Kinderley Primary School

Kinderley Primary School Church Lane, Tydd St Giles, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE13 5LG

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Leadership and management are good and the school has been successful in tackling the issues for improvement identified at the last inspection.  The effectiveness of the governing body has improved. Its members have a clear understanding of the school’s work. They have provided good support and challenge to the headteacher in improving teaching and raising pupils’ achievement.  Behaviour is good and the school promotes pupils’ personal development well, including their awareness of British values.  The quality of teaching has improved and is now good. Pupils’ books show that teaching is enabling the majority to make good progress over time, including the most able.  There has been significant improvement in provision in the early years. Children are making good progress and being prepared well for moving up to Year 1.  Since the last inspection, there has been a considerable improvement in standards at the end

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This is a good school

of Year 6 and pupils’ attainment has been broadly average over the last two years in reading, writing and mathematics.  Systems for assessing and tracking pupils’ progress in English and mathematics are effective in Years 1 to 6. Marking is often of high quality so that pupils are clear about what they need to do to improve their work.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Less-able pupils do not always make as much progress as their classmates, especially in writing. In Years 1 to 4, the attainment of some pupils remains below average.  Occasionally, teachers do not plan learning well enough to meet the full range of needs in their class or organise activities as well as they could. When this happens, it slows learning for some pupils.  While the school’s website has improved, it provides limited information for parents on the curriculum. In addition, parents are not as closely involved as they could be in their children’s learning in the early years.  The school has not yet introduced a system for recording pupils’ attainment other than in English and mathematics in Years 1 to 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment in Years 1 to 4 and ensure that less-able pupils make at least the expected amount of progress, especially in writing, by: – making sure that teachers consistently plan activities that provide the right level of challenge for the different ages and abilities in their class so that they are able to make rapid gains in their learning – making sure that teachers communicate clear messages to pupils about what they are expected to achieve and what they need to do to succeed – increasing the frequency of checks on these aspects of teachers’ work and sharing best practice already evident in the school to improve teaching further.  Strengthen the school’s partnership with parents by: – providing more information on the school website about the curriculum and the contribution special events make to pupils’ development – involving parents more closely in the assessment of their children’s skills when they join the early

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

years and providing more information about how they could support their learning at home.  Develop a system that enables leaders and teachers to track and analyse pupils’ progress in all subjects and not just in English and mathematics in order to inform further improvement.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher provides good leadership and she has been successful in tackling the issues for improvement identified at the last inspection. She has brought about improvements in teaching and raised pupils’ achievement despite a number of staff changes and past difficulties in recruiting teaching staff.  The headteacher and the teacher in the class for pupils in Years 5 and 6 take responsibility for leading mathematics and English, and there has been clear improvement in both subjects. Other staff with particular responsibilities, such as the early years leader, provide good support to the headteacher in her drive to improve the school further. The recent appointment of a new, experienced teacher to take a separate Year 2 class from September has the potential to increase the school’s rate of improvement.  Leaders are accurate in their evaluation of the school’s effectiveness. Half-termly checks on the progress

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

of different groups of pupils and careful analysis of the outcomes enable leaders to identify those pupils who need extra help to make sure that all have equal opportunities.  Since the last inspection, the school has provided training for staff in working with pupils who have special educational needs or disability. The deployment of teaching assistants has also improved so that their skills are used more effectively. They have had increased opportunities for training and their performance is now managed in a similar way to that of teachers so that they are held more closely to account.  Work in pupils’ books and displays in classes and around the school show that the curriculum is suitably broad and balanced. It is enriched well by special events and by visitors to the school.  Africa week and visits by Maasai Warriors from Kenya, by a children’s author and by veterans for a ceremony to mark the opening of the remembrance garden (designed by pupils in Years 5 and 6) have all

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

contributed well to pupils’ academic progress and to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school prepares pupils effectively for life in modern Britain, extending their awareness of other cultures, and promotes British values well. Displays of pupils’ writing about democracy, tolerance, equality and free speech show that they have a good understanding of what these values mean in everyday life.  The school makes appropriate use of pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils. The funding is used mainly to provide teaching in small groups and to support individual pupils in literacy and mathematics. The school measures the impact of its spending and is able to show the progress each pupil has made in response to the support programmes provided.  Leaders use primary sports funding well to promote pupils’ physical development and well-being. Funding has been spent on specialist sports coaches, on providing coaching in gymnastics and dance, on inter-

