Kensington Wade

Kensington Wade 205 Warwick Road, London W14 8PU

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher is a highly effective leader who has worked exceptionally well to establish this unique and inspirational school.  The proprietor, governors and staff all share the headteacher’s vision for the school. They are committed to continuing the excellent work that has taken place so far. They acknowledge the importance of maintaining the high standards as the school expands.  The proprietor and governors are highly skilled and bring a range of expertise to the school. They provide very effective challenge to leaders to ensure that children achieve highly. They have ensured that the school meets all the independent school standards.  The headteacher is very well supported by the deputy headteacher and staff. As a team, they have a strong understanding of how children learn. Staff know all the children well and work together skilfully to ensure that children make excellent progress in their learning.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Teaching in the English classroom and the Chinese classroom is of very high quality. Teachers plan activities thoughtfully to ensure excellent continuity between the two rooms.  Staff interact with children extremely well and use questioning to extend children’s learning. Activities are highly personalised to meet children’s individual learning needs.  Children make very strong progress from their individual starting points across all areas of learning. Their progress in literacy, mathematics and in their social and emotional development is particularly strong.  Children, many of whom do not come from Chinese-speaking families, make excellent progress in learning to speak, read and write Mandarin. Staff promote children’s language and communication skills in both languages very effectively.  Children’s behaviour is exemplary. They are happy, confident and highly motivated in their learning.  Parents and carers are overwhelmingly happy

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

with the education and care that staff provide. Staff ensure that parents are fully involved in their children’s learning from the very start.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the high standards are maintained as the school expands so that children continue to achieve excellent outcomes in all year groups and across the curriculum.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 The proprietor, headteacher and governors have ensured that the school meets all the independent school standards. Together, they have a very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and the actions needed to ensure that the very high standards are maintained as the school expands.  Since the school opened in September 2017, the headteacher has worked exceptionally well to establish this unique and inspirational school. She has recruited an excellent staff team that shares her vision for the school’s future.  Leaders provide staff with high-quality training and professional development opportunities. Staff work together effectively and share ideas to continually develop their teaching strategies. The headteacher has ensured that all staff have a strong and accurate understanding of the early years foundation stage and how children learn and develop. Some staff have gained higher qualifications in early years practice and this is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

having a positive effect on children’s outcomes.  Staff are extremely positive about working at the school and are committed to ensure that all children achieve their best.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher have worked relentlessly to make sure that the Chinese classroom is a success. They ensure that the quality of teaching in this room is highly effective and have used ongoing advice from external specialists. They make sure that children experience all areas of learning in both classrooms, and that in the Chinese classroom, children are fully immersed in a Mandarin-speaking environment. Leaders have used expert advice, including visits to other schools internationally, in order to realise their intentions of creating a setting where children become proficient in English and Mandarin.  The early years curriculum is planned very effectively. Children develop skills in all areas of learning through a range of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Staff ensure that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

lessons are planned so that children can make links between the different subjects. For example, children are currently learning about life cycles and the recently hatched chicks have been the focus of work in mathematics, literacy and creative and expressive arts.  Children experience high-quality teaching that complements their learning in other subjects. For example, children take part in regular swimming, physical education and music lessons, led by subject specialists.  Leaders have also established a curriculum for future years. Plans for the curriculum at key stages 1 and 2 are very effective. Leaders have plans in place to ensure that children will continue to acquire knowledge and skills in a range of subjects. Some subjects, such as computing and mathematics, will be taught in both languages.  The excellent learning that takes place in the classrooms is enhanced by a variety of after-school activities. Staff take suggestions from parents to plan extra-curricular

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

opportunities such as crafts, sports and music. Teachers skilfully incorporate educational visits, such as to the theatre, Chinatown and the farm. Visitors to the school are used well to enhance children’s learning, for example about fire and road safety.  The school’s ethos promotes children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development exceptionally well. The school celebrates the many cultures and languages that are represented in the school. Some children speak as many as four languages and these are embraced and celebrated by staff. Assemblies and the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education lessons provide well-planned opportunities for children to learn about and respect others.  Parents are overwhelmingly happy with all aspects of the school’s work. They are highly supportive of the headteacher and staff. All parents that responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, would recommend the school to others. One parent’s views were

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

echoed by many others when she said, ‘Despite being a new school with ambitious ideas, Kensington Wade has answered all my previous doubts and exceeded all my expectations.’

