Kewstoke Primary School

Kewstoke Primary School Kewstoke Road, Weston-Super-Mare, BS22 9YF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

 The headteacher, strongly supported by leaders at all levels, has created a culture of continuing improvement.  Governors and staff leaders at all levels are very knowledgeable about the work of the school. They work well as a team to check the school’s performance. By sharing and developing their skills, they have helped to secure good teaching and pupils’ learning.  P upils behave well, develop self-confidence and make good contributions to learning.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  The good quality of teaching is typified by teachers’ skill in setting tasks for pupils which are well suited to their varying abilities.  All pupils, including those eligible for pupil premium funding and others with special educational needs, achieve well from their differing starting points.  Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards are rising as they move through the school.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Early years teaching and learning for children during their Reception year are good. As a result, children make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to ensure pupils’ excellent progress.  Pupils’ ability to spell words accurately and to quickly recall number facts is not always strong enough. At times, this impedes their confidence in tackling mathematical problems and including more descriptive words in their writing.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed pupils’ learning during 12 lessons and other activities taking place oustide classrooms. The inspector and the headteacher observed some lessons jointly.  The inspector observed pupils and spoke with them during break times. He also observed an assembly.  A meeting was held with a representative group of pupils. Specific groups of pupils read to the inspector and other pupils were spoken to during the inspection.  The inspector met with a group of governors. He also met with a representative of the local authority.  Several parents were spoken to by the inspector as they brought and collected their children to and from school. The inspector also took account of the 14 parents’ responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, in planning and undertaking the inspection.  Several school staff, particularly senior and subject leaders, were interviewed. The inspector considered 12

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Information about this inspection

questionnaires from staff.  The inspector examined the full range of the school’s work, including teaching, learning, safeguarding and leadership, and looked at a number of documents. These included the school’s own information about pupils’ progress and the planning of lessons and quality of teaching and learning.  The inspector consulted records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. He also checked the school’s safeguarding policy, procedures and practice.  The inspector considered the school’s primary sport funding action plan.  The inspector also examined the school’s work in updating procedures for checking pupils’ progress within the new National Curriculum.

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Inspection team

Alex Baxter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils attending the school are of White British heritage.  Over one in five of the pupils in the school is a disabled pupil or has special educational needs. This proportion of disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs is above average and is sometimes higher within the very small year groups of pupils.  About one in five of the pupils in the school are supported by the pupil premium. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after. This proportion of disadvantaged pupils is slightly below average.  There is an above average proportion of pupils either joining or leaving the school other than at the normal times.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children in the early years provision are admitted on a full-time basis and are accommodated in a combined Reception and Year 1 class. Other pupils in the school are taught within three mixed age classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is typically outstanding and enables all pupils to make as much progress as possible by:  strengthening pupils’ numeracy skills and raising their confidence, understanding and ability to solve mathematical problems  ensuring pupils are able to spell words accurately and to write more complex and descriptive sentences.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the last inspection strong partnerships have been developed between the headteacher, senior staff and governors. They have now firmly established a caring community within which a culture of good teaching and behaviour can flourish. They have ensured that effective arrangements to meet statutory requirements relating to the safeguarding of pupils are in place.  School leaders, including governors, are ambitious for all pupils. They work well as a team to gather a deep knowledge of the school’s work and fully support the headteacher’s drive to sustain improvement.  Leaders at all levels know the school well and have a firm grasp of its many strengths as well as those areas that need to improve further. This is seen, for example, in the way leaders have relocated early years provision so that children can benefit from outdoor learning.  Determined leadership by the headteacher and well-informed contributions from middle leaders have

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The leadership and management are good

eliminated weak teaching and improved pupils’ contributions to learning. For example, this has led to strengthened teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make). This has raised pupils’ reading skills and extended their ability to learn for themselves.  The headteacher and governors manage the performance of teachers effectively. Consequently, teachers’ progression up pay scales is linked to pupils’ progress. This in turn leads to improvements in the quality of teaching. As a result, teaching is now securely good overall and shows that the school has the capacity to continue to improve. Leadership is not yet outstanding because improvement has not yet brought enough of the high quality teaching needed to secure pupils’ outstanding achievement.  All staff do not tolerate discrimination..They work effectively to get to know the pupils and to treat them equally. Staff are diligent and effective in meeting pupils’ differing needs. For example, the effective use of

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The leadership and management are good

funding for disadvantaged pupils is evident in the way these pupils achieve at least as well, and sometimes outperform, other pupils. Staff also ensure that disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are equally well supported.  The school uses additional funding for physical education well to extend pupils’ skills and fitness and to raise their participation and enjoyment of sport. For example, the school employs specialist coaches to develop break and lunch time activities and to train staff and improve the quality of teaching.  As a result, an increasing number of pupils are enjoying and taking part in sports. The pupils’ attitude to school generally has also been strengthened and their increased confidence and commitment to learning now underpin good progress.  The school provides a rich and stimulating curriculum that promotes the pupils’ spiritual moral, social and cultural development effectively. Topics and assembly themes, such as ‘respect’, ‘everybody’s special’ and

