Kingsway Infants' School

Inspection of a good school: Kingsway Infants’ School North Approach, Watford, Hertfordshire WD25 0ES

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 January 2023

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Outcome

Kingsway Infants’ School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and welcoming school. Pupils benefit from positive relationships with caring staff. These relationships help pupils, and children in the early years, to feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. This results in pupils doing well and producing high-quality work. Pupils become independent, confident learners at Kingsway Infants’ School.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make a positive contribution to the life of the school. They are proud to take on responsibilities such as eco-warriors and school councillors. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and work with one another very well. They enjoy lessons and talk positively about their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is good in lessons and at other times around school. Pupils treat one another with kindness and respect. Pupils feel safe at school. Bullying is rare. Pupils are confident that staff will listen to their worries and step in quickly to deal with any problems that may arise.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents speak highly of the school. One parent summed up the views of many by saying, ‘This school is a warm and welcoming environment where children are treated respectfully and fairly.’

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that enables pupils to achieve well. Leaders have identified the important knowledge and skills that pupils will learn in almost all subjects. This helps teachers plan lessons that build on what pupils have learned before. Pupils, on the whole, deepen their knowledge and understanding in curriculum areas as they progress through the school. This results in pupils being able to apply what they know when learning new concepts. Staff use assessment well to check pupils’ 19 and 20 January 2023

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understanding. They make sure that any misunderstandings pupils may have are quickly rectified. While this is the case in some subjects, such as history and music, leaders have not checked the impact of the delivered curriculum well enough. This limits leaders’ overview of how well pupils know what they have been taught in these subjects.

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Reading has a high profile in the school. Leaders have ensured that all pupils read regularly. Pupils have access to a wide range of books that they read at school and home. Consequently, pupils develop a love for reading. Leaders and staff successfully identify pupils who need extra help with reading. Well-trained staff support these pupils well. This helps pupils to keep up with their peers. As a result, most pupils become fluent readers by the time they leave the school.

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Leaders have put in place a systematic programme to teach early reading. Leaders ensure that staff have the training they need to teach phonics well. As a result, pupils quickly learn to read. Staff regularly check that pupils are securing the phonic knowledge to help them become confident and fluent readers.

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Leaders ensure that the curriculum is adapted well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND successfully access the same curriculum as their peers over time and achieve well across a wide range of subjects.

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Children get off to a good start in the Reception classes. They are well looked after and settle quickly into school life. Leaders place a high emphasis on communication and language which underpins the early years curriculum. For example, staff model correct language when talking to children, and they expect the children to use that language. As a result, children listen carefully and are confident when discussing their ideas, and this ensures they are ready for the Year 1 curriculum.

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Pupils are polite and respectful towards one another and leaders ensure that the school’s behaviour procedures are clearly understood by all. Pupils understand what bullying is and say that it does not happen at their school.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. Many interesting activities and opportunities enrich pupils’ learning and extend their understanding. For example, ‘One World Week’ supports pupils understanding of looking after the planet. Pupils also take part in a wide range of clubs. Pupils learn to respect and celebrate each other’s differences. They learn about different cultures, traditions and beliefs.

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Governors are ambitious for the achievement of all pupils. They are well informed and know which aspects of the quality of education need to be improved for pupils. Leaders and governors are considerate of staff’s workload and well-being when making decisions about policies and procedures.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff and governors all agree that ‘it could happen here’. Staff receive regular 19 and 20 January 2023

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safeguarding training. As a result, staff know how to recognize the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff are confident in the systems for recording and reporting concerns. Leaders take prompt and appropriate action to ensure that vulnerable pupils and families access the help they need. Governors ensure that leaders carry out all necessary checks before staff are appointed to work at the school.

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Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online. They know to speak to a trusted adult if they are worried.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, leaders have not checked that the curriculum is being implemented as leaders intend. This means that leaders are not clear about the impact of the curriculum in these subjects on pupils’ learning and achievement. Leaders should ensure through their monitoring and review that they check how well pupils achieve across the full range of subjects that pupils study so they are confident that the curriculum is fully meeting pupils’ needs.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2017.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 19 and 20 January 2023

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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. 19 and 20 January 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 and 7 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders at Kingsway Infants’ School do not use alternative provision.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school club.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders, groups of staff, the chair of governors and two other members of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of work and spoke to pupils about their learning.  The inspector also looked at samples of work and curriculum plans in some other subjects. 19 and 20 January 2023

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 The inspector listened to pupils in Years 1 and 2 read to a familiar adult.  The inspector considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe. The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding. The inspector also scrutinised the school’s single central record of pre- employment checks.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspector spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspector considered 40 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and took into consideration 15 responses from the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Joseph Figg, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 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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