Kingswood Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Duncan Steele Headteacher Kingswood Primary School Buckland Road Lower Kingswood Surrey KT20 7EA

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Short inspection of Kingswood Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 24 November 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in May 2012.

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Short inspection of Kingswood Primary School

Leaders have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You are a thoughtful and determined leader who wants the very best for the children and pupils in your care. You have successfully recruited and retained staff who share your passion for the work you do. You have maintained a sharp focus on the achievement of all the pupils in your school, so that pupils get a good start to their education and are well prepared for secondary school. Staff are very positive about working at the school and feel well supported. Parents describe the school as ‘fantastic’, staff are ‘friendly and accessible’ and report that you have transformed the school since taking up your post.

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Short inspection of Kingswood Primary School

You have developed a very successful leadership team who practise what they preach, by sharing aspects of their effective teaching to all staff across the school. You have also developed your middle leaders so that they are making a difference to standards in their subject areas and year groups. Leaders have also supported staff who are new to teaching very effectively, so that teaching across the school is now stronger than in the past. There is an impressive team ethos because staff work well together to improve and better their own practice.

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Short inspection of Kingswood Primary School

You have rightly sought to work with other schools to support your drive to raise standards. There are good links with local schools, especially the Derby group, which is a collaboration of five local primary schools. In particular, leaders make good use of this collaboration to check that they are assessing pupils’ work accurately and to work together on developing the curriculum. You have also established close links with the local teacher training provider so that you are able to recruit staff more effectively. You also make good use of the services provided by the local authority to stress test your plans for improving the school.

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Short inspection of Kingswood Primary School

Staff are very proud to work in the school and the vast majority report that the school has significantly improved since the last inspection. They feel well supported because you have established good systems for staff to work together. Staff reported that they are encouraged to try out new ideas and take risks. The systems to reward performance are thorough, based on whole-school priorities, and they are regularly reviewed. Staff are keen to undertake additional training and many staff are working through leadership or subject-specific courses to improve their practice.

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Short inspection of Kingswood Primary School

You have addressed the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection effectively. The quality of handwriting and presentation has improved significantly since the last inspection because you have made it a whole-school priority. The school is filled with rich examples of pupils’ work on corridor walls and in the classroom. In 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving or exceeding the expected standard in spelling was above the national average. Teachers use similar approaches such as ‘success criteria’ across all key stages to ensure that pupils work briskly in lessons. As a result, pupils move rapidly through tasks set and make good progress from their starting points.

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Short inspection of Kingswood Primary School

There are suitable systems in place to check on the recruitment of staff. The procedures and policies are appropriate and thorough. Staff, including the designated safeguarding leaders, receive regular training. Leaders share information frequently so that staff are well prepared to manage any issues that do occur. Leaders are quick to seek advice and additional help from external agencies. When appropriate, leaders also challenge these agencies over the quality of support for vulnerable children. Governors also keep a careful watch over the school’s systems. As a result, pupils are well cared for and looked after. Families who have suffered a crisis report that the school ‘took immediate action’ to support them.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders are honest and self-critical in their evaluation of the school. Leaders have identified areas that require further attention and have stringent plans in place to address these. There is a strong focus on further improving teaching so that all teaching is at the same standard as the very best.  Leaders have not rested on their laurels. They have managed the changes to the new curriculum and tests effectively. They have adapted the curriculum adeptly and raised expectations of what pupils can achieve in both key stages.  Governors are very committed and highly knowledgeable about the school. They regularly check on the work of leaders at meetings and in visits. Consequently, they provide a good balance of challenge and support for leaders. They use their expertise well to support the school and have successfully recruited people with additional skills such as accountancy to address any gaps in the governing body.

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Inspection findings

They are rightly focused on the impact of the funding for disadvantaged pupils and the sports premium and can identify the activities that make the biggest difference to pupils.  Leaders have developed an effective assessment system. You regularly check with other schools in the Derby group that your evaluation of learning is rigorous so that the judgements made are accurate and useful. The recently appointed special educational needs coordinator is making especially good use of the information to plan additional interventions for pupils across both key stages who need support to catch up. Parents are very supportive of this work, reporting that leaders moved swiftly to provide extra help for those that need it.  The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standards in key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics was well above the national average in 2016. Pupils make good progress in reading because there are effective school-wide