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The leadership and management are good

‘democracy’, extend pupils’ understanding of the values of others and increases their readiness for life in modern Britain.  Leaders are placing an effective emphasis on advancing pupils’ basic literacy and numeracy skills across other subjects. This is having a positive effect but has not been in place long enough to secure the highest possible standards in pupils’ spelling, writing and mathematics.  Since the previous inspection, the local authority has assisted the school in strengthening the way it checks school performance. The local authority has also provided guidance for staff and governors that has contributed supportively to establishing good teaching and learning.  The governance of the school:  Governors fully meet their statutory obligations, including safeguarding pupils. Since the previous inspection, governors have improved their skills through regular training. They have also welcomed new

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The leadership and management are good

members to strengthen their ability to drive the school forward. Governors show a resolute unity of purpose in checking the performance of the school. They are well organised and led, and are diligent in visiting the school regularly to see teaching and learning at first hand. They receive detailed and accurate reports from the headteacher and from other staff leaders. Governors also work closely with the headteacher to ensure that staff performance and pay are determined by the way they promote pupils’ progress. As a result, governors know about the quality of teaching and play an effective role in rewarding good teaching and tackling underperformance to bring improvement. Governors support the school well and collect information by frequently talking to staff, pupils and their parents and gaining their views. Governors also check for themselves that additional government funding is used to advance

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The leadership and management are good

the learning of disadvantaged pupils. They identified, for example, that whilst disadvantaged pupils in the school attained well in comparison with other pupils nationally, the comparison for other pupils has not always been as good. This analysis provided the clear picture of what needed to be addressed that enabled governors to support staff in bringing rapid improvement and securing good teaching and pupils’ learning.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The pupils’ improved and very supportive contributions to learning in lessons significantly aid their good progress.  Pupils share warm relationships with each other and with adults. Older pupils are particularly diligent in helping younger pupils at break times. All pupils swiftly give friendly support to those asking for help at ‘The Friendship Stop’ in the playground.  All pupils try hard to please and are keen to learn. Behaviour is not outstanding because, occasionally, a few pupils lose concentration and need extra adult guidance when learning activities do not sustain their interest enough.  Pupils’ above average attendance reflects the caring way that staff promote pupils’ enjoyment of school and cultivate supportive links with their parents.  Parents and pupils who spoke to the inspector shared the view that ‘behaviour is good and everyone is friendly’.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They say that they feel safe at school ‘because there is no bullying and staff are quick to help us’.  Pupils are aware of the different forms that bullying might take. For example, they talk knowledgeably about racial abuse, cyber and physical bullying, understand not to communicate with strangers and how to stay safe when using computers.  The school records show that the school dealt effectively with a few instances of challenging behaviour earlier this academic year. The small number of pupils who have emotional needs are well managed and cared for by staff, so that learning is not disrupted.  Parents who spoke to the inspector and those who completed the questionnaire felt that the school is a very safe place to be.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now typically good because it promotes pupils’ good learning and progress as pupils move through the school.  Teachers and teaching assistants work effectively to gather a detailed knowledge of each pupil and to establish encouraging and supportive relationships with them. Staff also promote good links with parents and enlist their help in supporting their children’s efforts. As a result, pupils feel valued and respond well by contributing wholeheartedly to their learning.  Caring home-school relationships have an equally beneficial impact on pupils’ behaviour and successfully encourage pupils to cooperate and enrich each other’s learning.   Teachers and teaching assistants teach phonics effectively. Other aspects of reading are taught well and pupils have frequent opportunities to read and enjoy books at school. Most pupils also learn well through

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The quality of teaching is good

reading at home. This sustained and shared emphasis on valuing books and reading also has a very positive impact in developing pupils’ ability to read for pleasure and to enrich their own learning.   Staff are also building on the pupils’ phonic understanding to improve their spelling and to raise their confidence in writing. This improving pupils’ writing but the emphasis placed on accurate spelling is not always strong enough. At times, this leads to pupils making less imaginative vocabulary choices which restrict the quality of their descriptive writing.   Teachers develop pupils’ reading skills, alongside their writing and mathematical skills, effectively across the range of subjects. For example, in Years 2 and 3 where the pupils enjoyed reading about Ancient China and then eagerly offered ideas and learned well during follow up activities.   Teachers’ probing questioning that challenges pupils to think carefully before offering their ideas promotes

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils’ good learning in mathematics. Over time, pupils’ basic numeracy skills have not always been developed well enough. As a result, the hesitancy that some pupils show when trying to quickly recall number facts restricts their ability to solve problems. This weakness also makes it harder for them to make better progress in mathematics. Teachers are now seeking to emphasise and develop pupils’ numeracy and problem solving skills at an earlier stage, which is quickening their progress. For example in Reception children counted passengers in ‘The Naughty Bus’.  The teachers ensure that the way they check pupils’ progress meets the requirements of the new National Curriculum. Teachers mark pupils’ work effectively and check their progress accurately. They use the information gathered to plan their lessons carefully and to ensure that teaching assistants are well prepared. This planning and preparation ensures that pupils are provided with relevant activities and

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The quality of teaching is good

receive the right level of challenge that successfully extends their understanding and enriches their learning. As a result, staff make sure that disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs achieve at least as well as other pupils.  

