Kings Road Primary School

Inspection of Kings Road Primary School Kings Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 2BB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 16–17 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Kings Road Primary School is a happy school where everyone is welcome. Pupils get on well with staff and with each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are determined to give every pupil the best possible start in life. The headteacher, other leaders and staff want all pupils to do their best. They expect pupils to work hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and know that there are adults in school they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns. They know what bullying is. They say that it does not happen very often. When it does happen, adults make it stop.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers agree that their children are well cared for. One parent encapsulated the views of many, saying, ‘Teachers care deeply about every child’s learning and work hard to enable each child to achieve their potential.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning and told us that teachers make it interesting and fun. They are happy to talk about their work and are proud of their school. They enjoy the many opportunities that they have to become more confident and responsible, including participating in school council elections and becoming ‘curriculum champions’, eco- warriors or language ambassadors. Parents, too, value the wide range of activities available to pupils.

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better?

The multi-academy trust has provided much-needed help for the school after a period of turmoil. There is now a shared commitment to making the school the best that it can be. Leaders have appointed new staff, put systems in place and built bridges with families. Staff, parents and pupils are now happier than they were.

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better?

The curriculum is well planned. Leaders know what they want pupils to learn. They have thought carefully about the order in which pupils are taught different topics. Teachers share an understanding of why learning is planned as it is.

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better?

Teachers plan lessons that build on what pupils already know. For example, pupils know where historical events they learn about now fit chronologically with time periods they have studied before. They check their work in mathematics by drawing on prior learning.

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better?

In addition to what is taught in lessons, a range of trips and visitors make learning memorable. Every term, pupils have the chance to experience the curriculum being brought to life.

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better?

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to develop their reading skills every day. Leaders ensure that pupils read a wide 16–17 January 2020

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variety of books. Imaginative ideas, such as ‘Tweet the Author’, have helped to raise the profile of reading. Staff quickly identify pupils who fall behind and give them extra help.

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Pupils usually learn well, building knowledge and skills as they progress through their studies. On occasions, the misconceptions of some pupils are not picked up quickly enough. Some teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to develop their ideas fully through writing about them at length. As a result, some pupils do not attain as highly as they could.

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The curriculum is more established in reading, writing and mathematics than in other (foundation) subjects. While new plans in these subjects share the same strengths, they are not yet fully established.

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Leaders successfully encourage good attendance. Pupils are pleased when they receive recognition for attending school every day. Attendance at school has improved. Persistent absence has fallen slightly. However, despite leaders’ work, some pupils still miss more school days than they should.

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Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strongly led. Leaders make sure pupils’ needs are identified and understood. They ensure that staff have appropriate training. Teachers meet pupils’ needs well in classes.

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Pupils show good attitudes towards others. They understand and respect equality and diversity. Pupils show empathy and understanding for others but are not afraid of challenging ideas that they do not agree with. Pupils are well prepared for their future in modern Britain.

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Children are safe and happy in the early years. They develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff encourage them to be independent. Some aspects of the early years curriculum are planned well. However, following a period of change in the early years, some adults lack the expertise they need. The activities on offer for children to choose indoors and outside are not demanding enough. Children do not develop the skills and understanding they should.

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Leaders have a secure understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Through determined and effective leadership, weaknesses which had emerged have been tackled. Most pupils now achieve well. Staff feel well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular safeguarding training. They know about the risks that pupils may face. Staff know who they should talk to if they have a concern and they are confident that appropriate action will be taken. Designated staff maintain well-kept records and communicate effectively with external agencies as appropriate. 16–17 January 2020

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Trustees check that the school’s safeguarding procedures are being used properly. Staff make sure that pupils are safe and well cared for. Pupils trust staff and are comfortable to raise a concern with them. Pupils are taught how to stay safe in a range of contexts, including when online. Parents feel that their children are safe at school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some teachers lack the expertise they need to teach children in the early years well. Children are not prepared properly for Year 1. Leaders should ensure that all staff have a strong understanding of how to teach children in the early years so that children learn and develop well.  Leaders have been slow to implement procedures to reduce persistent absence. As a result, persistent absence figures remain higher than they should be. Leaders should prioritise the reduction in the number of pupils who miss school regularly.  Teachers do not always address pupils’ misconceptions. Some do not give pupils enough opportunities to develop their ideas well through writing. This means that some pupils do not attain as highly as they could. Leaders should make sure that teachers support all pupils to fulfil their potential.  The school’s curriculum has been designed coherently in all subjects. This is embedded in reading, writing and mathematics. Gaps remain in pupils’

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

understanding of other subjects because the plans are newer. It is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken that they are in the process of ensuring that the curriculum is fully established across all subjects. For this reason, the transition arrangements have been applied.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 16–17 January 2020

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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. 16–17 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121402 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Kings Road Primary Academy converted to become an academy school on 1 March 2017. The school is a founding member of the Hera Primary Academy Trust.  When its predecessor school, Kings Road Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, on 25 March 2014, it was judged to be good overall.  Kings Road Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school. It has two classes in each year group.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is higher than that found nationally.  The proportion of the pupils supported by an education, health and care plan is above the national average.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 16–17 January 2020

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 We met with the Trust CEO, senior leaders, curriculum leaders, the leader for disadvantaged pupils and the leader for special educational needs. We met with members of the board of trustees and members of the governing body.  We observed pupils’ behaviour and spoke with pupils to gather their views of the school. We also reviewed the school’s information relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, we reviewed the school’s policies and procedures. We also met with the designated safeguarding leader to review the actions taken to keep children safe and spoke with staff to check that they understand the school procedures.  We considered the views of the 41 members of staff who completed Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.  We spoke to parents at the start of the school day, and considered the 89 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including the 47 free-text

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comments and the 53 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.  We did deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, writing and history. In each subject, we visited lessons, scrutinised the work of pupils in their books and held discussions with subject leaders, teachers and pupils.

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Inspection team

Simon Eardley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jacqueline Bell-Cook Ofsted Inspector 16–17 January 2020

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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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