Setting

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

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Mrs Lisa Turner-Rowe Headteacher Kimberley Primary School Swingate Kimberley NG16 2PG

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School

Following my visit to your school on 7 July 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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School

The visit was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in May 2015. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you and the assistant headteacher, the early years leader, the chair of the governing body, a group of pupils and a representative of the local authority. I considered a range of documentation, including the school improvement plan, the latest self-evaluation document, your most recent information on pupils’ progress and attainment, and documentation relating to the safeguarding of pupils. We conducted a tour of the school together and visited a number of classes to see pupils and staff at work. I spoke with several parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Context

Since the previous monitoring visit in December 2015, there have been significant changes in leadership. The headteacher resigned her post in July 2016. You were appointed as headteacher in September 2016. A new part-time assistant headteacher was appointed at the same time.

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Main findings

Since your appointment in September 2016, you and the assistant headteacher have taken swift and effective action to ensure a renewed direction for improvement. Together, you are providing strong and determined leadership, with a clear mission to raise the aspirations of every pupil in the school. As a result, you are successfully creating a culture of high expectations, which is shared by staff, pupils and governors.

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Main findings

You have revised the school improvement plan. It is sharply focused on those areas most in need of improvement. It provides a clear, strategic overview about what actions will take place to bring about change. It identifies measurable success criteria and interim milestones, which are helping governors to check progress regularly and with increased challenge. This has been key to ensuring that improvements are now taking place at a more rapid pace.

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Main findings

You have tackled the weaknesses identified in teaching and learning at the previous inspection as a matter of urgency. Your decisive actions mean that teaching has improved rapidly and is consistently good in all key stages. For example, pupils in Year 1 were very excited to show me their extended writing about lighthouses and told me about the different materials they had used to construct lighthouse models. In the Reception class, children were eager to show me their challenging number bonds to 20 and wonderful rainbow fish stories. You are ensuring that teaching is more effective in meeting the needs of pupils of different abilities. As a result, pupils are making better progress.

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Main findings

You are successfully raising expectations of what pupils can achieve through your improved and more accurate tracking of pupils’ progress. All teachers are using this information confidently to plan work that is better matched to the learning needs of pupils. This is confirmed by pupils who say that they are expected to work harder during lessons, and activities are now more challenging. You keep a close eye on any pupils who are at risk of falling behind and ensure that the right support and intervention is put in place. As a result, outcomes are improving.

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Main findings

The school’s own performance information shows a strongly improving picture in relation to the achievement of current pupils. The range of books I looked at confirmed this to be the case. For example, pupils’ books show that they are developing their ability to write creatively in a variety of ways using a range of engaging stimuli. They use a range of grammar and punctuation confidently. The work in pupils’ books indicates that most pupils are making the progress they need to in order to reach the standards expected for their age.

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Main findings

The early years leader is highly committed to continually and successfully improving the provision and ensuring that children are given the very best start to their education. Teachers skilfully assess what the children can already do and plan focused activities to address any gaps in their learning. Children enjoy a wide range of purposeful tasks, which are based on their interests and help them to develop their basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. The environment provides children with a wealth of opportunities, indoors and outdoors, which excite and capture their curiosity. As a result, children are becoming mature and independent learners who enjoy exploring, investigating and sharing their learning.

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Main findings

You recognise that the responsibility for improving teaching and learning is not yet widely enough distributed across subject leadership. You have rightly identified this as a priority area for the autumn term to ensure that all leaders are successfully fulfilling their roles.

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Main findings

The governing body has improved greatly its effectiveness. Governors have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school, as well as the areas where further development is needed. Members of the governing body visit the school regularly to find out what is happening ’on the ground’, and to check that the actions within the school improvement plan are being implemented in a timely and effective way.

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Main findings

Pupils are confident, polite and respectful. They are proud of their learning and progress. They behave well because they feel valued and know what is expected of them. Pupils with whom I spoke said that they felt safe in all parts of the school.

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External support

The local authority is continuing to support the school well. The adviser visits the school regularly, provides robust challenge to senior leaders on the effectiveness of their leadership and brokers bespoke support from other local schools, as required. He recognises that, increasingly, the school is now driving its own improvement.

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External support

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

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