Kyson Primary School

Kyson Primary School Peterhouse Crescent, Woodbridge, IP12 4HX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress during their time in school.  Standards in English and mathematics have risen over the last three years and are consistently above average by Year 6.  Teaching and learning are good throughout the school. Some outstanding teaching enables pupils to evaluate their own learning and set themselves challenging targets to reach higher levels.  Pupils who need extra confidence and help with their learning benefit from good support and make good progress.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy their learning. They strive to achieve well and enjoy the wide range of clubs on offer.  They behave well and feel safe because discipline is fair and constant. Adults set high standards of politeness and care and encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own and other’s welfare.  Good leadership and management helps teachers to improve their practice and build on their strengths through rigorous and helpful

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

monitoring and training.  Governors support and challenge the school effectively. They are knowledgeable about the school’s performance; set challenging targets and ensure that additional funds are used wisely to help individual pupils.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are some inaccuracies in the teaching of the sounds letters make (phonics) which prevent a few pupils from rapidly developing the skills to read unfamiliar words.  A few teachers do not ensure that pupils respond to their written comments to help them improve their work.  There are inconsistencies in the use of literacy and numeracy skills across all subjects and in the quality of teachers’ marking in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Occasionally, teachers do not expect enough of the most able mathematicians in their lessons.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes. They visited 23 lessons heard some pupils read.  The inspectors had discussions with pupils, the headteacher, other teachers and governors and had a telephone conversation with a local authority officer.  They looked at a range of the school’s documents and samples of pupils’ work.  The views of 72 parents were analysed through the Parent View website. Other parents’ views were sought at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Judith Dawson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Piers Ranger Additional Inspector Janet Watson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average primary school. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds with a very few from minority ethnic families.  The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at ‘school action’ level is smaller than average, as is the proportion at ‘school action plus’ or with a statement of special educational needs.  Fewer pupils than average are known to be eligible for additional government funding through the ‘pupil premium’.  The school meets the government floor targets, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school had a mathematics subject survey by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors in April 2012 which judged pupils’ achievement and the leadership and management of the subject to be good and the subject planning satisfactory.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching and learning from good to outstanding by:  sharpening teachers’ skills and accuracy in the teaching of phonics  making sure that all teachers adopt the best practice of some of their colleagues in allowing time for pupils to respond to their marking  consistently applying the high quality use of literacy and numeracy skills across all subjects while maintaining the same wise written advice to extend pupils’ skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Consolidate the improvements in the provision for mathematics by making sure that all teachers have high expectations of what the most able pupils can achieve.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the nursery and reception classes make good progress. Good questioning, whether in adult led activities or those the children initiate themselves, ensures that they make good progress whatever their starting points. Their knowledge and skills on entry are in line with national expectations for their age in most areas of learning but the communication, language and literacy skills of many are below those expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress through Key Stage 1. Standards by the end of the key stage were slightly above average in the latest national assessments. However, fewer pupils than those assessed nationally attained the expected outcomes in the national phonics screening test for six-year-olds.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Some pupils make rapid progress in their lessons. They are encouraged to measure their work against the requirements for each level and set their own targets for ‘levelling up’ their work. In a spelling lesson in Year 6 pupils made rapid progress because they identified common errors across all their work. They revised the spelling rules related to these mistakes and set targets to ensure they learnt from them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy their learning and work well both independently and with others. Learning is at its best when pupils use and extend their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. They value each other’s successes and, when this is expected of them, respond conscientiously to their teachers’ written advice.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who need extra help, such as disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those supported through the pupil premium, are well supported. Teachers and other adults make learning fun and take great care to promote each pupil’s self-esteem. As a result, these pupils are confident, make good progress and are proud of their achievements.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In a small minority of mathematics lessons the most able pupils do not make the rapid progress they are capable of because not enough is expected of them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teachers have high expectations of the quality of the pupils’ written work. As a result, pupils’ handwriting is often of a higher standard than is expected of each age group.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make sure that they plan lessons to meet the range of pupils’ needs. This is almost always successful in ensuring pupils make good, and sometimes outstanding, progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants and additional teachers employed to support pupils through the pupil premium are highly skilled in questioning pupils to help them solve problems themselves. They celebrate successes with them, encourage them towards new learning and help them to decide how to improve their work themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Children have a good balance of direct adult teaching and independently-selected activities. These are well-focused to promote strong learning. Adults question children effectively to encourage them to think for themselves. Their good relationships with children make them feel that adults are learning too, so that their discoveries are teaching the adults new things.