Kendall Church of England Primary School

Kendall Church of England Primary School Recreation Road, Colchester, CO1 2HH

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement in English at Key Stage 1 and mathematics at Key Stage 2.  Levels of attainment and rates of progress are not improving quickly enough across different subjects and key stages.  Leaders at all levels do not always check the quality of teaching rigorously enough in order to bring about improvements.  The quality of teaching varies through the school and is not good enough to bring about good achievement.  Teaching does not always cater for the range of different abilities sufficiently well to help all groups of pupils make quicker progress.  Sometimes, teachers spend too much time introducing, explaining and checking tasks. This reduces the time pupils have to apply themselves to the task at hand.  Teachers do not always let pupils know the purpose of their learning, how they can show they are making progress.  Pupils are not given enough opportunity to respond to teachers’ marking.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders at all levels, including the governing body, know the school well and their actions are starting to bring about improvements.  Some pupils make good progress in English at Key Stage 2 and in mathematics at Key Stage 1.  Attainment and rates of progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage are improving across most areas of learning.  Pupils are courteous and polite to each other and to adults, both in lessons and around the school.  The school provides a caring environment where pupils are happy and feel safe.  Teaching assistants are used well to support and challenge pupils in lessons and in small groups.

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Information about this inspection

 Twelve lessons were observed, nine of which were joint observations with senior leaders. All teachers were seen teaching.  Pupils from Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6 were heard reading. An assembly and playtime were also observed.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including lesson plans, incident logs, information on pupils’ progress and a review by the local authority.  They held discussions with a group of pupils, the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, and five members of the governing body, including the Chair of the Governing Body. A discussion was also held with two representatives of the local authority and a representative from the diocese.  The responses of 42 parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were also taken into account as well as a discussion with a small group of parents. The responses from a staff questionnaire were also looked at.

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Inspection team

Peter Lacey-Hastings, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Diana Songer-Hudgell Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Kendall Church of England Primary is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school has more pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds than the large majority of other schools.  A small minority of pupils are learning English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is below average. The proportion of those supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above average. This is the additional funding used to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and those from families in the armed services.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision off site for its pupils.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave part way through their primary education is well

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Information about this school

above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure teaching is consistently good or better by:  letting pupils know more clearly the purpose of their learning and how they can show they are making good progress  giving pupils work that is more closely matched to the wide range of abilities in each class  allowing pupils more time to respond to marking so they can use teachers’ comments to help their next pieces of work  reducing the amount of time that teachers talk in lessons so pupils have more time to practise and improve key skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring:  all leaders, including middle leaders, check the quality of teaching more rigorously through lesson observations, work scrutiny and analysing information on pupils’ progress  checking how well pupils are progressing and using information on pupils’ progress to plan actions that will increase rates of progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children start Reception Year with skills that are below those expected for their age. This is especially so in their communication and literacy skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Currently, children in the Reception are making good progress, especially in their writing skills. Attainment at the end of the Reception Year has risen each year for the last three years and was slightly above the national average in 2012. Children’s attainment in their mathematical development has been weaker than in other areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 are just below the national average. Pupils make good progress in mathematics, but slower progress in English, especially in writing. Results in the phonics screening test (pupils’ ability to link letters and sounds) at the end of Year 1 were below the national average in 2012, but pupils are making better progress than they did last year. This is because the quality of teaching in this area of learning is improving.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are currently broadly average. However, achievement varies between subjects and in different year groups. After the last inspection, standards fell markedly and were particularly low in English. Progress has improved. Some pupils make good progress in English, especially in writing in Year 6; progress in mathematics is not as strong. Improvements in standards and progress have yet to be sustained across all subjects over a number of years.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of disabled pupils and those who have special educational is similar to other pupils in the school. Those with a statement for special educational needs sometimes make better progress in English than other pupils in the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium make similar progress to other pupils. In the past, their achievement has been weaker than that of other pupils in the school but their achievement, especially that of older pupils, has improved. In 2012, standards for these pupils were very close to those of other pupils in both English and mathematics. This is because of the use of small groups and support from other adults in the classroom.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