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The achievement of pupils is good

 National tests in 2014 showed that the pupils had made good progress through Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. These results clearly showed that the school had taken effective action to rectify the slow progress in Years 3 and 4 identified in the previous inspection.  National results in 2014 also showed improved progress by pupils in Year 2 tests and continuing above average performance by pupils in the Years 1 and 2 phonic screening checks.  Inspection observations of pupils’ responses in lessons, work in books and school records of pupils’ progress also reflect pupils’ good achievement from their differing starting points.  Children begin school in the Reception and Year 1 class with skills that are typical for their age. The children are taught well, experience a stimulating range of learning activities and make good progress in their Reception year.  Consistently good, teaching and additional adult support are leading to good progress and continually

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The achievement of pupils is good

rising standards in all classes. School leaders’ checks of pupils’ developing skills also show an increasing proportion of pupils working towards above average levels of attainment by the end of Year 6.  The ability of some pupils to spell words and quickly recall number facts accurately is not always good enough and reduces their confidence to write descriptively and solve mathematical problems.  The most able pupils make good progress and relish responding to challenging teaching. They confidently express ideas during class discussions and reflective assemblies and show good skills in finding things out for themselves. The most able pupils in Year 6 demonstrate their good understanding of personification when describing how they would help the explorer Shackleton to save his men. In mathematics, they show understanding of metric measures by closely estimating the length of everyday objects.  Pupils in receipt of additional government funding receive extra adult help in and out of class to include

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The achievement of pupils is good

them fully in learning and to boost their skills. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make good progress. In recent years, disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 have outperformed other pupils in the school and nationally in reading and mathematics.  The performance of disadvantaged pupils in writing has been about a term and a half behind other pupils nationally and about half a term behind other pupils in the school. Standards continue to rise and the gap in attainment in writing is closing.  Staff identify the needs of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs, and other pupils who join the school later than at the usual times, and address their needs at an early stage. These pupils realise and appreciate that staff work effectively to help them and this lifts their self-confidence. As a result, they make the same good progress as their classmates.  Pupils benefit from effective teaching of phonics and regular reading at school. The staff’s good links with

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The achievement of pupils is good

parents are also helping pupils' progress through reading at home. Consequently, pupils make good progress in reading and their reading skills and interest in books are developed well across the school.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management of early years provision are good and are strengthened by teachers and teaching assistants working as an effective team.   The children entering the Reception and Year 1 class have skills that are typical for their age. They are welcomed into an engaging setting where encouraging adults and a wide range of indoor and outdoor resources stimulate their interest in learning.   The relocation of the Reception and Year 1 class at the beginning of this academic year has widened the range of outdoor learning activities provided for the children. As a result, teachers have been able to boost children’s enjoyment of learning and enrich their physical and creative development.   In response to good teaching, children across the range of ability, including disabled children and those with special educational needs, make good progress across all areas of learning. This is particularly the

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The early years provision is good

case because children enjoy learning and willingly share ideas and talk and play supportively together.   Children become self-confident learners and behave well. This is because all the adults who support children, including volunteers, work effectively to keep them safe. As a result, children feel safe and progress well in their emotional health and in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.   Children, for example, gleefully joined in ‘Riding the Bus’ role play, and enriched their number and language skills by counting the tickets given to the driver. They also extended their speaking and listening skills well by talking about their imagined journey.   Staff are diligent in making sure that all children receive well-timed and effective help to keep them confidently and productively engaged in learning. For example, adults question the children supportively to tease out and extend their ideas. 

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The early years provision is good

 Staff also work well with parents to ascertain their views and to encourage their help in securing children’s self-confidence and aiding their progress. Staff use the information about children’s developing skills to plan relevant activities that build on their previous learning. By these means staff promote new learning and complete records of the children’s developing skills in ‘Learning Journals’.   At times, these next steps in learning are not always sufficiently recorded or shared with parents to involve them even more productively in quickening their children’s progress.   Even so, an above average, and increasing, proportion of children reach a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year. This shows children’s good achievement and that the children are well prepared for the next stage of learning in Year 1. 

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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 109092 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 453569

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 91 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Marshall Headteacher Lynne Yelland Date of previous school inspection 29–30 January 2013 Telephone number 01934623430 Fax number 1934623430 Email address kewstoke.pri@n-somerset.gov.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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