Kennett Primary School

Kennett Primary School 98 Station Road, Kennett, Newmarket, CB8 7QQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils of all abilities make good progress. Overall standards in reading, writing and mathematics are above average by the end of Year 6.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage enjoy a varied and stimulating range of well- taught activities, and make good progress.  Teaching is consistently good or better across the school. Pupils have very positive relationships with their teachers, who plan interesting lessons. As a result learners make good progress over time.  The teaching of science is particularly strong, and a firm favourite with pupils.  Pupils who have a disability or a statement of special educational needs achieve well, and the school plans their teaching well.  The additional adults who support learning in the classroom are effective in helping to maintain high standards in writing and mathematics.  Pupils feel safe at school because the procedures to keep them safe are robust. There is a positive

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

atmosphere in every classroom, and pupils say that they look forward to coming to school.  The headteacher has made many positive changes since her appointment, and the school has a good capacity to continue improving.  Those with a responsibility for particular areas of learning, such as subject leaders, make sure that provision is good across the whole school.  Governors and the directors of the Staploe Education Trust have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school, and hold its leaders effectively to account.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Too often, the most able pupils do not make sufficiently rapid progress to reach the highest levels of attainment.  Teachers’ marking does not always help pupils to understand how to improve their work.  Younger pupils do not know enough about the potential risks of using the internet.  Older pupils do not gain enough factual understanding of a wide range of countries and cultures.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited the school for two days, spending the majority of his time in lessons looking at pupils’ work and talking to them about their learning. A third of these observations were conducted together with the headteacher.  The inspector had meetings with senior leaders, teachers who lead particular aspects of the school, governors, the executive head teacher and directors of the Staploe Education Trust. He reviewed the school’s documents, including plans to bring about improvements, records of the monitoring of teaching, and information showing the performance of pupils. He looked at the school’s policies and procedures, particularly those regarding the safeguarding and well-being of the pupils.  The 23 responses to the online survey, Parent View, were considered, including some written responses. The 12 responses to a questionnaire for staff were also considered. The inspector met with parents at the

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Inspection team

Andrew Read, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Kennett Primary School converted to become an academy school on 10 December 2012. When its predecessor school, Kennett Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is a member of the Staploe Education Trust, and works closely and shares some staff with two other academies within the Trust: Soham Village College and the Shade Primary School.  The school is smaller than average, with children in a full-time Reception class and pupils in two year groups in each of three further classes. Pupils come from a wide area around the village of Kennett.  Almost all pupils are White British. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action, at around 20%, is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs, at around 5%, is below average.

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Information about this school

 Few pupils are eligible for additional support through the funding known as the pupil premium. Such pupils include those who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve teaching and achievement, by ensuring that:  the work set, particularly for the most able pupils, always challenges them to think at the very highest level, thus further deepening their knowledge and understanding in a wide range of areas  the school’s marking scheme is consistently applied across all subjects and year groups, so that pupils know what to do next to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils develop a detailed and balanced understanding of other countries, particularly contrasting parts of the world with diverse cultural and artistic heritage.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Give younger pupils a good basic understanding of how to stay safe when using internet-connected devices.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has made many improvements since coming to the school, including the overall standard of teaching, and has ensured that all members of the school community share clear policies and procedures. The school has high aspirations for the pupils, led from the top by the headteacher and deputy headteacher.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders and managers have established strong monitoring systems and meet regularly to discuss the progress of pupils at an individual level. The gathering of such information is not only routine, but also accurate and checked by external bodies, including other schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers use systems of performance management well in order to raise standards and, as a result, teachers say that they feel well supported and that they receive good levels of training and support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The coordination of support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is effective. For example, detailed records of the needs of each pupil are maintained, and the impact of the arrangements made to support them is closely monitored.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works hard to make sure that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences are good. For example, leaders have developed excellent community relationships with the local church to provide additional support for enriched collective worship and spiritual experience and trips are made to centres of spiritual and artistic significance. Pupils’ moral and social understanding is promoted well, and they are particularly good at listening to, and valuing, the views of others. While pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain, their factual understanding of other countries and cultures is not as broad as might be expected.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Staploe Education Trust provides good support to the school, not only in terms of infrastructure and administration, but also through the development and sharing of high-quality practitioners. For example, during the inspection a visiting practitioner from another of the Trust’s academies was seen providing good quality temporary cover for an absent colleague.

