Kingston Park Academy

Kingston Park Academy Long Lane, Carlton–in–Lindrick, Worksop, S81 9AW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 The standards pupils reach by the end of Key Stage 2 are below those expected for their age in mathematics, reading, and writing.  In relation to their starting points, pupils’ progress has accelerated this year. However, it is not consistent across year groups and subjects.  Pupils’ progress and their attainment in mathematics are behind that of reading and writing.  Teaching requires improvement because not enough is consistently good across the academy.  Teachers’ planning does not sufficiently challenge the most-able pupils, nor does it precisely meet the needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.  The teaching of mathematics does not sufficiently challenge and deepen pupils’ understanding of mathematical ideas.  Academy leaders and the Education Advisory Board were unable to raise standards quickly enough in 2013, so the academy fell below the government’s floor standards.

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

 The senior leadership team is newly formed, and not all leaders have fully developed their roles in driving forward school improvement.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to investigate and explore for themselves. This restricts their ability to apply their understanding to new ideas.

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The school has the following strengths

 Strong leadership from the principal, supported by the Trust, has led to rapid improvements in teaching and pupils’ progress this year.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff have a good understanding of children’s learning needs and meet these well.  The newly formed Education Advisory Board and the School Partnership Trust are effective in challenging school leaders to improve outcomes for pupils.  Pupils behave well in and around the academy. Their significantly improved attendance shows how much they enjoy coming to school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 14 lessons, including some jointly with the principal.  Members of the inspection team heard pupils read and looked closely at samples of their work.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of academy documents including development plans, the academy’s own self-evaluation reports, monitoring files, safeguarding documentation and policies.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, chosen at random. Discussions were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, the inclusion leader, teachers and other staff. The Chair of the Education Advisory Board and a two other governors were also interviewed. A further meeting was held with the governor responsible for safeguarding.  A meeting was held with a representative from School Partnership Trust Academies, the multi- academy trust supporting the academy. A further discussion was held with a principal from a local outstanding school who supports the principal.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors were unable to take account of responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, as there were insufficient numbers available. Inspectors spoke informally to parents in the playground. They also considered responses to the academy’s own parental questionnaire.  Inspectors considered the 19 staff responses to the questionnaire that were submitted.