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Governance

 Although relatively new, the governing body has an excellent understanding of the school’s work. Governors bring a wealth of skills and expertise to the school and use these to help shape the school’s work and check its effectiveness.  Governors are extremely supportive of the headteacher. They are not afraid to ask challenging questions to assure themselves of the quality of education provided. They visit the school to find out for themselves the impact of leaders’ actions.  The proprietor and governors share the headteacher’s high expectations for the school and have worked very effectively together to plan for the future. They are highly ambitious and want the very best for all children and their families.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Kensington Wade shares a building with another school. There are robust procedures in place to ensure that children are safe in the building and that all visitors to both schools are suitably checked. Risk assessments for all activities, parts of the building and visits outside school are thorough.  The school’s safeguarding policy and procedures are fit for purpose, meet requirements and are published on the school’s website.  Staff have a secure understanding of the school’s safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they have concerns about a child’s welfare. The headteacher has ensured that all staff are well trained and have an up-to-date understanding of government legislation. Teachers incorporate aspects of safeguarding into the curriculum very effectively so that children learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, children are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

 All staff share the same very high expectations of children’s learning and progress. As a result, they make the most of opportunities to extend children’s knowledge, skills and understanding across all areas of learning.  Teachers meet regularly to discuss children’s learning and achievements. They use highly focused observations to inform their assessments of what children know and can do. Teachers’ assessments are accurate.  Teachers plan activities that are highly personalised to individual children’s needs. Consequently, children make excellent gains in their learning and their next steps are identified and addressed swiftly. Parents are particularly pleased with this aspect of the school’s work. Parents said that teachers’ knowledge of their children’s learning is exceptional.  Teachers make learning fun. Both in the classrooms and in the outdoor area, children confidently explore a range of well-planned, high-quality learning experiences. Teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

use resources exceptionally well to enthuse and motivate children’s learning. For example, children in the Nursery were able to retell the key events of a story accurately using sand, sticks, bricks and card.  Classrooms are set out so that children have continuous access to a wide variety of resources and toys that they can select to support their learning. Staff consistently develop children’s language and communication skills through skilful questioning and interaction.  Adult-led activities are highly effective because all adults know the children so well. All planned activities incorporate good opportunities to challenge children’s thinking and extend their learning. Staff respond quickly and effectively to any gaps in children’s learning. As a result, children make very strong progress and attain highly.  Reading is very well promoted. In both the Chinese and English classrooms, key texts are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

used to support children’s literacy skills. The teaching of phonics is systematic and contributes exceptionally well to children’s early reading and writing skills. Children learn nursery rhymes, stories and poems in both Mandarin and English and can recite these with high levels of accuracy. For example, during the inspection, children learned and performed songs in both languages. Children show a love of reading and have great fun using props and costumes to re-enact their favourite stories.  Children move between the two classrooms seamlessly because adults’ communication with each other is consistently effective. Children develop key skills such as counting, measuring and identifying shapes, telling the time and naming colours in both Mandarin and English.  Teachers work very closely with parents to support their children’s learning. For example, parents appreciate the regular parent consultation meetings and the quality of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

information they receive about their children. All parents have access to the reading software that is used to teach Mandarin and regularly share comments in the children’s reading diaries about their progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote children’s personal development and welfare is outstanding. All staff know children and their families well and are highly effective at meeting children’s care and welfare needs. Staff are kind and caring. They ensure that settling-in procedures are well planned so that children quickly feel safe and happy.  Teachers promote children’s personal and social development very effectively. They provide a range of activities that encourage children to share and take turns. For example, children had great fun creating role plays to show others the importance of being kind and sharing toys.  Children cooperate very well with each other. They enjoy activities that encourage good listening and teamwork. For example, in pairs, children learned how cooperation would help them to eat the chocolate from the end of a very long wooden spoon.  Staff work very effectively to promote children’s independence. In focused activities, as

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Personal development and welfare

well as in child-initiated play, staff encourage children to do things for themselves. For example, even the youngest children serve themselves during snack time and fasten their coats ready for outdoor play.  Staff make sure that children’s health and physical well-being are very well supported. Children enjoy outdoor games on the roof-top playground and weekly swimming lessons. Staff use opportunities well to promote healthy eating. For example, as children play in the pretend kitchens, they talk with staff about healthy foods and name the fruits and vegetables in Mandarin and English.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of children is outstanding. Children are highly motivated because adults make learning fun and plan activities that meet their needs.  Children behave exceptionally well throughout the day and during their time in both the English and Chinese classrooms. Adults are positive role models for good behaviour and they manage routines consistently. This helps children feel secure in both rooms. They happily seek help from any of the adults because relationships between all staff and children are positive.  Children are extremely well-mannered. They speak to adults and each other kindly and know the importance of waiting their turn. Lunchtime is a calm and enjoyable part of the day for the children. Adults join children in eating lunch and use this as an opportunity to extend children’s excellent social, speaking and listening skills.  All staff support children’s emotional well-being very effectively. Over time, children build

