members of the governing body provide good support for the school and they are never afraid to challenge the leadership, for the benefit of the pupils in their charge, when they feel it necessary to do so. Members have a good awareness of the strengths of the school and also of the areas which need to be developed further.

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How effective are leadership and management?

There are good relationships with parents and carers, who also value the work of the school’s administrative and caretaking staff. As they comment, ‘The office staff are wonderful and site manager is an excellent mentor for our children.’

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How effective are leadership and management?

There are outstanding partnerships with a wide range of groups, agencies and schools, which have a most positive impact on pupils’ self-esteem and on their academic development, too. For example, externally-run workshops develop the talents of pupils identified as gifted and talented and lead to them sharing their expertise with their peers in school. The school promotes equality of opportunity well and tackles discrimination whenever and wherever it occurs. Safeguarding and child protection procedures and practice are good. Staff training is up to date and policies are reviewed on a regular basis.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The promotion of community cohesion is outstanding. From pupils’ active involvement in Operation Uganda, their work for the local village transition initiative, to their strong links with a school comprising a different socio-economic intake, pupils take their responsibility to foster community understanding and liaison very seriously indeed.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for the leadership and management The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met The effectiveness of the school's engagement with parents and carers 2 The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 1 The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 2 The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 1 The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money

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Early Years Foundation Stage

This is a good setting, which continues to improve as a result of good leadership and management and the establishment of the new Early Years Foundation Stage unit, of which parents and carers speak positively. They are particularly pleased with the ‘family’ ethos of care, support and guidance in both nursery and reception.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Pupils enter the nursery with broadly average age-related skills overall but their speaking skills are generally above that usually found. Good teaching, detailed planning across the setting to meet individual needs and a curriculum which provides a good balance between adult-led and child-initiated activities lead to pupils progressing and achieving well across both years. Their impressive personal development was demonstrated in their Christmas performance of ‘Come to the Manger’. They were totally immersed in their roles, sang beautifully and spoke their memorised text in front of a large audience with a skill which belied their years.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Pupils learn in a safe and interesting atmosphere, sharing resources with their classmates and taking turns willingly and well. Relationships between the children and between the adults who work with them are strong. Teamwork among teaching and support staff is good: all have a secure knowledge of the latest thinking in Early Years education and there are good curricular links with Key Stage 1. The assessment of children’s progress is on-going and accurate and the ‘Learning Journeys’ are a valuable record of children’s development both personally and academically. Staff are now working hard, and successfully, to augment the variety of learning resources in the new unit.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation stage Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

Most parents and carers who returned the questionnaire are entirely satisfied with their children’s experience at Kingsley Community Primary. They believe their children enjoy school, that the teaching they receive is good and that it meets their individual needs. Indeed, the overwhelming majority is of the opinion that the school keeps their children safe. A small minority expresses the view that the school does not take account of parents’ and carers’ suggestions and that it does not deal effectively with inappropriate behaviour and that pupils do not make enough progress. Inspectors examined these issues very closely and their judgements appear in the body of the report.

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questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 71 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 202 pupils registered at the school.

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questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % My child enjoys school 44 62 24 34 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 40 56 30 42 1 1 0 0 The school informs me about my child's progress 23 32 35 49 11 15 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 25 35 31 44 10 14 2 3 The teaching is good at this school 27 38 38 54 1 1 2 3 The school helps me to support my child's learning 23 32 35 49 8 11 2 3 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 26 37 36 51 7 10 1 1 The school makes sure that my child is well-prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 23 32 40 56 0 0 2 3

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questionnaire

The school meets my child's particular needs 25 35 38 54 7 10 1 1 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 20 28 34 48 12 17 0 0

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questionnaire

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 20 28 32 45 14 20 2 3

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questionnaire

The school is led and managed effectively 23 32 31 44 10 14 5 7 Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 32 45 31 44 6 8 1 1

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questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9 Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5 All schools 10 44 39 6

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously.

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 08 April 2011 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add up exactly to 100. Sixth-form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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WA6 6TZ

Thank you for the warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school recently. You were kind, considerate and courteous to us and we enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn. We are particularly grateful to those of you who gave up your time to talk to us after lunch on Monday. We also enjoyed the wonderful Christmas play delivered by the children in nursery and reception. I promised to write to you to tell you about what we think about your school and here is the letter.

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WA6 6TZ

Kingsley Community Primary is a good school and we know you are very proud of it. Your teachers and teaching assistants take excellent care of you and make sure that you can take part in everything the school has to offer. You enjoy your lessons and also the activities after school and your attendance is high. You behave well in lessons and around school and you always like to look after younger pupils. You do a lot for the community and your work for the various Ugandan appeals is well known in the area. Your teachers teach you well and you make good progress in your studies as a result. You reach well above average standards in mathematics and, although you do well in English too, you don’t always reach the higher levels in writing.

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WA6 6TZ

Your headteacher and all the other adults are always trying to make Kingsley Community Primary even better. I would like to help too, so I have asked them to help you reach the highest levels in writing by giving you more opportunities to talk through your ideas before you begin to write. I have also asked them to make sure they know exactly which activities you need to improve your writing, and to give you more chances through your topic work to practise your writing in all the other subjects you study.

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WA6 6TZ

Thank you again for your kindness to us. We wish you every success in the future.

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WA6 6TZ

James Kidd Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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