Kingsway Primary School

Inspection of Kingsway Primary School Valley Gardens, Kingsway, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL2 2AR

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 February 2022

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 15 and 16 February 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Kingsway Primary’s motto of ‘kindness, perseverance and success’ permeates the daily experiences of pupils. They understand why these values are so important in helping everyone. Consequently, this is a happy and safe school, where pupils gain confidence and succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are dedicated and want the best for pupils. They get to know the pupils well, beginning with children in the Nursery right through to Year 6. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are given effective support. As a result, pupils attend well and have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. The school day is calm and orderly. Pupils, including those who attend the early bird club, start each morning positively. Pupils say that bullying is rare. If any issues occur, staff usually resolve them swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an ambitious curriculum. The strength of this lies in how it is matched to the needs of the pupils. As a result, pupils achieve well and are prepared for the next stage of their education, including in the early years foundation stage (EYFS). However, there are still a few inconsistencies in some subjects which mean pupils do not enjoy the same high-quality learning across the whole curriculum.

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better?

Governors reacted positively to the disappointment of the previous inspection. They wasted no time in making the necessary changes. Their vision and ambition for pupils are a driving force for improvement. The pandemic has not derailed their focus. Governors have made key appointments to establish a talented leadership team. Governors are thorough in checking the work of the school to assure themselves of the quality of care and education that the pupils receive.

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better?

The headteacher and senior leaders are ambitious for pupils. Senior leaders have ensured that there are effective systems in place to enable pupils to enjoy and achieve, including high-quality, tailored support for pupils with SEND. Senior leaders are successfully developing other leaders so that there is even greater capacity to keep improving, including in the EYFS. Staff feel empowered. Leaders provide appropriate support to help staff manage their workload.

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better?

Leaders have focused well to improve the curriculum. As a result, the school has an ambitious curriculum that sets out clearly what pupils must know and by when. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum develops children’s knowledge in the early years through to the end of Year 6. The curriculum develops knowledge coherently and logically in most subjects, including in English and mathematics. Teachers use their ongoing checks to plan the appropriate next steps for pupils. However, there are a few occasions when pupils do not learn as well because the sequence of learning is not secure, for example in history. There are also a few remaining subjects, such as computing, where leaders have not designed a curriculum that is as effective as other subjects. 15 and 16 February 2022

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Leaders promote reading well. They know this is the ‘gateway’ to enable pupils to be successful. Reading is a prominent part of pupils’ learning. In the EYFS, leaders and staff have established a strong focus on reading. For example, through the curriculum children begin to recognise sounds and enjoy books with adults in the Nursery. As the children grow, they learn to love reading. Pupils understand the importance of this in their lives. Leaders have ensured that there is an effective phonics programme in place. As a result, most pupils learn to read fluently by the end of key stage 1. Those who fall behind are given the right support to catch up. However, in some cases, phonics books are not matched consistently to the sounds that pupils are learning or already know. For some pupils, this interrupts their fluency and comprehension which holds them back.

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Leaders make pupils’ personal, social and emotional development a priority. There are a range of activities designed to raise pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. Members of the pastoral team work closely with teachers and other staff to help pupils overcome challenging personal situations. As a result, pupils learn to adapt and take responsibility for their actions. Pupils gain resilience and independence through the curriculum. For example, children in the Nursery make decisions about when to have their snack. Staff help children to prepare their own food and drink and tidy away afterwards.

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Pupils enjoy different opportunities to help in the running of the school. They feel that they have a voice, such as through the school council, and are listened to. Kingsway Primary prepares respectful, kind and tolerant pupils who are well prepared for their next steps and life in modern Britain.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are tenacious in their work to keep pupils safe. The school has appropriate systems for checking, vetting and training new members of staff in child protection. Leaders make timely referrals and work closely with a range of external agencies to keep pupils safe, for example health visitors’ support for children in the EYFS.

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Safeguarding

Staff work effectively to promote pupils’ mental health and emotional well-being. For example, the pastoral team ensure interventions are implemented swiftly for identified pupils, whenever these are needed.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have established an ambitious curriculum. However, there are a few remaining inconsistencies, such as in aspects of history and computing, where the subject 15 and 16 February 2022

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curriculums are not as effective as others. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum realises the potential for pupils to achieve equally well in all subjects.  The school has an effective phonics programme in place. However, pupils’ books are not consistently matched well enough to the sounds that they know or are learning. This can hold a few pupils back. Leaders must make sure that pupils’ phonics books are matched with greater precision and accuracy to the sounds pupils already know and are learning.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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.

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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. 15 and 16 February 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.kingswayprimary.org.uk Date of previous inspection 27 and 28 February 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is located in Kingsway, Gloucestershire. It caters for pupils from two to 11 years of age.  The school has an on-site nursery which is run by the governors.  The school is part of Gloucestershire local authority.  The school uses the outreach service of a local alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, geography and science. Inspectors also looked at English and computing on the second day of the inspection. 15 and 16 February 2022

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 For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector looked at the single central register and checked the school’s systems for monitoring and reporting safeguarding concerns. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead. The lead inspector also held a telephone discussion with the local authority designated officer.  An inspector also had a videoconference call with the special educational needs coordinator to help evaluate SEND provision and practice in the school. Inspectors reviewed individual plans for pupils with SEND, to evaluate how well these are being implemented.  Inspectors spoke with a range of staff and pupils to find out what it is like to be a pupil, or to work, in this school.  The lead inspector met with a group of representative governors, including the

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chair and vice-chair of the governing body.  The lead inspector held a telephone call with a representative from the local authority.  The lead inspector reviewed key documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation form, school action plans, governors’ minutes and monitoring records.  The lead inspector checked all survey responses, including those from pupils, staff and parents. This included taking the 19 responses to Ofsted’s free-text service into account.

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Inspection team

Stewart Gale, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Walker Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 February 2022

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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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