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

school tournaments and on staff training. This has led to an increase in pupils’ participation in sports clubs, to improved teaching and learning in physical education and to greater success in competitions with other schools.  The local authority has provided good support for the school, particularly in the development of governance, mathematics, literacy and the early years. The local authority has an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness.  The headteacher has raised a significant amount of money to fund improved resources, for instance for information and communication technology and the early years. She has also improved the profile of the school in the wider community and strengthened collaboration with other schools. This has led to an increase in opportunities for staff training and provided opportunities, for instance, for teachers to compare their judgements about pupils’ attainment with those of staff in other schools.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The leadership of teaching is good. As part of the management of teachers’ performance, staff receive valuable advice on how to improve their teaching and leaders regularly look at pupils’ books to evaluate teaching and learning.  The decision for the headteacher to teach pupils in Year 2 for English and mathematics in the mornings this year, rather than including them in a large mixed-age class, was a positive response to the dip in key stage 1 results in 2015. However, it has temporarily reduced the amount of time she has had for monitoring, particularly for checking teachers’ planning. The sharing of existing best practice is also not yet being used to full effect.  Most, but not all, parents who expressed their views are satisfied with the school’s work. Regular newsletters keep parents reasonably well informed and home-school diaries in the early years are of high quality. While the school website has improved, it does not provide as much information for parents as it

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

should about what their children will be learning or about the contribution special events make to their development. In the early years, some aspects of partnership with parents are good but some are not as well developed as they could be.  The governance of the school – Governors responded well to the detailed review of governance that was conducted following the last inspection. They took effective action to increase their knowledge and to develop the skills of members through training. This has enabled them to provide good support and challenge to the school in improving teaching and pupils’ outcomes. – Governors ask probing questions about pupils’ progress, including that of disadvantaged pupils, and members of the governing body now have a detailed understanding of the school’s work. The headteacher provides them with clear and straightforward information and this has increased their understanding of how well teaching promotes learning. The chair of governors meets regularly with

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

the headteacher, and members of the governing body visit the school to gather information for themselves.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders and governors have established a safe culture in which pupils are known and valued as individuals. Staff are suitably trained and the school carries out appropriate checks to ensure pupils are safeguarded. Where there are any concerns, leaders engage with parents, carers and other professionals to make sure that all pupils are supported and protected.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The school has successfully addressed the points for improvement identified at the last inspection in relation to teaching. Inspection findings and the school’s own records show that teaching and learning have improved and are now good. Pupils’ books show that teaching in all classes is enabling most pupils to make good progress over time.  The quality of teaching and pupils’ learning are particularly strong in the class for pupils in Years 5 and 6, where the teacher communicates in detail what pupils are meant to learn and what they need to do to succeed. Expectations are exceptionally high in this class and the teacher and teaching assistant both provide excellent guidance to pupils.  In the early years and Year 1, teachers pay careful attention to the needs of different groups. Pupils are benefiting from being taught in smaller groups in the mornings so that they receive a great deal of individual attention. In English and mathematics, work in Year 2 is now better matched to the next steps

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

in pupils’ learning. In all year groups, teachers provide varied and motivating activities.  Throughout the school, teachers question pupils effectively and encourage them to talk about and explain their ideas. Pupils have good opportunities to work together and to apply their knowledge in practical ways.  The teaching of phonics has improved and the school has introduced a number of initiatives to raise achievement in reading. It is concentrating on extending pupils’ vocabulary to support their writing and teachers are placing greater emphasis on problem-solving in mathematics. More practical activities have been introduced for younger pupils to increase their mathematical understanding, and opportunities have been increased for pupils to use their numeracy skills in other subjects. Pupils have good opportunities to develop their literacy skills in a range of subjects and to write for a variety of purposes.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers provide the most able pupils with appropriate challenge and there is some exemplary practice in this respect in Years 5 and 6. Challenge for the most able is also a particular strength in teaching in the early years and in Year 1. In a lesson where the most able children in the early years worked alongside Year 1 pupils, they were able to read complex sentences and put them in order to create a recipe for a gingerbread man.  Assessment is good in English and mathematics. The school has revised its marking policy since the last inspection and this is put into practice well by teachers. In all the classes, pupils are made aware of their targets and have clear information about how well they are progressing. High-quality marking is evident, especially in Years 5 and 6 where insightful comments provide very specific information about how pupils could improve their work.  On occasion, teachers do not plan activities that provide as well as they could for the full range of needs

