Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Stewart Debenham Kingsland CofE School Kingsland Leominster Herefordshire HR6 9QN

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No formal designation inspection of Kingsland CofE School

Following my visit with Susan Hughes Ofsted Inspector to your school on 10 March 2020, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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No formal designation inspection of Kingsland CofE School

This inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for inspecting schools with no formal designation. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector was concerned about aspects of the quality of education at the school.

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Evidence

We met with the headteacher, other school staff, groups of pupils, parents, the chair of governors and four members of the governing body. We held telephone conversations with the head of learning and achievement at Herefordshire local authority and with the school’s improvement partner. We visited lessons, heard pupils read and looked at the work in their books. We also scrutinised the single central record and other documents relating to safeguarding and child protection arrangements.

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Context

Kingsland C of E School is a small primary school, with approximately 150 pupils on roll. Pupils attend from the surrounding villages in Herefordshire and the nearby town of Leominster. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. Very few speak English as an additional language. A small number of pupils are entitled to free school meals. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well above average. Most pupils attend the school from Reception until the end of Year 6. Further pupils join the school at other times. Staffing at the school is very stable. Most staff have worked at the school for a long time.

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Main findings

Leaders’ vision for the school is ‘Let your light shine’, which incorporates ‘Learn to Love – Love to Learn’. They achieve both exceptionally well. Leaders, governors, teachers and teaching assistants look to improve pupils’ experience every day. Little adjustments mean that improvement happens continuously. As a result, the quality of education provided is exceptional.

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Main findings

The educational offer is highly ambitious. Leaders, rightly, call the school’s curriculum ‘rich and vibrant’. Christian values weave through every subject. This enhances the content considerably. It covers all national curriculum subjects but goes beyond the basic requirements. For example, in science, the school’s enhanced curriculum helps pupils to apply their scientific thinking to social, ecological and ethical issues.

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Main findings

Pupils build an understanding of subjects gradually and securely over time. They meet, revisit, practise and apply knowledge in each subject from the time they start in the Reception class to the end of Year 6. For example, pupils draw on Year 4 mathematics content about perimeter to help them develop algebraic formulae in Year 6.

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Main findings

Teachers are very skilled at deciding the best way to teach the curriculum content. Much expertise in different subjects exists within the staff team. Leaders make sure that staff share individual knowledge with all colleagues. As a result, teachers deliver the whole curriculum exceptionally well.

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Main findings

Learning to read begins with the very effective phonics programme. Not a moment is wasted teaching pupils to recognise letter sounds. Teachers and teaching assistants keep a close track of which sounds pupils know. They quickly put in extra practice if anyone looks to be in danger of falling behind so that all pupils keep up. Almost all pupils learn all their sounds by the end of Year 1 and can read fluently by the end of Year 2. Older pupils talk about treasured books they have read. They love the daily sessions where teachers read to them and they read for their own pleasure. It is clear why reading scores in national tests are consistently very high.

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Main findings

The school caters very well for pupils with SEND. Their needs are expertly identified. Teachers make necessary adjustments to the content or delivery of the curriculum. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Main findings

Pupils’ experiences go far beyond what they learn in lessons. They have many opportunities to build their confidence and understanding of the wider world. Some of the many include: join a club, take part in a sport, play a musical instrument, participate in a performing arts festival, raise money for charity, exhibit a science project, link with a school in Tanzania. The list goes on.

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Main findings

Pupils’ behaviour exemplifies the aim ‘Learn to love.’ We spoke to many pupils during the inspection. Phrases such as ‘joyful,’ ‘very kind’, ‘friends everywhere’ were heard again and again. Pupils work incredibly hard and take a huge amount of pride in doing well. Very rarely do pupils misbehave in lessons. When it happens, teachers deal with it swiftly and sensitively. It does not get in the way of learning. Pupils care for each other’s feelings. If they do fall out, staff help them to work through the problem and accept their differences.

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Main findings

Leaders are passionate about pupils’ safety, well-being and welfare. They are meticulous in identifying pupils and families who might need help. Leaders work tirelessly to make sure that pupils receive the right help as quickly as possible.

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Main findings

Staff are deeply committed to the school, to the pupils and to the headteacher. They value his calm and considerate leadership. They feel valued, supported and cared for. This is why staff stay for a long time. Several told us how lucky they feel to work at the school.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the diocese of Hereford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Herefordshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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