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Inspection team

Jan Connor, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Sarah Chadwick Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Kingston Park Academy is a smaller than average primary school.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (which in this academy provides funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals) is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is also below average.  Kingston Park became an academy in December 2012. It is part of the School Partnership Trust Academies multi-academy trust.  In 2013, the academy did not meet the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring: – teachers set work at the right level for pupils, particularly the most-able pupils and also for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs – that teachers’ improve their subject knowledge in mathematics in order to challenge the most-able mathematicians – all pupils have a wide variety of opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills regularly in other subjects – pupils have more opportunities to engage fully with learning activities and apply their existing skills and knowledge to new learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate the progress of pupils so that their attainment catches up to at least age-related expectations by the time they leave Key Stage 2.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of senior leaders under the principal by ensuring that all leaders:  take a full role in checking the quality of teaching and for improving outcomes for all pupils  are involved in setting plans for improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because not enough pupils are reaching the expected standards in mathematics, reading, and writing. While pupils in Year 6 have made good progress in their final year (the first full year of the academy), their attainment is low in all subjects. Many pupils in different year groups have gaps in their knowledge and skills because of previous experiences of weak teaching, and the previously low expectations of school leaders.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 are improving. Pupils’ attainment in reading and writing is now closer to the national average both at expected levels and also at better than expected levels. However, though pupils’ attainment in mathematics is improving it is not improving at a fast enough rate compared with reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Improvements in the teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) mean pupils’ early reading and writing skills are improving in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 1. The academy’s current assessments show that the proportions of pupils expected to meet the required standard in the reading check will meet the national average for 2013.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress for current pupils has been accelerating this year but it is still inconsistent in year groups and subjects. While more pupils are closing the gaps between their attainment and age- related expectations in reading and writing, in mathematics this is not the case. There are no significant differences between the progress of boys and girls.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils have many opportunities to practise their writing skills across different subjects. This is having a positive impact on the outcomes they achieve. In mathematics, pupils are not provided with the same opportunities and as a result, progress in this subject is slower.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils enjoy reading. The books they read are becoming more challenging and pupils understand how to improve their reading through self-assessment against their targets. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about their reading in different classes across the academy.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly in line with their peers. However, the work they do is often the same as other ability groups and teaching assistants overly support these pupils in order for them to complete the work.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most-able pupils also make progress in line with their peers and sometimes they make better progress. However, the most-able pupils are not challenged enough to achieve the higher levels in reading, writing and particularly, in mathematics by the time they leave Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of pupils supported by the pupil premium is often better than other pupils. Their progress has accelerated this year and in Year 6 they are one term ahead of their peers in reading and nearly two terms ahead in writing. In mathematics, they are one term behind.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills below and sometimes well below those typical for their age, particularly in communication and language. They are well taught through sharply focused activities and make good progress. By the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, the majority of children are assessed as reaching the expected levels for their age when they start Year 1. However, outcomes for mathematics are not as strong as outcomes in reading and writing and not enough pupils exceed expected levels from their starting points in any area of learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is inconsistent across the academy and not enough of it is good. A legacy of poor teaching has meant that many pupils’ attainment is below expectation; this is particularly true in Key Stage 2. Inspectors saw some good teaching in the academy, but much was unexciting and pupils were not as engaged in learning as they should be to make accelerated progress to close the gaps against national averages.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of mathematics requires improvement because teachers’ planning does not sufficiently challenge the most-able pupils by broadening and deepening their mathematical knowledge. Often, the tasks set for mathematics are mundane. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to explore and apply their mathematical learning in different subjects across the curriculum; this restricts the progress pupils make in this subject. The presentation of work in mathematics books is often poor.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants mostly support disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in lessons. They are conscientious and have an understanding of what pupils need to learn through working closely with teachers. However, planning rarely identifies specific, appropriate tasks that better meet their needs and consequently, they rarely work alone and rely too heavily on teaching assistants to complete their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is less successful, pupils are not expected to give very much to the lesson. They do not get enough opportunities to use and apply the skills and knowledge they already have to new learning. Pupils’ lose interest and their rates of learning slow.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading is effective. Pupils are very clear about the targets for improving their reading skills. Pupils support each other in their work and in a Year 6 reading session were able to talk about how they had reached their targets and what they had done to achieve them. Some Year 1 and Year 2 pupils read to an inspector and they were able to explain clearly how using phonics was helping them learn to read.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is most effective, teachers use thoughtful questions to deepen pupils’ understanding of learning. In these lessons, teachers expect pupils to explain their thoughts and ideas, and do not accept the first answer given. This skilful questioning enables teachers to assess which pupils need further support and which do not.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers’ marking is effective in supporting pupils to understand their mistakes and successes. Pupils enjoy responding to their teachers’ comments using their ‘purple pen’. In a Year 2 lesson, the teaching assistant supported pupils to correct mistakes in their work from the previous day. Pupils clearly understood what they had to do to improve and made good progress in their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Staff quickly assess children’s skills and understanding. They plan work that interests the children so that they are purposefully engaged in a range of teacher-led and independently chosen activities. There is a sense of excitement and interest and children noticeably enjoy their time in Nursery and Reception.