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Inspection findings

systems to raise standards. Pupils read every day and there is good support for parents to ensure that pupils read regularly at home. However, you recognise that standards in key stage 1 could improve further. As a result, leaders are reviewing the reading scheme, reading resources and the school’s approach to guided reading.  In 2016, more pupils than the national average achieved and exceeded expected standards in mathematics in both key stages. Staff have received good training from leaders on realising the higher demands of the mathematics curriculum. As a result, teachers are using new approaches like ‘maths missions’ to develop pupils’ reasoning, problem-solving and practical application of mathematics. Pupils reported that they especially enjoyed mathematics because they have to work hard and think.  In the past two years, leaders have made writing, and especially writing at length, a high priority. Consequently, pupils now write well and previously

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Inspection findings

reluctant writers are now keen to put pen to paper. In 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving expected standards in writing was above the national average in both key stages. However, leaders recognise that boys continue to wrestle with the challenges of writing. As a result, there are a number of specific writing interventions in place to address this. Evidence seen in books shows that these additional strategies are having a positive impact.  The teaching of phonics is a strength of the school. Phonics teaching begins in Reception Year so that pupils are well prepared for Year 1. In 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in phonics was well above the national average. Impressively, by the end of Year 2 all pupils, including the disadvantaged, achieved this important benchmark because staff are well trained and use resources skilfully. Pupils use their phonic knowledge adroitly when

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Inspection findings

reading words that they find hard to say aloud.  The few disadvantaged pupils who attend the school do very well. In 2016, these pupils achieved similar standards in reading, writing and mathematics to other pupils with similar starting points. Current information and work seen in books show that this is still the case. Leaders make good use of the additional funding to provide targeted and personalised support that appropriately meets the needs of these pupils.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported, especially in key stage 2. The newly appointed special educational needs co- ordinator is building on the strong practice of her predecessor. Parents reported that staff have liaised with specialist charities to seek additional advice and guidance so that pupils with very specific needs are well supported. Those who need additional help to catch up are well catered for with a wide range of

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Inspection findings

additional support and intervention. Adults in the classroom are well trained and support pupils effectively.  The provision for children in the early years is very strong. Leaders have developed a rich and varied environment which teachers use well to support children’s learning. For example, the addition of a forest school has made a big difference to children’s social and communication skills. There are very good routines in place so that children make the most of the activities on offer. For example, during the inspection a number of children managed to ride a bike for the first time. Teachers regularly check children’s progress against the key skills and share this information well with parents. Children are encouraged to develop their writing, reading and number skills regularly. Those children that need extra help take part in activities such as ‘snap maths’ to catch up. Consequently, children in the Reception Year make good progress from their starting points and

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Inspection findings

achieve above the national average.  Pupils really like school. They enjoy the range of activities and trips they can take part in and are enthusiastic about the different subjects they study. They tackle new ideas with gusto and they throw themselves wholeheartedly into activities such as ‘wake up and shake up’ at the beginning of the school day.  Pupils are rarely absent or late. Current information shows that the attendance of all groups is well above the national average because there are good systems in place to help those families who need extra support during difficult times.  Pupils care for each other and are keen to make a difference to their community. The creative council has undertaken improvement projects such as restoring the friendship benches to great effect. Pupils edit the ‘children’s newspaper’ and older pupils act as sports leaders during break and lunchtimes. Pupils are knowledgeable about risks in the wider world and can describe how to keep safe

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Inspection findings

crossing the road or staying safe online.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they:

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Next steps for the school

 continue to embed the most effective teaching approaches so that more pupils, including those with low starting points, reach or exceed expected standards at the end of each key stage.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body and the director of children’s services for Surrey County Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

For this inspection of a previously good school, I focused on the quality of safeguarding, actions taken since the previous inspection, the progress of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, the quality of teaching of reading, mathematics and writing, the progress of children in early years and the impact of leadership in the school. I visited the school for one day. I met with you, your leaders, staff and governors as well as with a representative of the local authority. Policies around safeguarding, your own evaluation of the school’s work and other documents were scrutinised. I visited all year groups to see teaching and learning, as well as a number of intervention groups. There were informal meetings with pupils, as well as listening to Year 2 pupils read. I also looked at pupils’ work in lessons with leaders, especially disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or

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Information about the inspection

disabilities. The 120 responses to Parent View and the 18 responses from staff to the online Ofsted survey were also analysed. I also took into account the views of parents, whom I spoke to informally during the school day.

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