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The leadership and management are good

 The national primary school sport funding is being used effectively to increase provision, promote healthy lifestyles and raise the performance levels of pupils. For example, the school has employed specialist sport coaches and developed Year 5 and 6 sports and playground leaders.

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The leadership and management are good

 The considered and systematic way in which teachers plan the topics for the pupils to study gives rise to a broad and balanced set of learning opportunities, and ensures good equality of opportunity with no discrimination. This detailed planning includes both indoor and outdoor learning, and staff take every opportunity to include resources within the local community. Pupils say that they particularly enjoy this aspect of their learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school ensures that current safeguarding requirements are fully met. Core policies and procedures are maintained centrally by the Staploe Education Trust, and appropriate adaptations are made for local circumstances and particular pupil needs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors monitor the school’s performance closely and therefore have a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Governors have a wide range of expertise, including some with detailed specialist knowledge of education. The inclusion of a number of directors from the Staploe Education Trust on the governing body ensures that good links are maintained between the Trust Board and the school.  Governors target resources effectively in order to tackle potential underperformance and are careful to use the finite resources of a small school to maximise value for money. For example, the extra money provided to give additional support to more disadvantaged pupils is spent wisely.  The governors manage staff appraisal effectively and have linked teachers’ performance to considerations of pay, and the promotion of best practice. Policies and procedures are well managed,

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The leadership and management are good

through a joint approach with the Staploe Education Trust. As a consequence, the systems to keep pupils safe are robust and effective.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils show a strong sense of community. They work well together and support each other when learning and at play. They are keen to do the tasks asked of them by teachers, and say that they enjoy coming to school. Such attitudes have a positive impact on their learning.

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Behaviour

 The small number of pupils who, at times, find it hard to regulate their own behaviour, are very well supported by additional adults who are skilled in helping these pupils to improve and change their behaviour. All members of the school community have high expectations of each other, and a happy atmosphere prevails.

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Behaviour

 In general, attendance levels are broadly average. Pupils arrive punctually for lessons and are keen to start their learning as soon as the school day commences.

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Behaviour

 Pupils move around the school in an orderly fashion, and rarely need reminding of how to be behave. This includes when outside school. For example, a trip to Ely Cathedral during the time of the inspection was characterised by good behaviour in public; a fact celebrated in a whole-school assembly.

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Behaviour

 Pupils say that they can easily talk to any adult. High quality relationships between adults and pupils are a strength of the school. As a consequence any unhappiness is quickly identified and resolved. For example, pupils say that there is little bullying, and that any that does occur is quickly and effectively dealt with.

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Behaviour

 The large majority of parents feel that behaviour is well managed and that their children are safe in school. Parents say that behaviour has been steadily improving over the last 18 months, to the point where they say that concerns are rare, and if raised are dealt with efficiently by the school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Processes of monitoring and systems of security are robust, all adults working in school are appropriately vetted and the site is maintained to a high standard, including age-appropriate facilities in the Early Years Foundation Stage learning area.

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Safety

 Pupils know how to ask for help, and can identify risks to themselves and others. For example, the school borders a busy main road, which poses a considerable potential risk to pedestrians. Pupils are very well aware of how to stay safe near it due to the regular teaching sessions, designed to ensure that they have a good awareness of the risk that such a road represents.

