Ab Kettleby Primary School

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

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Ian Toon Headteacher Ab Kettleby Community Primary School Wartnaby Road Ab Kettleby Melton Mowbray Leicestershire LE14 3JJ

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 21 March 2017, 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 your predecessor school was judged to be good in April 2013.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

Since taking over as headteacher in September 2014 you have ensured that the school remains a place where each pupil is known well, learning is enjoyable and relationships are positive. The pupils I spoke with all commented on the fact that they like coming to school. This has helped them to attend regularly.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

Pupils behave well in lessons and maintain their concentration and enthusiasm across the wide range of subjects they study. They play well together during breaks and lunchtimes, making good use of the extensive and well-maintained grounds.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

You and the other staff have developed a very good range of additional clubs, trips and activities that support learning. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the opportunities they have to take part in sports activities, music clubs and the film nights. The breadth of these activities reflects the very strong commitment of all the staff at the school.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

The previous inspection of the school took place before it converted to become an academy with the Mowbray Education Trust in April 2014. I therefore did not make a direct comparison between the areas for development identified in that inspection and the areas that I focused on during this visit. I used them as a context for the activities that I carried out during this inspection, however.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

Teachers are increasingly thorough in their planning of lessons. They give the most able pupils extra challenge, and encourage them to work on activities in greater depth. This remains a priority for the school because a few pupils are still not always attaining the standards they are capable of.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

You have improved the teaching of mathematics and pupils are now confident in performing calculations and using mathematical information in a range of situations.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

Children in the Reception class have good opportunities to play and learn using the outdoor area.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

The school has thorough systems in place to record assessments and you are able to use information effectively to check on the progress that all groups of pupils are making.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

The governing body has ensured that any new governors are trained and clear about how they will find out about the school’s performance.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

You have identified that improving spelling is a priority for all classes. The school has made spelling a focus for this year and additional tests that you have carried out show that most pupils have made good progress. A few are not doing as well as they should and this remains a focus for improvement.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

Pupils develop very secure skills in sounding out letters because of the effective teaching of phonics. You have made the teaching of reading a priority for your work. This is because pupils do not always understand the information they are reading sufficiently and some are not skilled enough at working out meaning from the information and clues they can find within the text.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of high quality. Thorough checks are carried out to make sure that staff and volunteers are suitably qualified and experienced. The staff have received regular training that has raised their awareness of how they can ensure that pupils are safe. The governing body has a nominated representative with responsibility for safeguarding and governors have received additional training in order to raise their awareness of safeguarding.

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Short inspection of Ab Kettleby Community Primary School

The systems used to record any concerns that staff might have are clear and organised well. Pupils say they feel safe in school and the school helps them to understand the risks they face when using computers, as well as developing their understanding of road safety. The parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, agree that pupils are safe and there is little bullying at school.

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Inspection findings

 Across the school, pupils are making faster progress than previously. We agreed that this was an area that I would check because results in the national key stage 2 test results in 2016 showed that pupils made average progress from their starting points and did less well in reading than in mathematics and writing.  Pupils are developing consistently good skills in mathematics in all classes. They develop strong skills in sounding out letters by the end of Year1. They are not always as confident and skilled in understanding the meaning of some texts they read, however. You are aware that this is a priority and have developed the use of ‘guided reading’ to improve this aspect of their learning.  Pupils write well in English and in a variety of other subjects. The school has clear expectations for handwriting and presentation. Pupils practise these skills regularly in their ‘purple books of perfection’.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils do not always spell words accurately. Spelling has been a school priority this year and pupils are practising and developing their skills more systematically. Many have improved, but a few are still working below the national expectations for their age and have not yet caught up. You are aware of the need to check and improve the skills for these pupils.  The proportion of children achieving a good level of development in the Reception class has been below average. The number of children is small, which makes comparisons with national averages less reliable. The proportion achieving a good level of development has increased over the last three years and the information you provided shows that it is on track to increase further this year, so that you expect a greater proportion to achieve a good level of development.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 teachers maintain and improve pupils’ skills in spelling and reading and evaluate the impact of their work thoroughly  teachers plan activities in lessons that enable all of the most able pupils to achieve the high standards of which they are capable.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Leicestershire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

I met with you on several occasions to discuss your evaluation of the school’s effectiveness. I met with four members of the governing body to discuss their views about aspects of the school. I met with a representative from the Mowbray Education Trust. I looked at learning in classrooms throughout the school, checked work in pupils’ books and compared this to the school’s records of their attainment and progress. You accompanied me during most of these activities. I checked the effectiveness of your policies and procedures for safeguarding, including the records kept in relation to the recruitment of staff.

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Information about the inspection

I spoke with a group of pupils to gain their views about the school and looked at the 23 responses made to a pupil questionnaire. I heard a group of pupils read. I looked at the school’s current attendance figures and records of pupils’ behaviour. I looked at the 32 responses made by parents on Parent View, as well as any comments made in the free-text part of the questionnaire. I looked at the 11 responses to a survey of staff at the school.

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