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

in their class to enable all groups to make rapid gains in their learning, particularly in literacy. There are also instances when teachers do not communicate clear messages to pupils about what they are expected to achieve and what they need to do to succeed. When this occurs, it slows pupils’ learning and reduces their own sense of urgency.  While individual pieces of work on display and in pupils’ books show that pupils are making good progress in most subjects, the school does not yet have a system in place for assessing their attainment and progress in subjects other than English and mathematics. This means that leaders and teachers lack important information that should inform planning and decision-making.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and they are polite and respectful towards their teachers. They listen attentively and readily follow teachers’ instructions.  Pupils take pride in their work and nearly all pupils present their work neatly.  Pupils say that this is a friendly school and that relationships are good. They generally work well together in lessons and are confident to share their ideas with one another.  The school promotes pupils’ emotional well-being effectively and pupils benefit from being known and valued as individuals.  Pupils say that there is very little bullying and that it is dealt with effectively. They feel safe in school and know what they need to do to stay safe, including when using the internet. During the inspection, a visit from an animal charity made pupils aware of how to stay safe around dogs and provided a valuable

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Personal development and welfare

stimulus for the writing that pupils did afterwards.  In Years 5 and 6, pupils apply themselves exceptionally well in lessons and show greater independence, but in other classes they tend to depend too much on direction from their teachers.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. It is frequently outstanding in the class for pupils in Years 5 and 6.  Behaviour at lunchtime is calm and pupils play together harmoniously at breaktimes. When pupils come together as a whole school, for example for assembly, they behave very well and know what is expected of them.  Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well and disruptive behaviour is rare.  The headteacher reintroduced the school council to give pupils the chance to contribute to school improvement. They were involved in formulating the school rules and these are displayed in their handwriting in the hall.  The school is successful in integrating pupils who have sometimes attended a number of other schools before coming to Kinderley. It is very inclusive and has effective systems for supporting pupils with challenging behaviour. It keeps detailed records and is rigorous in following up any behavioural incidents.

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Behaviour

 Most pupils attend school regularly and school leaders take effective action to follow up any unexplained absence.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The very small numbers in each year group, where one pupil can account for up to 14% of the school’s results, means that published data is not reliable. It also means that it is not possible to report attainment in detail for some groups without identifying individual pupils.  Outcomes at the end of the Reception Year have improved and attainment is in line with national expectations for children currently in the school. This represents good progress, given children’s starting points on entry to the early years.  Pupils in the early years and at key stage 1 are making good progress in learning about phonics (the sounds that letters represent). The school’s results in the Year 1 phonics check improved to broadly average in 2014. Following a dip in 2015, pupils’ attainment has risen again this year.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 improved to broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics

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Outcomes for pupils are good

in 2014. While results dropped in 2015, half the pupils in that year group joined during Year 2 and those pupils who had been in the school from the Reception Year onwards all reached the nationally expected level.  Results at the end of Year 6 have improved considerably since the last inspection. Whereas they were well below average in 2013, they rose to broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics in 2014 and 2015.  Pupils’ books and school records show that most pupils in all year groups are making at least the expected amount of progress. In nearly all lessons, pupils make clear gains in their learning, including the most able. Pupils produce a substantial amount of written work in a range of subjects as well as in English. Lengthy pieces of written work are produced in science, history and geography so that these subjects help to promote pupils’ literacy skills.  Working alongside older pupils provides greater challenge for the most able children in the Reception

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Outcomes for pupils are good

Year. This is enabling them to develop their literacy and numeracy skills rapidly.  In lessons and pupils’ books, it is evident that the most able pupils are challenged to produce high-quality work particularly in Years 5 and 6. During the inspection, these pupils were devising and solving equations such as 9(3 ⁷ ÷4)÷4 and solving other problems involving a range of mathematical processes. In their writing, the most able pupils are challenged to edit and refine their work. A Year 6 pupil wrote a lengthy account of the First World War that began: ‘Machine guns rattled! Tanks fired! I flew through the battleground as bullets ricocheted and my best friends dropped down beside me! Adrenalin raced through me. I reloaded my weapon and prepared to fire!’  Records show that support provided for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability is having a positive impact. Nevertheless, the attainment of some pupils remains below

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Outcomes for pupils are good

average especially in Years 1 to 4. This is partly because the school is still working to overcome a legacy of underachievement and because pupils who join the school during key stages 1 and 2 often have low prior attainment. Most disadvantaged pupils are making the expected amount of progress but less-able pupils do not always make as much progress as their classmates, particularly in writing.

