Kings Kids Christian School

Kings Kids Christian School 100 Woodpecker Road, New Cross, London SE14 6EU

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Since the previous inspection, leaders have secured many improvements. Consequently, pupils benefit from a good education. Leaders make sure that the school meets all the independent school standards.  Leaders work effectively to ensure that teachers have improved their teaching skills. Leaders and teachers make good use of assessment information to plan activities that help pupils learn well.  Leaders reorganised the curriculum to make sure that pupils gain the knowledge and understanding expected for their age. As a result, pupils make strong progress in most subjects.  Pupils gain a broad knowledge of historical and geographical facts. They do not, however, acquire a wide enough range of skills in those subjects.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are excellent. Attendance is high.  Pupils feel safe and have a good understanding of how to keep safe in different situations.  Pupils’ personal development is good. Leaders

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

make sure that they prepare pupils well for their future lives in modern Britain. Pupils have a good understanding of and respect for people with protected characteristics.  Good leadership of the early years ensures that children benefit from effective teaching, support and care. Children behave well, grow in confidence and feel safe. They make strong progress academically and socially. The indoor and outdoor resources do not support learning as well as they could.

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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?

 Build on recent work to improve teaching and outcomes, by: – ensuring that teachers plan history and geography lessons that challenge pupils to deepen their understanding of human and social education and acquire a broader range of subject-specific skills.  Improve the early years provision, by: – creating a more vibrant and effective learning environment to better develop children’s inquisitiveness so that they can make substantial gains in their learning and social development.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders, including governors, took decisive action to address the unmet standards and other weaknesses identified in the previous inspection. The school has much improved. Teaching and pupils’ outcomes are now good, and pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. The curriculum better prepares pupils for their future lives in modern Britain.  Leaders, teachers and parents are ambitious. They aspire for pupils to excel in their knowledge and practice of their Christian faith. Equally, they want the pupils to succeed highly in their academic studies. Since the previous inspection, there has been a decisive cultural change. Leaders make sure that pupils have a good understanding, for example, of scientific theories of evolution. They teach pupils about other faiths and visit their places of worship. Staff, pupils and most parents welcome these developments.  Leaders frequently check pupils’ progress in all subjects against the standards expected

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

for their age. They discuss and use the information well with teachers to identify pupils who need extra help to catch up or who could be challenged to do better. Leaders monitor teaching and support teachers well to improve their planning and teaching. As a result, teaching is effective and helps pupils make good gains in their learning.  Leaders have improved the curriculum. They increased the time available for English, mathematics and science. They based these changes on the requirements of the national curriculum. Pupils also learn a range of other subjects, which teachers also plan in accordance with the national curriculum. These include art, design and technology, humanities, French and physical education.  Leaders enhance pupils’ learning and social development through visits and visitors. Pupils learn team-building skills during a residential trip and enrich their learning by visiting royal

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

palaces, museums and Parliament, for instance. They enjoy learning origami skills from a visiting artist, thus enhancing their creativity. Pupils developed their economic understanding and learned about a range of careers through visiting a ‘city’ run by children.  Through improved citizenship and personal, social, health and economic lessons and assemblies, pupils learn about life in modern Britain. They learn that it is important to respect the rights and freedoms for people to lead their lives as they choose. Adults teach them the importance of including all people in society. Pupils develop a sound understanding of diverse communities and lifestyles, including regarding people who have protected characteristics. All these positive developments in the curriculum make a strong contribution to pupils’ personal development and in preparing them for the future.

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Governance

 Governors work very closely with leaders and members of staff. They visit the school often and work together with staff to improve the school.  Other governors support the school with their experience and expertise such as in ensuring compliance with health and safety legislation.  Governors have had a major role in improving the school since the previous inspection. They make sure that the school meets all of the independent school standards and requirements for the early years.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Safeguarding leaders make sure that all members of staff are fully up to date with latest safeguarding guidance. Leaders regularly train staff. They require all staff to undertake extra online training and check that they have done so.  In this small school, members of staff know the pupils and the families well. There is a strong culture of vigilance. Staff are alert to any changes in pupils’ behaviour and any other sign that raises concerns. They share immediately their concerns with senior leaders. Leaders work with parents and agencies to address any welfare and safety issues.  Leaders run workshops for parents to help them understand how to help their children keep safe, such as when using the internet.  Pupils learn about and have a good understanding of different dangers and how to keep safe. Visiting police officers and firefighters, for instance, reinforce these messages about

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Safeguarding

how to keep safe.  The school publishes its safeguarding policy on its website. The policy meets current government requirements.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Good teaching is ensuring that pupils make strong progress in a range of subjects.  Teachers frequently test pupils and, together with leaders, check pupils’ work to assess pupils’ ongoing progress. Teachers use this information well to prepare activities that meet the needs of the pupils. The high adult to pupil ratio allows teachers to give every pupil substantial support and challenge. As a result, pupils make good progress.  Teachers have improved their knowledge of the requirements of the national curriculum. Their planning is more effective and increasingly targeted to help pupils achieve standards expected for their age. As a result, pupils gain broad knowledge, good understanding and a range of skills in most subjects.  In history and geography pupils learn facts well. Planning in those subjects, however, is not as effective in ensuring that pupils make strong progress across a range of skills.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

