Kingsbury Episcopi Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Kingsbury Episcopi Primary School Stembridge, Martock, Somerset TA12 6BP

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Outcome

Kingsbury Episcopi Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff live up to the school’s mission of ‘success through teamwork’. Pupils trust adults to guide them and look after them. Older pupils set a good example to younger pupils and take care of them at playtimes. Pupils learn to understand and agree common values. This creates a strong sense of community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In class, pupils are typically keen to learn and concentrate on their work. They are proud of what they achieve. Disruption to learning is rare. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn well in English and mathematics. However, in some other subjects, the curriculum is not as precise and as effective as it is in English and mathematics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents say that their children are safe and happy at school. Pupils’ attendance is high. Bullying is rare and adults deal with it effectively if it does start to occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils can choose from a wide range of clubs and activities such as country dancing, sport and art. This helps them to discover their interests and talents. Trips to places of interest and special visitors enhance pupils’ opportunities to broaden their knowledge of the world.

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

Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils. They place English and mathematics at the heart of the curriculum. In these subjects, the curriculum is set out in precise steps. For example, teachers rigorously build pupils’ knowledge of number facts and methods before pupils apply them to solve mathematical problems. Pupils’ learning is also strengthened through assessment. Leaders check how well pupils, including those with SEND, are remembering the curriculum over time. Where there are gaps in pupils’ learning, leaders adapt the curriculum, so pupils revisit these areas. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Published outcomes in key stage 2 reflect the effectiveness of this approach to learning in English and mathematics. However, this success is not mirrored in some other subjects. Leaders know these subjects need developing. They know the curriculum is not set out in enough detail and that the most essential knowledge is not identified precisely enough. This sometimes makes it difficult for teachers to plan and assess learning that focuses on the most important content. For example, in history, older pupils do not know some important historical concepts, as they are not included in the curriculum. Leaders’ checks on the implementation of the curriculum are not always effective in identifying aspects of children’s learning that need revisiting.

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Leaders have recently introduced a new early reading curriculum that starts at the beginning of Reception. The new curriculum breaks learning into small steps, which pupils practise until they are learned. Teachers usually model sounds accurately and clearly. However, leaders do not check this regularly enough to ensure consistency. Pupils read books that contain the sounds that they are learning. Pupils, including those with SEND, receive extra teaching if they need help to catch up. As a result, pupils are learning to read fluently.

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The on-site nursery has recently become part of the school. This provides an opportunity to align the curriculum so that children are well prepared for the Reception Year. For example, staff ensure that play activities, such as building towers of equal height, develop children’s mathematical language.

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Leaders think carefully about the curriculum for pupils’ personal development. Pupils have frequent opportunities to reflect on their own beliefs. For example, the ‘choose love’ project helps pupils to consider how they like others to treat them and how they should treat others. This supports their moral development by informing their views about right and wrong. Other aspects of the curriculum prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn to respect differences and understand the importance of tolerance and belonging. Pupils also learn the value of democracy. For example, they take part in electing pupils to the school council and construct class rules together. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online. They know not to share sensitive information on the internet and how to protect themselves from negative experiences.

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Staff build warm relationships and listen respectfully to pupils’ concerns. This promotes pupils’ confidence to ask for help. Pupils say that they get the help that they need and, when things go wrong, they learn from their mistakes.

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The school has been through a challenging period of change since the pandemic. However, the governing body is working strategically to ensure that the school is well placed for the future. Leaders make improvements to practice while considering workload. Staff appreciate that leaders make changes for purposeful reasons.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Leaders ensure that there are appropriate systems in place to report and record concerns. Staff are vigilant and take the view that ‘it could happen here’. They are appropriately trained and use the school’s systems effectively. Leaders know when to seek advice from external agencies.

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Governors carry out checks on safeguarding practice. The school has suitable policies in place to raise awareness among staff and parents about the dangers of sexual harassment and online sexual abuse. The behaviour policy makes it clear that any form of harassment is not tolerated.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not explicitly identified the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn. Teachers do not have the information they need to plan precisely for those subjects. Where this is the case, pupils do not build their knowledge of the subject as well as they could. Leaders need to identify the essential knowledge so that pupils know and remember more over time.  Leaders do not check the effectiveness of some subject areas. As a result, they do not know how to adapt the curriculum effectively. Leaders need to develop their understanding of the effectiveness of the curriculum further and make adaptions where necessary.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2012.

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256750 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.kingsburyepiscopiprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since April 2023, the school has run an on-site nursery for children aged two to four years.  The after-school care provider is registered with Ofsted and was not part of this inspection.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  The headteacher was appointed in January 2022.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, school leaders, other school staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. 23 and 24 May 2023

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 For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector reviewed curriculum planning and pupils’ work across other subjects in the curriculum.  The inspector talked to pupils, staff and leaders about how the school supports the safety of pupils.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour when arriving at school, in lessons and during breaktimes. The inspector met senior leaders to discuss the school’s approach to behaviour management and how staff respond to behaviour incidents.  The inspector reviewed and sampled leaders’ checks on the suitability of staff to work with children. He reviewed behaviour records, support plans for pupils with SEND, and safeguarding records.  The inspector considered responses in Ofsted Parent View and met with parents at the

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Inspection team

Gareth Simons, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 May 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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