Keyingham Primary School

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

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Mrs Sandra Edmiston Headteacher Keyingham Primary School Russell Drive Keyingham Kingston-upon-Hull HU12 9RU

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Short inspection of Keyingham Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 9 October 2018, 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 July 2014.

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Short inspection of Keyingham Primary School

Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I have identified some priorities for improvement which I advise the school to address. In light of these priorities, the school’s next inspection will be a full section 5 inspection. There is no

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change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

You have managed recent changes to staffing effectively. Along with your deputy headteacher, you have supported existing and new staff well through a time of transition. Together, you have identified areas of teaching and learning that require further attention, and you are starting to take appropriate action to address these. Your actions have included making links with another school to develop the curriculum, with a focus on reading and mathematics. Along with other leaders, you have developed a positive approach to school improvement and have a strong desire to make the improvements needed in the school.

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change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

You and your team have established an inclusive ethos at Keyingham Primary School. You know your pupils and their families well. You and your team have strengths in meeting the requirements of pupils with a variety of needs. The support that these pupils receive allows them to quickly settle. You use other agencies well to provide tailored educational programmes to support their progress and development. Parents and carers express very positive views about the school and feel that you go above and beyond to support their children. One parent told me that Keyingham is a ‘fantastic school, where staff show real compassion for the children’.

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change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

Pupils spoken with said that they are happy at the school and feel respected. They show mature attitudes when discussing their feelings and speak in depth about the values of tolerance and equality that teachers cultivate. They were particularly keen to tell me about the superhero learning powers that the school council established and how they are rewarded for showing excellent learning attitudes.

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change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

Since the last inspection, pupils’ achievement at the end of each key stage has been inconsistent. The proportion of children attaining a good level of development by the end of early years has been below the national average for the past three years. Attainment at the end of key stage 1 is below the national average in all subjects. While it is acknowledged that this is, in part, due to cohort changes, attainment nevertheless needs to improve. Pupils’ progress throughout key stage 2 in reading shows a considerable decline over the past year. In mathematics, the progress that pupils made from their starting points has been in the bottom 20% of schools nationally for the past two years. You are introducing changes to address this decline, but inconsistencies remain.

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change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

The previous inspection report recommended that you improved the quality of teaching by making sure that the work given to the most able pupils was challenging enough in all subjects. This remains an area that needs to be addressed and is contributing to the inconsistencies in pupils’ achievement. You were also asked to further improve leadership and management by developing middle leaders. Middle leaders now work with senior leaders to monitor teaching in their subject areas. They then lead staff development meetings to show teachers how to improve their teaching of the different subjects. While middle leaders are developing their roles, their actions are not yet securing consistent improvements in pupils’ outcomes.

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change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

The chair of the governing body is knowledgeable about the current performance of the school and is fully supportive of the strategies being implemented to make the improvements needed. There is evidence that governors attend regular training and visit the school frequently. The chair of the governing body demonstrated a good understanding of how additional funding is being used to support pupils eligible for the pupil premium and to encourage wider participation in sport and physical activity.

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Safeguarding is effective

There is an established culture of safeguarding at the school and there is a clear ethos that everybody is responsible for safeguarding. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of high quality. Leaders have ensured that all members of staff and the governing body are regularly trained in different aspects of safeguarding, including safer recruitment. Leaders and governors ensure that records are effective and that relevant checks are made on visitors and staff before they enter or join the school.

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Safeguarding is effective

You know the families of pupils who attend the school very well and are vigilant about their welfare, especially any whose circumstances make them vulnerable. You work closely with local agencies to ensure that pupils receive the care and support that they need. Attendance of pupils is rigorously analysed and checks are made to ensure that all pupils are safe. Pupils who made their views known say that they feel safe in school and parents agree. They say that bullying is rare and are confident that, if it happens, an adult would stop it immediately. Pupils are aware of how to stay safe online.

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Inspection findings

 During my visit, I looked at some areas of focus. The first was to investigate why fewer boys than the national average reach a good level of development by the end of their time in Reception. While there is evidence that teachers are enabling increasing proportions of boys to reach a good level of development, the proportions remain lower than is seen nationally.  In Nursery, boys are exposed to many activities to encourage them to develop as writers. Scribble stations, finger gyms and play dough are set up with the focus of engaging boys. Curriculum areas are stimulating and provide boys with contexts to write. Tool stations and home corners are well used to engage boys in speaking and listening activities. These activities are not consistently built on in Reception class.  In Reception class, adult-led activities are carefully planned to engage boys. These include using paint on the bottom of cars to practise letter formation. These

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Inspection findings

activities are helping boys to make better progress from their starting points. However, curriculum areas do not consistently foster children’s independence or help to develop a rich vocabulary. Curriculum areas lack support materials for boys to use in order to lead their own learning and development.  I looked at how effective the teaching of reading is across key stages 1 and 2. This is because pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of these key stages is lower than the national average. Pupils often read texts that are suitable for their age. However, teachers do not ask probing questions that enable pupils to explore those texts in depth. Too often, pupils acquire a basic understanding that is not enriched by deeper considerations of language or anticipation of what may happen next in a text.  In Year 6, the teaching of reading is much more effective. Books show that pupils have learned relevant skills and the teacher skilfully questions pupils to deepen

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Inspection findings

their understanding. However, in other years, inconsistencies in approach mean that reading sessions are not as effectively used, leaving pupils in Year 6 with a lot to catch up on.  I also explored the teaching of mathematics throughout key stage 2. This is because progress has been below the national averages for the past two years. A new approach to mathematics has been introduced and is starting to have an effect. Staff are now supporting children with new resources and pictures to support their number work. Teachers routinely allow pupils to practise a skill to become fluent. However, work is not always sufficiently challenging. Pupils are not moved on quickly enough to apply their knowledge by using their mathematical reasoning to solve problems.  The final line of enquiry was to investigate how effective the teaching of phonics was in key stage 1. This was because, in 2017, attainment in the phonics

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Inspection findings

screening check was significantly below that seen nationally. Changes were made to the scheme, and these changes are paying dividends. Phonics lessons are lively and engaging. Pupils are provided with opportunities to practise the sounds, and deepen their understanding through games and songs, before applying this in their written work. Consequently, attainment in phonics in 2018, by the end of Year 1, was in line with the national average, and a significant majority of pupils attained the required standard by the end of Year 2.

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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

 the teaching of reading throughout the school is improved by developing pupils’ reading skills and providing work that provides appropriate challenge for all pupils  the teaching in mathematics throughout key stage 2 is improved by implementing new approaches more consistently and increasing opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical reasoning  the learning environment in Reception class is improved so that children are more purposefully engaged in learning, enabling increasing proportions to achieve good levels of development.

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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 East Riding of Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection I met with you, your deputy headteacher, 10 parents, and the local authority school improvement partner. I spoke to the chair of the governing body by telephone. I held meetings with the school’s leaders for mathematics, English and early years. I talked with small groups of pupils during lessons and informally during lunchtime. Along with you, I visited classes to observe teaching and learning across the school and I scrutinised the work in pupils’ books. In reading lessons, I listened to a number of pupils read individually.

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Information about the inspection

I examined a range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding, including attendance information. I considered a range of additional information, including the minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s evaluation of its work, improvement plans, assessment information and the pupil premium action plan. I also reviewed the school’s website. I considered the responses of parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

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