The quality of teaching varies too much. There is not enough consistently good or better teaching to ensure pupils make quicker rates progress in all subjects. Half the lessons observed during the inspection were good and half required improvement. No inadequate or outstanding teaching was seen.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage engages children in their learning because topics covered are interesting for them. Progress is carefully checked and this helps teachers to plan new activities that help children make good progress. As a result, children’s achievement is improving.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are generally motivated and interested in learning. However, in some lessons, teachers spend too much time talking and this means that pupils spend less time applying themselves to their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Work does not always match the range of abilities in each class. In better lessons, different ability groups have different work so most pupils have the right level of challenge. In other lessons, work is not varied enough to help pupils progress well at their own level. Pupils are not always clear about what they are meant to be learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking is undertaken regularly by teachers and this helps pupils know how well they have done. However, pupils do not have enough opportunity to respond to marking and there are not enough links between marking and the next steps in pupils’ learning. This means that sometimes pupils repeat mistakes through their books without errors being properly addressed.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are able to apply their phonics (linking letters with sounds) to read unknown words. They also use a range of other skills such as recognising words by sight and making sensible attempts at unknown words. Older pupils are able to break words into sections to help them read, but do not always do this through to the end of words. Sometimes, reading books do not challenge pupils enough.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and well behaved around the school and in lessons. Relationships are good and there is a positive atmosphere in the school. For example, older pupils are caring and considerate to younger ones, such as letting them go first.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents, staff and pupils all agree that behaviour is good. This is supported by evidence during the inspection, such as pupils lining up and moving around the school in a sensible and orderly manner.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are aware of different kinds of bullying, such as racism, and know how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils understand the need to be careful with telephone numbers and choosing passwords that are hard to guess.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say there is very little bullying and that when incidents occur, they are dealt with quickly by staff. Pupils, including younger ones, say they feel safe on the playground. This supports evidence from observations during the inspection, such as at playtimes when pupils play safely during running and chasing games.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Good behaviour is encouraged and rewarded. Pupils like the system of rewards, such as the headteacher’s cup, golden awards and lunchtime awards. These help pupils to see that good behaviour is valued and important to the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Low-level disruption in lessons is rare and pupils respond well to adults. This is because behaviour is well managed throughout the school. Pupils with challenging behaviour are supported well, but also know there are expectations of how they should behave.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is average and the school has been successful in reducing the longer and more frequent absences of some pupils. There have been no exclusions in the last three years.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Planned actions by leaders are not bringing about good levels of attainment or quicker rates of progress across all year groups and all subjects.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders at all levels know the school well and have clear plans that are starting to show evidence of improvements in pupils’ achievement. For example, some pupils at Key Stage 2 are currently making good progress in English. However, these improvements are not taking place across all subjects and year groups or for a long enough period of time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Information on pupils’ progress is used to evaluate how well teachers are performing, but is not used enough to plan teaching strategies at the start of each year or during the year. Leaders, including middle leaders, do not always rigorously check the quality of teaching or use a range of ways to check how well teachers are performing. For example, they do always combine lesson observations with checking pupils’ work and analysing information about pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders show they have tackled weaker performance of teachers in the past and this is bringing about improvements in the quality of teaching. Teachers are supported and challenged to improve their effectiveness.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Performance targets for teachers are linked to pupils’ achievement and the national ‘Teachers’ Standards’. There are also training opportunities that help teachers improve their practice. These have included English and mathematics courses offered by the local authority.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority and the diocese have both provided good support and helped the school to evaluate how well it is meeting the needs of its pupils. For example, a full review by the local authority last year gave an accurate evaluation of the school. The diocese also provided support such as helping the school analyse information on pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Other partnerships also help the school, such as a local ‘Behaviour and Attendance Partnership’ and a national scheme to help school leaders to become more effective. This has helped to reduce persistent absence and increase the progress that some pupils make in English.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 A wide range of themes and topics are taught across different subjects. For example, teachers plan topics such as Who Am I?’ and ‘Mission to Mars’. Pupils say they like this way of learning. This is helping to engage pupils and they are starting to make better progress, especially in English.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils also have good opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They have time for reflection during assembly and learn about other religions such as Judaism. Displays around the school promote positive values such as care and consideration.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding requirements are met such as checks on adults working with pupils, access into the school and safety measures linked to recent building works.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body knows the school well and plays an active part in developing school improvement plans through its committees and meetings of the full governing body. It supports the school in having tackled weaker teaching and linking teachers’ performance to pupils’ achievement. The governing body also sets performance targets for the headteacher that link to how well pupils are progressing. It knows what the pupil premium is, how much the school receives and what it is used for. It agrees its use for support, such as reading and mathematics groups. It is keen that the funding is used to support those pupils for whom it is intended to help. Members of the governing body also use finances well, such as to extend the building to make another classroom and have another teacher.

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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 115064 Local authority Essex Inspection number 405560

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 180 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Brian Kyriacou Headteacher Mark Carter-Tufnell Date of previous school inspection 21 March 2011 Telephone number 01206 794634 Fax number 01206 790545 Email address admin@kendall.essex.sch.uk 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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