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Behaviour

their self-esteem and become increasingly confident. For example, during the inspection, all children rehearsed an assembly on the stage. They sang confidently and spoke their lines clearly. Children, including those who joined the school speaking little or no English or Mandarin, thoroughly enjoyed dressing up and taking on the role of different characters in the story.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 Teachers work very effectively with parents to establish children’s starting points. Settling-in procedures and a variety of assessment strategies are used to identify what children know and can do. Teachers, together with support staff, use this information to plan for each child’s next steps in their learning.  Excellent teaching in both the English and Chinese classrooms enables all children to make very strong progress. Children currently in the Nursery and Reception Years are making excellent gains in their learning. Children in the Reception Year are attaining highly and above the expected standard for their age.  As a result of a highly-focused and well-planned reading programme, children make very good progress in reading from their individual starting points. In the Nursery, children read words and simple sentences with accuracy and in Reception, children routinely make predictions about what will happen next in a story. They learn how to use clues to check

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

what they have read makes sense. Typically, children’s attainment in reading is above the expected standard for their different age groups.  In the Chinese classroom, children are immersed in a Mandarin-speaking environment. This, together with focused adult-led activities for mathematics, reading and writing in Mandarin, has enabled children to understand and use the language well. All children, and particularly those who do not speak Mandarin at home, make very strong progress in this area of learning.  Children make very good progress in writing. From Nursery onwards, teachers provide excellent opportunities for children to write for a purpose, such as writing labels for the chicks and creating shopping lists. Adult-led activities are highly personalised to extend children’s writing skills. Children in Reception are able to write in sentences, using phonics accurately to spell words of their choice. Children in the Nursery demonstrate skills in

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

writing that are above those typically seen for their age.  Children in the Nursery make very good progress in recognising numerals, counting and calculating and using subtraction and addition, in both English and Mandarin. All children explore and use a range of mathematics resources to extend their knowledge and skills as they play. Children demonstrate strong problem-solving skills for their age, including sharing, doubling and halving. Typically, children’s attainment in mathematics is high, including their understanding of shape and measure.  As a result of robust assessment and excellent teaching, the most able children and those with lower starting points make equally strong progress in their learning. All children are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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School details

Unique reference number 144965 DfE registration number 207/6014 Inspection number 10044423

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Type of school Other independent school School category Independent school Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 23 Number of part-time pupils 8 Proprietor Anglo Chinese School of London Ltd Chair David Summerscale Headteacher Jo Wallace Annual fees (day pupils) £17,490 Telephone number 020 3096 2888 Website www.kensingtonwade.com Email address head@kensingtonwade.com Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Kensington Wade is a non-selective independent school where children learn in a dual- language setting. It offers English and Chinese teaching, where children are given equal exposure to both languages.  The school’s aim is to provide children with: ‘excellent academic outcomes as well as enabling them to be fluent in Mandarin, adopt a bilingual mindset and the ability to transfer comfortably between two cultures’.  This is the school’s first standard inspection. It was registered by the Department for Education in July 2017 and opened in September 2017. Currently, there are two classes of Nursery and Reception children. Each year, the school will expand to admit a new cohort of children in the Nursery.

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Information about this inspection

 At the time of this inspection, only children in the early years were on roll. For this reason, this report does not contain a separate early years section or judgement.  The inspection was carried out with one day’s notice.  The inspector observed learning in both the Nursery and Reception Year. He observed learning in both the English and the Chinese classrooms and in a range of subjects.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and all members of staff. Meetings were held with the proprietor and a member of the governing body. The inspector also spoke with the chair of governors on the telephone.  The inspector scrutinised the school’s assessment information, alongside the work in children’s books, learning journals and work on display. He spoke with children throughout the inspection and observed them at lunchtime.  The inspector spoke with three parents at the start of the inspection and considered the

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Information about this inspection

19 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. He evaluated the seven responses to the staff survey.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documents and toured the school site in order to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards. He also looked at documents related to safeguarding, leadership and management, and the school’s strategic plans.

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Inspection team

Gary Rawlings, 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

Parent View 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

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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