Kempsford Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Kempsford Church of England Primary School High Street, Kempsford, Fairford, Gloucestershire GL7 4EY

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 January 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 10 and 11 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get on well at Kempsford Church of England School. Parents are positive about the school. Many of them comment on the commitment of staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are generally attentive in class. Pupils say sometimes it is noisy, but this does not disrupt learning to any great extent. Pupils say that bullying does not happen. A group of older pupils said, ‘If there is (bullying), I have never seen it.’ Pupils trust staff to resolve difficulties or they work through differences themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are routinely challenged to apply the knowledge they have learned, for example, reasoning is a regular part of the mathematics curriculum. Pupils receive extra support if they fall behind in learning the curriculum. This helps some pupils to close the gaps in their knowledge, However, some teaching is not precise enough to help these pupils make the best possible progress.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a rich school life that goes beyond the academic. For example, most pupils take the opportunity to attend at least one of a wide range of after-school clubs. Pupils benefit from strong links with the local community. Older pupils share in the running of the school. For example, they can be on the school council or be a librarian.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. They work hard to ensure the school has a caring ethos. There are a significant number of new staff since the previous inspection.

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better?

Leaders have focused on designing coherent and sequenced learning across the curriculum. The curriculum design sets out the knowledge that pupils need to learn as they progress through the school. As a result, pupils typically build upon what they know well. However, in some areas, teaching does not provide learning to meet the curriculum intent well enough.

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better?

In the early years, the curriculum supports children’s development well. Teachers provide learning to enable children to deepen their understanding through their play. The curriculum prepares children well for the curriculum in key stage 1.

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better?

Leaders have put in place effective systems to check what pupils know and need to learn. This ensures that pupils who may fall behind are identified. Pupils receive extra support if they need it. However, some of this support does not help pupils to catch up quickly enough.

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better?

Leaders give reading a high profile and promote a love of reading. Pupils read every day. Pupils enjoy the class stories, the ‘book hook’. Leaders select books linked to the school values to provoke thinking about the moral of the story.

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better?

Leaders ensure there is a consistent approach to teaching phonics. The sounds that letters make are routinely practised which helps pupils to remember them. Teachers 10 and 11 January 2023

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identify pupils who have fallen behind and give them extra help. These pupils make some progress but do not have sufficient opportunities to practise using the sounds in order to read fluently.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities follow the school’s curriculum. Staff adapt learning to meet pupils’ individual needs well.

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Pupils’ emotional well-being is a high priority. Leaders ensure pastoral support is available when needed. For example, a digital ‘worry box’ is being installed in every class. This allows pupils who find communication difficult to share worries. Pupils behave well and are typically attentive in lessons. Staff want pupils to understand why a problem with behaviour has occurred. They help pupils to think about how to change the causes so that the problem can be managed better in the future.

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The school’s curriculum strengthens pupils’ personal development well. They learn the importance of being respectful and caring for others through assemblies and the curriculum. Staff are positive role models. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in many aspects of everyday life.

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Leaders support staff well-being. There is a strong working relationship between governors, leaders and staff. This allows for well-informed challenge and support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong safeguarding culture. Staff and leaders are clear on their roles and responsibilities. Concerns are raised appropriately and in a timely manner. Leaders seek support from external agencies when needed.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know about healthy relationships. They are aware of online risks and know how to seek help if something upsetting happens. Trusting relationships within the school give pupils confidence to share concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some teaching does not provide learning which meets the curriculum intent well enough. As a result, some pupils are not progressing through the curriculum as well as they could. Leaders need to focus on developing the subject content knowledge to ensure learning helps pupils build their knowledge over time.  Some pupils who are behind in their learning, including in reading, do not receive the precise support they need to catch up quickly enough. This slows pupils’ learning. Leaders need to ensure that pupils who are behind in their learning, get the support they need to close gaps as quickly as possible. 10 and 11 January 2023

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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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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

28 and 29 March 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has undergone significant changes in staffing since the last inspection.  The school runs breakfast and after-school provision on site.  The school has a Nursery class.  Kempsford is a Church of England school. Its most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 was in October 2019.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, school leaders, other school staff, members 10 and 11 January 2023

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of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  For the early reading deep dive, the inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult and visited support interventions.  Inspectors talked to pupils, staff and leaders about how the school supports the safety of pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, during lunchtimes and at playtimes. An inspector met the headteacher to discuss the school’s approach to behaviour management and how staff respond to behaviour incidents.  Inspectors reviewed and sampled leaders’ checks on the suitability of staff to work with children. They discussed with leaders attendance information,

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behaviour records and safeguarding records.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The lead inspector met with parents at the school gate.  Inspectors considered the results of the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Gareth Simons, lead inspector Seconded Inspector

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Inspection team

Wendy Hanrahan Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 January 2023

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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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