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics is well-planned; pupils work with others of similar abilities. There are good links between phonics, reading and handwriting, which give purpose to the lessons. Occasionally teachers and pupils confuse letter names with the sounds they make or pronounce letter sounds inaccurately. This makes it more difficult for some pupils to decode new words.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teachers mark pupils’ English and mathematics work accurately. A few teachers do not apply the same thorough marking to other subjects, missing opportunities to consolidate and extend pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are given targets for improvement matched to the skills they need to attain higher levels. Where teaching is outstanding, pupils are taught to accurately evaluate their own performance, match this to the national expectations for the subject and set their own targets for improvement. Pupils respond enthusiastically to these teachers’ written comments and challenges so that they learn rapidly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have good relationships with all pupils. Their questions extend pupils’ learning. They encourage pupils’ to offer ideas and comments and make lessons interesting and enjoyable. Almost all parents feel that teaching is good and the inspection confirms their views.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents and pupils are unanimous in their praise of the way the school cares for the pupils. They feel their children are safe in school. Pupils say they feel safe and that they are confident that any problems can be shared with an adult.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good throughout the school. Children rapidly develop good social skills on the Early Years Foundation Stage. One pupil said, ‘Sometimes the little ones have scraps but they soon learn that we don’t do this in our school’. Pupils take responsibility for keeping themselves safe and healthy. They are aware of the different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying and bullying based on prejudice. The school makes sure that there are opportunities to discuss these issues.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils listen attentively in lessons and are confident to comment on their learning. Where teaching is outstanding, pupils involve themselves deeply in their learning and focus on producing high quality work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is above average and pupils are rarely late for school. The school ensures that any unexplained absence is swiftly followed up.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Good spiritual, moral, social and cultural education helps pupils to develop a strong sense of justice. This is very apparent in the Year 6 topic about World War Two. They showed empathy for groups of people, such as women in wartime and fictional characters in the book ‘The Silver Sword’.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is highly regarded by staff and parents. The effective senior leadership team support her in making sure that the school continues to improve. Staff, leaders and managers are united in their drive to make the school even better. The improvements in teaching and learning since the last inspection are a testament to their ability to do so.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are good systems for monitoring and improving teaching and learning. Teachers have clear and measurable targets for improvement, including targets for the progress of individual pupils. Additional training for teachers is linked to their professional needs as well as whole- school priorities for improvement. Training is already planned to improve teachers’ skills in the teaching of phonics.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. This evaluation has been used to set unambiguous and time-limited plans for improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides regular training for staff and governors and responds to any requests for support. It has confidence in the leadership and management and has reduced its regular visits. The support is appropriate for the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The progress of different groups, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those supported by the pupil premium, is monitored well. Leaders evaluate closely the impact of the additional funding that has been used to provide high-quality individual support where it is needed. The funding is also used to ensure equality of opportunity for all pupils; the school is successfully narrowing the gap between groups of pupils who are disadvantaged by not being able to afford educational school trips.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is a broad and interesting curriculum. A new mathematics scheme of work is being introduced in response to the school survey. All pupils have the opportunity to learn to play an orchestral instrument. Specialist teachers for music and French enhance pupils’ learning. There is a wide range of additional activities. The termly ‘theme weeks’ open pupils’ eyes to life beyond Suffolk.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn about different major faiths, languages, history and cultures. They are encouraged to make decisions about moral and social issues.

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The leadership and management are good

 Systems for ensuring pupils’ safety and welfare are robust. The school meets statutory requirements for safeguarding pupils and works well with outside agencies to support pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents are encouraged to take an active role in their children’s learning. A member of staff helps some parents to make good use of the school’s website so that they can help their children at home. Home visits before children start school help to reassure parents and carers and enable children to swiftly settle into school life.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors work closely with the headteacher. They have regular training which ensures they are fully involved in evaluating the school’s performance and drawing up plans for improvement. They have a good understanding of the progress that pupils are making. Some governors join the staff as they evaluate pupils’ work and hold regular discussions with pupils to see the progress they are making. Governors fulfil their statutory duties and manage the finances carefully. They evaluate the impact of the pupil premium funding and set aside additional sums to support pupils. Any adjustments in teachers’ salaries are considered thoroughly, seeking evidence to back up their decision. They seek parents’, staff and pupils’ views and act upon the outcomes when appropriate. Governors are proud of the school and determined that it should become even better.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 124628 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 406258

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 414 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Doreen Bartlett Headteacher Elizabeth Brown Date of previous school inspection 20 January 2011 Telephone number 01394 384481 Fax number 01394 388469 Email address head.kyson@talk21.com guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

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 assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

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

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