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Early years provision is good

 There has been considerable improvement in provision in the early years since the last inspection and children are being prepared well for moving up to Year 1.  The outdoor area has been greatly improved and new equipment has been purchased to extend opportunities for learning. The indoor and outdoor areas offer a good level of stimulation and promote children’s development well.  The school has effective procedures for assessing children when they join the Reception Year and for assessing those who join at a later stage. From this, it is clear that attainment on entry is below that typically found for children of this age.  Information about the achievement of children currently in the school shows that boys and girls are making good progress. Most children are working in line with expectations for their age and the percentage likely to reach a good level of development this year is a marked improvement on last year.

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Early years provision is good

 Children are doing well because the quality of teaching is good. Teachers make effective use of assessment information to plan activities and check children’s progress. Teachers are skilled in questioning the children, and the staff all promote children’s language development well.  The reduction in the class size in the mornings has increased opportunities for focused work with children in the early years. At the same time, the most able children benefit a great deal from working alongside pupils in Year 1. The school makes appropriate use of its pupil premium funding in the early years and supports children who have special educational needs or disability so that they make good progress.  The children’s behaviour is good. They benefit from receiving a great deal of individual attention from the staff and make good progress in their personal development. They learn in a safe and reassuring environment.

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Early years provision is good

 The early years is led and managed well, and the two part-time teachers liaise very closely to make children’s experiences as seamless as possible. They both have a good understanding of how young children learn and are ambitious to make provision as good as possible.  Staff liaise appropriately with other agencies and aspects of partnership with parents are good. For instance, home-school diaries provide a significant amount of detail and an opportunity for in-depth communication with parents. The introduction of electronic learning journals keeps parents regularly up to date with their children’s experiences in school.  Parents are not closely involved, however, in the initial assessment of their children’s attainment. While there are plans to provide workshops for parents in aspects of their children’s development, the school does not provide sufficient advice about how to promote learning at home.

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School details

Unique reference number 110762 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 10011777

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School details

This inspection 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 64 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Simon Gilbert Headteacher Jenny Atkins Telephone number 01945 870374 Website www.kinderley.cambs.sch.uk Email address office@kinderley.cambs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 January 2014

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Information about this school

 Kinderley is much smaller than most primary schools.  The vast majority of pupils are White British and very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is broadly average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding provided by the government to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after by the local authority.  The number of pupils who join or leave the school part way through their primary education is high.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  Pupils learn in mixed-age classes, except for pupils in Year 2 who are taught separately for English and

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Information about this school

mathematics.  The headteacher took up post in April 2014, replacing an interim headteacher who was in post for one term. There have been many other staff changes since the last inspection and only one of the original teachers is still in post. After a period of turbulence, staffing is now stable.  Following the last inspection, a review of the governing body was carried out by the local authority and a new chair of governors was elected.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the curriculum on its website.  ABC Pre-School is located on the school site. It is not managed by the governing body and, therefore, is subject to separate inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited a variety of lessons, nearly all jointly with the headteacher.  The inspector looked at samples of pupils’ work across different subjects and year groups.  The inspector looked at data and the school’s tracking information to determine the progress pupils are making across the school and in the early years.  The 13 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, were taken into account, together with written comments received from parents during the inspection and the findings of a recent parental survey conducted by the school. Informal discussions also took place with a few parents when they brought their children to school.  The inspector held meetings with school leaders, two members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and a group of pupils.  The inspector examined a range of documentation, including safeguarding policies and procedures;

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Information about this inspection

records of behaviour and attendance; the governance review and a recent update on the work of the governing body; the school improvement plan and the school’s self-evaluation of its work.

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Inspection team

Margaret Goodchild, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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