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Safety

 Older pupils have a very good understanding of how to stay safe when using computers (e-safety), as a result of teaching provided by the school. However, pupils in Years 1 to 3 are less confident in describing how to stay safe. In discussion with these pupils it is clear that many use the internet at home, and although often supervised by parents, few were able to describe the fundamentals of e-safety at an age- appropriate level.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently good across the school, giving rise to good progress. The performance of pupils is well monitored, and as a consequence teaching in reading, writing and mathematics is generally well planned to meet the needs of learners. During the inspection teachers structured learning around groups of pupils with similar abilities, using assessment information obtained through marking and testing.  Teachers use probing questions and rely on a varied approach to maintain pupils’ interest. Teachers frequently ask pupils to undertake their own research. For example, Year 3 pupils were seen investigating various aspects of Ancient Egypt, using computers. Homework is frequently used to extend such work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where learning is most effective, teachers make sure that pupils are challenged to reach the highest possible levels of attainment. While most pupils make good progress as a consequence, the most able pupils do not always achieve at the very highest level, particularly in Key Stage 1. For example, despite starting above expected levels on joining Year 1, not all of the most able pupils achieved the highest level of attainment at the end of Year 2 in 2014.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are quickly identified and support is provided that helps them overcome the difficulties that they face. In particular, teachers adopt a wide range of techniques to support such pupils, founded on clear planning and the development of mutual trust and respect.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is effective. Some pupils find this aspect of their learning hard, and additional support is provided for them. As a result they achieve well by the end of Year 2, and develop into effective readers by the time that they leave the school in Year 6.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Additional adults provide high-quality support for pupils, and are well briefed on the needs of the learners that they are asked to support.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Science is taught predominantly by a science specialist. This provision is a strength of the school, and one which results in good levels of scientific understanding by pupils. For example, work in pupils’ books shows that the science curriculum is covered in depth, with plenty of opportunity for the most able learners to move beyond age-related expectations.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school’s marking policy is well defined and made available to all teachers. Where applied as the policy prescribes, marking is effective, and provides accurate feedback to pupils on how to improve their work. However, marking is not consistently applied in this way across all subjects and by all adults. As a result some pupils are less able to explain their next steps in learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 No matter what their starting points, most pupils make good progress. They reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are at, or above, national averages by the time they leave Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The use of overall percentages for the purposes of comparing whole school year-on-year performance is not always statistically valid where such small year groups are concerned. However, standards rose in 2014, with attainment in reading and mathematics being particularly strong overall. Standards in writing, although slightly above national averages, were not quite as strong. Rates of progress accelerate as the pupils move up the school, with some pupils making outstanding progress by the end of Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make particularly strong progress in science. Work in books shows that they are encouraged to plan their experiments by working with others, using a prescribed framework for recording their results. Pupils say they find this approach very helpful, and are able to look back at their work and discuss with some clarity what an experiment taught them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children typically join the school with skills and knowledge at or below those expected for their age. The school assesses each child’s attainment on entry and asks other external agencies to check the accuracy of this information. In the last 18 months standards have risen and by the end of Reception the majority of children have a good level of development and are thus well prepared for Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although the most able pupils generally make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, they do not always fulfil their potential in achieving the highest levels of attainment.  In the phonics check at the end of Year 1, only an average proportion of pupils met the requirements. This is because some of these pupils have special educational needs. However, most pupils become confident readers over time. Pupils clearly enjoy reading, and benefit from a small but well-resourced library full of age-appropriate and popular books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported and make good progress. Any concerns that a pupil may be struggling are picked up quickly by teachers and supporting adults, and the school uses a wide range of strategies to help them catch up.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There are too few pupils who receive support through the additional funding known as the pupil premium to comment in any detail on their performance without risk of identifying individuals. Overall, the overwhelming majority of these pupils attain standards at least as high as all other pupils in the school in reading, writing and mathematics, and make equally good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make good progress in Reception. Parents say that their children enjoy coming to school. This is because they are well cared for, and have a wide range of purposeful and fun activities to choose from. As a result children behave well and feel safe.

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The early years provision is good

 Teachers use effective mechanisms to track how well children are progressing in their learning, and this information is used to plan activities that are designed to meet each child’s needs. Support staff are well briefed to guide children into those tasks and activities most relevant to them. Any children who have additional educational needs are quickly identified and support is provided.

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The early years provision is good

 Children develop all the necessary key skills required at this age, such as early language, reading, writing, number skills and a wider awareness of the world. For example, children were seen working on their own in groups to investigate and discuss the needs of plants and creatures, while others were developing their early letter recognition and number work through one-to-one teaching.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership of Reception is undertaken by the headteacher, and practitioners benefit from the same clarity of purpose and high expectations that are applied to the rest of the school.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 139088 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 449209

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 81 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Littlewood Headteacher Lisa Gregory Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01638 750386 Fax number 01638 750386 Email address office@kennett.cambs.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 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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