Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery Middle Lane, Kingsley, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 6TZ

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2023

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Outcome

Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this happy and welcoming school. They enjoy their lessons and spending time with their friends. Pupils who are new to the school are warmly welcomed. They make new friends quickly. Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school. They appreciate the care and attention staff give to their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and cared for by the kind and friendly staff. They know that staff will listen to any concerns or worries that they have. When needed, pupils benefit from help for their well-being. This includes time in ‘Nature’s Nook’ at lunchtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and governors are ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children in the early years, achieve well in many subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Most pupils behave well around school and are attentive in lessons. They strive to follow the agreed expectations of ‘ready, safe, respect.’ Leaders deal effectively with any bullying incidents should they occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop their wider interests and talents through after-school and lunchtime clubs, such as chess, choir and Spanish. They take on a variety of roles to help with the running of the school, for example taking care of the school dog, Monty, being Year 6 buddies to children in the early years and being members of the sports council.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn. They have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. They have considered the essential knowledge that pupils should learn and when they should learn it. The curriculum in the early years, which includes two-year-olds, is also well thought out. 25 and 26 January 2023

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Leaders ensure that staff, including those in the early years, are well trained to deliver the curriculum effectively. In many subjects, teachers design activities that help pupils to build on what they already know and can do. Teachers make careful checks on pupils’ learning to make sure that they know and remember what they have been taught. This helps pupils to build their knowledge over time and make links between prior learning and new learning. As a result, most pupils achieve well in these subjects.

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In some subjects, until recently, leaders had not clearly identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn or the order they need to learn it. This hinders teachers in designing learning that supports pupils to remember the content of these subject curriculums. This means that pupils do not deepen their understanding over time. As a result, pupils do not develop a secure knowledge of some important aspects of these subjects.

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Leaders have placed a high priority on ensuring that pupils learn to read well. The school’s phonics and early reading curriculum are delivered effectively by well-trained staff. Children in the Nursery class, including two-year-olds, join in with rhymes and songs to help develop their early language. This helps to prepare them well for learning the phonics curriculum as soon as they enter the Reception class.

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The books that pupils read match the sounds that they know. This helps pupils to confidently practise what they have learned and become increasingly fluent readers. Teachers are quick to spot if pupils start to struggle with reading. These pupils, including pupils in key stage 2, are given suitable additional support so that they catch up quickly. Consequently, most pupils become fluent and confident readers.

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Leaders have developed effective systems to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals. Through this partnership work, leaders gain important information about how to support pupils with SEND and make sure that these pupils get the help that they need. As a result, pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their classmates.

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Pupils, including children in the early years, are kind and help each other in lessons and at playtimes. Leaders have established clear routines and expectations. Staff and pupils consistently follow the ‘five stages of happiness’. These help to support and promote positive behaviour across the school.

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Most pupils display positive attitudes to learning and behave well around school. Pupils are able to concentrate on learning in their lessons. When pupils get distracted from their learning, teachers act quickly and effectively so that pupils get back on track. Leaders provide high-quality support to help pupils, including those with SEND, who sometimes struggle with their conduct.

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Leaders provide many opportunities for pupils to learn beyond the academic curriculum. The active school council learn important leadership skills. Staff arrange exciting visits, visitors and residential experiences to develop pupils’ social and cultural understanding. Pupils learn about a range of faiths. They develop a mature understanding of the 25 and 26 January 2023

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importance of equality and tolerance. They are well prepared for life in a diverse and modern Britain.

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Governors share senior leaders’ commitment to providing the best possible education for pupils. They understand their role and ensure that they have the knowledge that they need to challenge and support school leaders effectively.

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Leaders place great emphasis on supporting the well-being of staff as well as pupils. Morale is high. Staff are resoundingly positive about working at the school. They appreciate leaders’ support to ensure that their workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, staff and governors have created a strong culture of safeguarding. They are well trained to support pupils at risk of harm. Procedures to identify and report concerns are understood clearly by staff. Leaders work effectively with outside agencies to access appropriate and timely support for pupils and families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including how to manage risks when they are online. For example, pupils learn about cyberbullying and can clearly describe how to stay safe when they are working or playing on the internet.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have only recently refined their curriculums so that the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and the order they should learn this is clearly identified. This hampers how well some pupils learn in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers are supported to deliver these newer curriculums effectively so that pupils know more and remember more in these subjects.

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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. 25 and 26 January 2023

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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.

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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. 25 and 26 January 2023

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 December 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The governing body operates a breakfast club and an after-school club.  There is provision for two-year-olds in the Nursery class.  Leaders do not make use of 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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, art and design and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders and teachers. She visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ and children’s work and talked with groups of pupils about their learning. The inspector heard pupils from key stage 1 and key stage 2 read to a familiar adult. She also considered the curriculum, spoke with pupils about their learning and evaluated their work in some other subjects.  The inspector spoke with members of the governing body, the headteacher and other 25 and 26 January 2023

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school leaders. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector talked with staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector met with leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour, the early years and SEND.  The inspector spoke with pupils about safeguarding and their wider experience of school. She looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ and children’s welfare and education. She observed pupils’ and children’s behaviour in lessons and around the school.  The inspector reviewed leaders’ policies and procedures to keep pupils safe. She discussed safeguarding arrangements with leaders and staff. She also checked the single central record.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  The inspector met with parents at the start of the school day and took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. She considered

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Inspection team

Rebecca Jewitt, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 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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