Kidsgrove Primary School

Inspection of Kidsgrove Primary School Gloucester Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 4DL

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 24 and 25 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and attend very regularly. They are extremely enthusiastic about their learning, especially in reading and art and design. Leaders challenge all pupils to do as well as they can. This leads to pupils succeeding highly in English and mathematics. Leaders ensure that those who find learning difficult get the support they need. Younger children get off to an exceptional start in Nursery and Reception.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school and are aware how to keep themselves safe. They know who to report to if a rare bullying incident occurs. Leaders deal with cases promptly. Pupils are confident to talk to adults if something worries them. Behaviour in the school has rapidly improved. Pupils get on very well with each other. Most of them set extremely high standards of behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils can be elected as a member of the school parliament where they convey their views to leaders. They appreciate the wide variety of additional opportunities outside of the classroom including ‘Kidsgrove on Tour’. Pupils enjoy using the school’s digital film studio.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents responding to inspectors were overwhelmingly positive about the school, particularly staff commitment to the support and nurture of their children.

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better?

Leaders have planned a highly ambitious curriculum. It is rooted in ensuring that children learn to read fluently and confidently. They have trained staff very well. This provides them with the expert subject knowledge to teach reading highly effectively throughout the school. Reading is a priority from the very beginning of early years. In Nursery, leaders introduce the teaching of phonics early. Children and older pupils use their phonic knowledge well to decode unfamiliar words and read more challenging texts. All learners can take electronic tablets home. This means they can read digital books with their parents.

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better?

Children in the early years are very well prepared for the next step in their learning by the end of Reception. The curriculum is carefully considered and designed around themes, currently the Platinum Jubilee. Staff make the most of every opportunity to revisit and review pupils’ work in greater depth. Adults model key language very well.

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better?

The consistent delivery of a revised mathematics curriculum ensures that pupils are successful learners. The planned sequencing of lessons allows them to build on their previous learning. For example, applying what they know about doubles and halves in early years. They use this knowledge in their new work. Where pupils struggled with a topic, such as line graphs in Year 6, teachers recap the concepts until pupils are secure. 24 and 25 May 2022

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In art and design, adults’ expert subject knowledge helps pupils achieve very high standards. Children in the early years produce detailed work in the style of Jackson Pollock. Older pupils make intricate designs based on the work of artist Michael Brennand Wood. Pupils are confident using subject-specific technical vocabulary. Provision and specialist knowledge in music and Spanish is less well developed. Leaders recognise this and have plans to further develop these subjects. This was confirmed in discussions with pupils and teachers.

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All teaching staff check pupils’ learning carefully. They use this to prepare the next stages in learning and identify any misconceptions to address.

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Support and curriculum adaption is highly effective for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Provision before school and short targeted sessions after lunch help pupils address gaps in their learning. Staff successfully encourage pupils to work on their own or with others. This reduces reliance on adult support.

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Leaders have successfully transformed behaviour in the school. It is a safe and pleasant environment in which to work. Pupils agree behaviour has significantly improved. A small number of pupils, who have additional needs, struggle to manage their behaviour. Adults work well to support them. This has led to a positive impact on their behaviour. Elsewhere there are small pockets of off-task low-level disruption that are not consistently picked up by adults.

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Provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. Leaders provide high- quality support for physical and mental health, and teaching on relationships and sex education. Pupils benefit from the extensive range of clubs, including in sport and music. A large majority of pupils participate in at least one activity, including all disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

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Leaders are highly considerate of staff workload and well-being. They have removed the requirement to mark pupils’ work at home. The support of the interim executive board (IEB) and trust has been invaluable in ensuring that the school is very well- staffed and resourced. Leaders enable staff at every stage of their career to continue receiving highly effective training. Staff morale is very high. All agreed that the school is exceptionally well led and managed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have established a culture and reporting system that helps them to identify quickly any pupil at risk or who needs additional help. They are prompt in securing external advice or early help. Staff are well trained to identify concerns. Suitable arrangements for the safe recruitment of staff and response to allegations are in place. Pupils are taught to keep themselves safe, for example learning about cyber bullying and harmful sexual behaviours. Pupils are confident they would report such an incident if it arose. The IEB conducts regular checks to ensure that leaders meet their safeguarding duties. 24 and 25 May 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ plans for music and Spanish are still at an early stage of implementation. As a result, the provision for pupils is not as extensive as it is in other subjects such as art, for example. Leaders should ensure that provision and teachers’ subject knowledge in music and Spanish is as consistently well-embedded as it is in other subjects  There are some incidents of low-level disruptive behaviour in lessons that are not consistently picked up by adults. This leads to some pupils remaining off task and not completing their work. Leaders should ensure that adults consistently apply the school’s behaviour policy to keep pupils consistently engaged with their 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. 24 and 25 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10229111 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority Interim executive board

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School details

Chair of interim executive board Brian Duffy

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school became an academy on 1 November 2018. It is part of the Shaw Education Trust.  The current executive headteacher took up her role in September 2020. She was previously appointed headteacher in January 2020. The previous deputy headteacher was appointed head of school in September 2021.  The interim executive board replaced the previous governing body in 2020. It also oversees the local secondary school that is part of the trust as well.  The school is not using any alternative provision at present.

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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

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 24 and 25 May 2022

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 Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, head of school, other senior leaders, subject leaders, the co-ordinators for SEND and early years, and other members of staff.  They spoke to pupils, including a separate group of girls.  Inspectors met the chief executive of the trust and a trust director who is also a member of the interim executive board. The chair of the interim executive board was unavailable to meet.  Inspectors took account of responses to the Ofsted Parent View free-text service and to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. They also took account of responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the Ofsted pupil survey.  Inspectors considered information on behaviour, personal development, safeguarding and child protection.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading (including older readers), mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors met

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with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also met with teachers and additional support staff.  Inspectors also discussed with leaders, teachers and pupils their work in modern foreign languages and music.

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Inspection team

Mark Sims, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Janet Tibbits Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 May 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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