E-ACT the Kingfisher School

Inspection of The Kingfisher School Lichfield Road, St Anne’s Park, Bristol BS4 4BJ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate 11–12 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a warm, nurturing environment for pupils. Every member of staff knows each pupil well. Staff greet pupils, regardless of whether they are in their own class, around the school. This is a close-knit community. Pupils demonstrate respect and tolerance towards one another. Each morning, a steady flow of pupils arrive early to enjoy the well-run, free breakfast club. This sets pupils up well for the day ahead. Pupils also enjoy the wide range of after-school clubs on offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and attend well. They work hard in lessons, even when they find something difficult. Pupils show determination when they do not have the required knowledge to succeed. Sometimes pupils find the work too hard. This hampers their achievement as they rely too much on staff support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils conduct themselves well. Relationships between staff and pupils are deep- rooted in mutual respect. Staff have high expectations of behaviour. Pupils meet these expectations. A few pupils struggle to manage their behaviour. Staff are on hand to support these pupils well. Pupils are adamant that bullying is rare, and that staff take swift action should it occur. Staff ensure that pupils know right from wrong.

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better?

Leaders, with the support of staff, parents and carers, and the trust, have improved pupils’ school experience since the last inspection. There is a feel-good factor around the school. All recognise that there is still more to do. Poor teaching and an inconsistent curriculum in the past have left some pupils with gaps in what they should know for their age. Staff are working hard to help plug these gaps. However, they need a greater knowledge of the curriculum, so they can pinpoint what it is pupils need to help them catch up.

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better?

Teachers follow the mathematics and writing curriculum well. Most lessons are well sequenced. This helps pupils learn. Leaders know which pupils may be at risk of falling behind and put in support to help them remain on track. They provide support and training so staff know how to support pupils’ learning. Staff need more help to provide a suitable curriculum for pupils who have fallen further behind and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND receive regular support. However, there are times when their work is too difficult.

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better?

Early reading and phonics remain areas for improvement, particularly for pupils who struggle. Leaders have recently prioritised ensuring that all pupils learn to read as soon as possible. This is encouraging, but leaders’ approach to teaching pupils to read is not working well enough. They have attempted to bring together several phonic schemes that do not match. This leads to inconsistencies from class to class. In lessons, staff do not always make it clear enough what it is they want pupils to learn. When this happens, pupils struggle. Pupils’ reading books are not always well 11–12 September 2019

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matched to their reading stage. Books contain sounds they have not yet been taught. As a result, some pupils fall behind in their reading. There are not enough phonics experts across the staff team to help all pupils to learn to read from an early age. Staff try to develop pupils’ love of reading. Storytelling sessions occur daily, and these engage pupils well, but some of the books that staff read to pupils vary in quality.

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Interruptions in class are rare. This is because staff ensure pupils follow the school rules. Leaders promote pupils’ personal development well. Pupils learn the school’s core values of respect, responsibility, curiosity and resilience. Work to help pupils be healthy and active is paying off. This work has been recognised by the mayor for an Award for Excellence.

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Leaders have introduced a new curriculum this year to ensure pupils develop their knowledge well in all subjects. Over time, pupils’ knowledge in some subjects, such as geography, has been incomplete. The curriculum was poorly sequenced, and lessons did not always build on pupils’ prior learning. Pupils have not had enough opportunities to learn and revisit key knowledge. For example, pupils struggle to name key cities and countries in Europe.

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In early years, children get off to a strong start. Children often struggle with their speech and language when they join the school. Staff nurture children well. They use songs, stories and rhymes to promote language, vocabulary and a love of books. In the recent past, children’s early reading skills and knowledge have not advanced quickly enough. This year, staff have prioritised ensuring children learn to read from the start. It is too early to tell how effective this work will be.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe and are safe. Leaders have created a culture where safeguarding pupils is everyone’s number-one priority. Leaders have made sure staff recruitment procedures are thorough. Staff are well trained. They are effective in spotting potential concerns about pupils’ welfare. When concerns arise, staff waste no time in passing these concerns on. Leaders act in a timely way to make sure pupils receive the support they need. Leaders also work well with external agencies, such as the police and the local authority, to seek extra support.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Over time, pupils’ knowledge and understanding have improved, particularly in writing and mathematics. However, pupils who have fallen behind the demands of the curriculum cannot progress as well because the work remains too difficult. Teachers need to familiarise themselves with the gaps in pupils’ knowledge, so they can provide an appropriate curriculum, which gives these pupils a chance of 11–12 September 2019

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catching up. Providing new content for pupils with significant gaps in their knowledge is not working because pupils’ understanding is too fragile for them to be successful.  Leaders have introduced a new curriculum that aims to provide opportunities for pupils to develop their knowledge across the breadth of foundation subjects. This is a needed development. Over time, the curriculum has been insufficient in scope, rigour and sequencing. It is imperative that curriculum leaders check that subjects are taught in their entirety. Teachers are excited about making links between subjects. Where the curriculum is strongest, pupils know more and remember more when they revisit important learning repeatedly. Leaders will need to consider this closely when checking the implementation of the curriculum.  Leaders have inherited an approach to teaching phonics and early reading that is confused. It is a hybrid of many different approaches. The method of teaching

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pupils to read varies from class to class. Pupils need opportunities to apply the sounds they have been taught with appropriate books. Leaders need to make sure there are more experts in early reading across the staff team so all staff who teach phonics are well placed to meet the varying needs of pupils, particularly those who have fallen behind in the phonics programme. The teaching of phonics should be consistent and enable pupils to know more and remember more of the content they are being taught.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 11–12 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10088264 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17–18 May 2017

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Information about this school

 The school was previously inspected in May 2017, where it was judged to require special measures. Since then, there have been three special measures inspection visits.  There is one class per year group, except for a mixed Year 5 and Year 6 class.  The school operates a nursery for children aged three upwards.  The school is part of Venturers Trust.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked closely at reading, writing, mathematics and geography during the inspection.  Inspectors conducted lesson visits, spoke with teachers, met with senior leaders and curriculum leaders, considered pupils’ workbooks and met with pupils. 11–12 September 2019

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 The team inspector met with the special educational needs coordinator. She analysed attendance information, behaviour logs and the exclusion record. She also met with leaders to discuss the school’s work to support pupils’ personal development.  The lead inspector met with members of the local governing body and representatives from the trust.  The lead inspector met with the designated leader for safeguarding. He also considered the school’s single central record.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Parent View, and the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey. However, inspectors sought pupils’ views about the school when inspecting individual subjects.

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Inspection team

Nathan Kemp, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Briscombe Ofsted Inspector 11–12 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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