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement in lessons. When teaching is not sufficiently engaging and tasks do not capture pupils’ interests, they do not fully participate in learning as much as they should. Although there is not a great deal of low-level disruption, pupils often wait for direction from their teachers and give only as much as is required. This prevents them from making better progress in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ behaviour around the academy and in the playground has improved considerably since its conversion. Pupils are polite, friendly, and keen to come to school. Adults and pupils work well together to ensure there is a calm atmosphere around the academy. Pupils understand the academy code of behaviour and want to cooperate with each other and their teachers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils are confident that the adults who care for them deal with bullying quickly. They know that bullying can take many forms including cyber-bullying, homophobic bullying, racist bullying, and bullying associated with gender. Pupils gave examples of what would happen if the word ‘gay’ was used in the playground, they understood it was serious and knew the principal would be involved in dealing with it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The academy’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Although there were not enough responses on Parent View to gather the views of parents that way, the academy’s own questionnaire demonstrated that the majority of parents feel their children are safe at school. Pupils spoken to demonstrated knowledge of how to keep themselves safe on the internet. They understand about personal safety such as keeping themselves safe on the roads.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The academy has good systems for supporting those pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable. Effective links with different external agencies, such as those relating to medical needs, allow pupils to receive the specialist support they need. Careful tracking by the inclusion manager ensures this support is effective in overcoming difficulties in learning. Consequently, these pupils continue to make progress in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Improvements in attendance testify to the academy’s work to ensure pupils are in school to learn regularly. From a low base, attendance is now broadly in line with the national average. The number of fixed-term exclusions has also reduced in the last year. There were no exclusions last term, or in the current term.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because not enough has been done to secure consistently good teaching. Not all groups of pupils have their needs met, because teachers do not set work at the right level for them. There are gaps in learning and progress across the academy. While the current Year 6 are expected to achieve better results this year, attainment is still not good enough.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The principal has successfully brought stability to the school after many changes to staffing after conversion to academy status. Although there have been improvements in the quality of education and pupils’ progress, leaders and managers have yet to raise pupils’ attainment so that it is at least in line with national averages.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The principal sets high expectations for academy improvement. She is successfully communicating this ambition to other senior and subject leaders. However, her team are relatively new to their roles. Although they are keen to bring about school improvement, they have not yet developed the necessary record of accomplishment to demonstrate their effectiveness. The principal carries too much responsibility and leadership is not distributed widely enough.  The Trust has supported the principal to introduce new systems for tracking pupils’ progress throughout the year. These systems are effective in identifying the rates of progress of different groups of pupils. Leaders act quickly to provide extra support where pupils’ learning has slowed. As a result, the progress pupils make is accelerating.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders have an accurate view of their own effectiveness. The principal knows her academy well and the priorities identified for academy improvement are correct. The new systems for managing teachers’ performance are closely linked to these priorities and to the national ‘Teachers’ Standards’. However, this is a new system for the academy and its effectiveness is yet to be seen in its impact on teachers’ pay and progression.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new curriculum is carefully planned and broad. Pupils say they enjoy opportunities to go out and ‘visit new places’ and to be more actively involved in their learning. However, this aspect of the curriculum is underdeveloped and pupils are often less active than they would like to be. While pupils have many opportunities to use their literacy skills throughout the curriculum, this is not the case for mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The academy provides well for pupils’ social development. Academy leaders have successfully changed the behaviour of pupils; pupils cooperate well with each other around the academy and in class. Pupils’ spiritual and moral development is also promoted well through carefully planned events like raising money for charity and caring for those in need of help. Pupils’ understanding of others cultures is less well developed, and they do not have enough opportunities to meet with and learn about other faiths or the wider British community.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The primary sports funding is used to train teachers to improve their teaching of physical education. A new pupil ‘Sports Council’ has been set up to train pupils to lead sports activities and to give them opportunities to make decisions about sporting activities in the academy. The sports coach is also helping the physical education subject leader to develop the curriculum. The funding has helped the academy provide a variety of after-school clubs. However, academy leaders were unable to demonstrate the impact of these initiatives as no data was available.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School Partnership Trust Academies is providing effective and timely support to bring about improvement in the quality of education and improved outcomes for pupils at the academy. It has brokered successful partnerships with other academies within the Trust. It has also brokered opportunities for the sharing of expertise from the principal of The Vale Primary Academy and other leaders within this group of academies. The academy improvement partner provides effective challenge and training to academy staff and leaders and to the education advisory board.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The education advisory board has a sound understanding of the academy’s strengths and weaknesses. From its inception, it has provided increasingly robust support and challenge to academy leaders in order to improve pupil outcomes.  The education advisory board is clear about the task of raising pupils’ standards from low starting points and, alongside the principal, it provides a sense of urgency which sets the tone for the strategic direction of the academy.  Board members visit the school regularly, check the quality of improvements and report on these to the full board when it meets. The education advisory board is well-supported by the academy trust, which sets clear performance indicators for the academy to meet.  Board members have a sound understanding of the management of teachers’ performance, the implementation of ‘Teachers’ Standards’ and how they affect salary progression.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The education advisory board carefully checks the spending of the pupil premium funding. It uses the available data to measure the success of actions to improve outcomes for these pupils.  Board members bring a wide range of expertise to their roles and make sure they take part in regular training so that their skills are up to date, especially in managing the performance of the principal and in setting the strategic direction of the school.  The education advisory board fulfils its statutory duties, such as ensuring the school meets safeguarding requirements.

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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 138997 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 440039

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 180 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rebecca Hancock Principal Vicki Pearson Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01909 730294 Email address info@kingstonpa.org.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 and 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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