Kenmore Park Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Kenmore Park Junior School Moorhouse Road, Kenton, Harrow HA3 9JA

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Outcome

Kenmore Park Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this school. They get on very well together. Pupils are proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils settle in quickly when they join the school. They enjoy learning interesting knowledge and skills across all subjects. Staff have high expectations of what pupils can do and achieve. They encourage pupils to take part in many aspects of school life. This includes participating in a range of educational trips and clubs, including residential visits. Pupils take part in projects to recycle as much as they possibly can and to reduce plastic waste. They collect money, food and gifts for various charities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is calm and orderly. Pupils are respectful of staff and of each other. Staff take care of pupils. Pupils know that staff are there to help them with their learning and with any concerns that they might have. Bullying is rare, and swiftly dealt with. Parents and carers feel well supported by leaders.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the wide range of sporting and musical opportunities they have at school, such as gymnastics, skipping club, chess and choir.

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

Senior leaders are clear about their vision for the school. Staff and pupils share leaders’ belief that ‘education is the most powerful gift’. Leaders have designed a curriculum that is ambitious, broad and well sequenced. Regular assessment identifies any gaps in pupils’ understanding. Teachers use this information well to make sure that pupils are secure in their prior learning.

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

Reading has a high profile in the school. Staff regularly share their favourite children’s books and authors with pupils. This helps to promote interesting discussions about books. Staff support pupils to read and understand increasingly complex texts. Pupils love their library and reading corners, which are well stocked with a diverse range of books. Staff 8 and 9 February 2023

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identify and support pupils who need extra help in early reading. However, at times, staff are not clear about the school’s approach for teaching phonics. This leads to inconsistencies in how early reading is taught.

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Leaders have mapped precisely the knowledge they want pupils to learn. Teachers know what to teach and when. Pupils build their skills and knowledge in a range of subjects. For example, in mathematics, pupils in Year 4 learn about measuring angles in different shapes. By Year 6, pupils can use their knowledge of geometry to draw complex shapes. In computing, pupils learn research and coding skills. They apply these in a series of real- life applications, such as animation and designing presentations.

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Pupils love to sing and perform. They have rich opportunities to learn a range of instruments as they progress through the school. A varied curriculum is in place to support pupils’ physical activities, including dance, swimming and outdoor adventure pursuits.

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Leaders are quick to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff adapt learning well to meet pupils’ individual needs. Consequently, all pupils achieve well.

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Leaders give careful thought to pupils’ personal development. They consider the changing needs of the school community. Pupils learn about how they can improve their own feelings of well-being and happiness. They have opportunities to contribute within and beyond the school community, for example through roles such as school council members, eco-leaders and food charity fundraisers.

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Pupils meet the high standards of behaviour expected of them in class. Staff use well- established routines, and learning is not disrupted.

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Leaders manage staff’s workload and well-being effectively. Staff are appreciative of this, and morale is high. The governing body is diligent in supporting and challenging leaders as they seek to improve the education at the school. Parents hold senior leaders in high regard.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school has clear practices to safeguard pupils. Staff receive regular training. They are quick to identify and report any concerns about pupils. Leaders follow these up promptly. They make sure that pupils who may be at risk of harm get the necessary support. Leaders maintain detailed safeguarding records. They complete with rigour all statutory pre-employment and vetting checks.

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Safeguarding

The computing curriculum provides pupils with a good understanding of how to stay safe when online. In personal, social, health and economic education, older pupils demonstrate a mature approach when discussing how to stay mentally and physically healthy. 8 and 9 February 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders currently have a range of systematic synthetic phonics programmes in place. On occasion, staff do not pronounce sounds precisely when teaching pupils to read. As a result, there are inconsistencies in how phonics is taught. Leaders should establish a consistent approach to teaching early reading. They should ensure that all staff have the necessary training in phonics to strengthen their skills and expertise.

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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 November 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.

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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. 8 and 9 February 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not 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 his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders. The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair. He also spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, considered the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documentation related to safeguarding. This included the record of pre-employment checks. 8 and 9 February 2023

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 The inspector met with parents at the start of the school day and considered the views of parents and staff, including through responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 February 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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