Teachers do not challenge pupils well enough to deepen their understanding and to apply their learning. This limits pupils from reaching their potential.  Teachers set homework in line with the school’s policy. Homework tasks include appropriate opportunities for pupils to extend their learning, such as in carrying out scientific experiments.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  As pupils move through the school, they become more confident and can articulate their views clearly. Through the strong Christian ethos, pupils have a deep understanding of their religious faith, culture and values. Increasingly, they develop a good understanding of other faiths, cultures and lifestyles found in modern Britain.  Pupils have a good understanding of the various forms of bullying. They say that they learn to respect all people and that pupils get on well with each other. Bullying, therefore, hardly ever occurs.  Adults check the ‘help box’ daily, where pupils can anonymously alert them if they have any concerns. Pupils told the inspector that they also use this facility to tell staff if they are worried about another pupil. This facility, combined with the strong relationships between adults and pupils, ensures that adults take good care of pupils’ welfare.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils value the opportunities to contribute to the school and wider community. They take on responsibilities in the school and raise funds for charity. Every fortnight, pupils visit a local old people’s home. They sing, play musical instruments and read with the senior citizens, for example. These activities help pupils to develop a sense of social responsibility.  Generally, leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils, however, have limited understanding of current events and opportunities to discuss contemporary issues are also limited. This limits opportunities for greater personal development and understanding.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils are very courteous, welcoming and friendly. As pupils told the inspector, ‘We learn good manners here.’  Pupils are proud of their school. They dress immaculately and help keep the premises neat and tidy. The school is free of litter.  Pupils value their education and so work hard and behave very well in lessons. Pupils’ behaviour during social times, when walking around the school and to the park at lunchtimes, is excellent.  Pupils have self-discipline. This can be seen, for instance, when they work independently for extended periods of time. They get on diligently with their work and do not waste any time.  Attendance rates are higher than usually found in other primary schools nationally.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils’ outcomes have improved since the time of the previous inspection and are now good, overall. Changes to the curriculum, improved teaching and use of assessment ensure that pupils gain more knowledge, understanding and skills across most subjects.  Inspection evidence confirms the school’s view that pupils make strong progress across a range of subjects, including English and mathematics. Progress in history and geography, however, is weaker. This is because pupils do not learn these subjects in sufficient depth nor acquire a broad enough set of subject-specific skills.  It is not possible to judge the progress of specific groups of pupils, as group sizes are too small to have any reliable statistical significance.  Leaders place a strong emphasis on reading at school and at home. Pupils learn to read for pleasure and to gain new knowledge. The inspector saw pupils enjoying reading both fiction and non-fiction books before and after school, as well as during breaktimes. As a

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Outcomes for pupils Good

result, pupils develop a strong vocabulary and the ability to express themselves clearly.  The school prepares pupils well, academically and socially, for secondary school.

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Early years provision Good

 New leadership of the early years is good. Leaders have addressed all the unmet early years learning and development requirements identified during the previous inspection. There are now good systems in place to check and record each child’s progress. Leaders and teachers use the information to prepare activities which meet the needs of the children.  Teaching is good. Teachers plan activities to ensure that children make good overall progress academically and socially. As a result, they prepare children well for entry into Year 1.  Teachers ensure a good balance between child-initiated activities and teacher-led learning. There is a particularly strong emphasis on developing children’s literacy skills. Teachers make sure that children have plentiful opportunities for reading, practising letter and number formation and early writing. Adults model good speaking. Children enjoy and learn from the variety of enrichment activities such as travelling on buses, and visiting a

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Early years provision Good

farm and a garden centre.  There is a good and trusting relationship between adults and children. Children, therefore, feel safe, grow in confidence and behave well. They happily share with others and take turns.  The early years team works closely with parents to involve them in their children’s learning. Parents tell staff about their children’s activities and learning outside of school. The school sets homework and sends books home so that parents can read with their children and help them with other learning activities.  Although the resources in the classroom and the outdoor area cover all areas of learning, they lack vibrancy. As a result, current arrangements limit children’s inquisitiveness and kerb them from making substantial gains in their learning and social development.

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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

Website www.kingskidschristianschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28–30 November 2017

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Information about this school

 The Kings Kids Christian School is an independent school for boys and girls in the London Borough of Lewisham. The school is a Christian faith school.  The school is registered for pupils between the ages of three and 11.  Since the previous inspection, governors appointed a deputy headteacher. He joined the school at the end of the 2017 autumn term.  The school uses the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum for English, mathematics, science and social studies, in conjunction with the English national curriculum in those and other subjects.  The school uses local parks for recreation and local parks and a swimming pool for physical education classes.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes, including early years provision.  The school’s proprietor is also the headteacher.  The school’s previous full standard inspection took place in November 2017.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out without prior notice.  The inspector observed learning in seven classrooms, some of which were visited with senior leaders.  The inspector scrutinised samples of pupils’ work. He checked the school’s information about pupils’ progress.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, and other members of staff. He met with the chair of the governing body. He met with a group of pupils and had informal discussions with pupils during social times and lessons.  The inspector spoke with parents at the start and end of the school day. There were no responses to Ofsted’s questionnaires for parents or for staff.  The inspector checked documentation, policies and all aspects of the school’s work for compliance with the independent school standards.

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Inspection team

David Radomsky, 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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