Great Kingshill Church of England Combined School

Inspection of a good school: Great Kingshill Church of England Combined School Cryers Hill Road, Cryers Hill, HIGH WYCOMBE, Buckinghamshire HP15 6JP

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Outcome

Great Kingshill Church of England Combined School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their school. At Great Kingshill pupils are confident, articulate, and positive. They learn how to keep themselves safe and they feel safe. Pupils know adults at school are there to help look after them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of ‘love, courage, forgiveness, hope, respect and truth’, weave through everything pupils do. Pupils believe it is because of these values that bullying and poor behaviour are rare. When bullying does happen, pupils trust adults to act on it immediately, and they do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcoming. They learn about tolerance and acceptance. One pupil commented: ‘If everyone was the same, this school wouldn’t be what it is.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy taking part in the wide range of trips and clubs that are available. Year 4 pupils are excited about their upcoming residential trip. Following this they know they will be well prepared for the longer trip in Year 6 to the Isle of Wight. The ‘Great Pea Off’ gardening challenge is another cause for excitement, especially for the younger pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are highly ambitious for the pupils in this school. Leaders’ philosophy of fun, creativity and achievement, shine through. Pupils behave well in lessons and when moving around the school. This is because they know the high expectations adults have of them.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

At this school learning is rarely disrupted because pupils enjoy the broad range of subjects they learn. Subject leaders have started to think about the key knowledge and skills they want pupils to know by the time they leave Great Kingshill. Leaders have 29 and 30 June 2022

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mapped learning out in most curriculum areas. The plans for some subjects are further along this journey than others.

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In subjects such as reading, history and geography, pupils have a secure understanding of the things they learn. This is because learning has been planned to build on what pupils already know. Pupils across the school showcase new learning through creating their own knowledge organisers. These are a helpful tool for teachers to identify what pupils have remembered.

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Adults understand and identify the individual needs of disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. In lessons, adults check what pupils can and cannot do. This means pupils receive the right support. Teachers and teaching assistants adapt learning so that all pupils, no matter what their need is, can join in with their class. Additional support is planned so that it does not impact on learning in the wider curriculum.

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Subject leaders have started work on using assessment to identify gaps in pupils’ understanding and where curriculum planning might need to be adapted. Work on this was paused due to COVID-19. As a result, in the subjects where assessment is less well- developed, pupils have some gaps in their knowledge. Also, in these subjects, teachers need further support to develop their own understanding of the key skills and knowledge that pupils need to learn.

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Pupils love reading, and their teachers enjoy teaching it. For most pupils, books are well matched to their reading ability. This includes the youngest children who lose no time at the start of the Reception Year in learning to read. Those who fall behind, including those in key stage 2, get support so that they catch up quickly. Adults are experts in the teaching of early reading. All staff have been trained to the same standard.

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Learning is planned out well for children in pre-school and the Reception Year. This is because adults understand how young children learn. Children independently take part in activities that are set out for them to practise the new skills they have learned. For example, children learn about colour, shape and number. They use this knowledge in pre- school to start to make patterns and count. Children continue this learning into the Reception Year where they apply these skills to solving problems, such as finding out how big a giant’s footprint is.

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Pupils are taught to look after one another and their school environment. They take on roles of responsibility with pride. All Year 6 pupils are pupil leaders. Roles include head girl, head boy, sports leaders and ambassadors. The work of the Year 6 ambassadors shows the school’s values in action. Older pupils support younger pupils including those in pre-school. In other year groups pupils can apply to become a school or eco councillor. Pupils learn about democracy when they vote for their class friends to take on these roles.

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Leaders, including trustees, are mindful that teachers’ workload has increased since the pandemic. Leaders select resources to reduce workload. Teachers appreciate this and feel well supported by the school leadership team. 29 and 30 June 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils’ safety is a priority for all staff. Adults are well trained to spot signs which indicate pupils and families may need support. Safeguarding leaders quickly follow up concerns to ensure pupils and their families get the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep safe online and when out and about in the local community. All pupils learn about road safety so that they can be safe on the busy roads around school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know about keeping their bodies safe on the inside, through exercise and healthy eating, and on the outside by keeping their private parts private. They have been empowered to say no if touched inappropriately, and how to get help if needed.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Subject leaders do not consistently use assessment information to identify these gaps. Leaders need to continue to develop their work on assessment so that it can be used to identify the exact knowledge and skills pupils need to learn.  In some subjects, teachers are less confident in delivering the planned curriculum. Their own knowledge is not deep enough to address pupils’ misconceptions. This creates gaps in pupils’ understanding. Leaders should plan a programme of training for teachers to ensure teachers have the expertise they need to teach all subjects well.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Great Kingshill Church of England Combined School, the school to be good in May 2014. 29 and 30 June 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 29 and 30 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227003 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

 Great Kingshill Church of England Combined School converted to become an academy school in February 2018. When its predecessor school of the same name was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is an Academy with a designated religious character and received its last section 48 inspection in February 2017. The school’s next inspection is due in 2022/23.  There is a nursery provision at the school which has children aged from three years old. This is known as ‘pre-school’.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with senior leaders and 2 members of the local governing board including the chair of the local governing board. The inspector also met with the CEO 29 and 30 June 2022

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and 2 trustees. Telephone conversations were held with the headteacher and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector did deep dives in these subjects: reading, science, and history. She talked to subject leaders, staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. She then considered a wider range of evidence to explore the quality of education.  The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records, interviewing staff and through discussions with pupils.  The inspector considered the views of parents shared through the Ofsted surveys. She gathered the views of pupils and staff through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Clare Haines, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 June 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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