Kirton Lindsey Primary School

Inspection of Kirton Lindsey Primary School Cornwall Street, Kirton Lindsey, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 4EH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 23 and 24 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Kirton Lindsey Primary School is a warm and welcoming place. Pupils are happy, confident and enjoy school. They feel safe. Leaders have high aspirations for pupils to achieve well. However, these ambitions are not being realised.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has experienced significant turbulence in staffing. This has slowed the development of some areas of the school’s work. Governors have built a settled and cohesive team, which includes a new headteacher. Leaders have identified the changes that are needed to improve the curriculum. They have prioritised reading, writing, mathematics and science. Reading and science are further along in the journey. In other subjects, such as mathematics and art, improvements are still in the early stages of development. In these subjects, teachers are not yet able to teach consistently and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupil behaviour is good. Pupils enjoy receiving the raffle ticket rewards. This motivates then to make the right choices. Pupils work hard in lessons and take pride in their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are working hard to make improvements to the school. Despite recent improvements, some parents raised concerns about communication with school staff. This hampers how well parents, particularly those of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can support their children.

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better?

Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. The new headteacher knows what needs to be done to improve the school.

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better?

Reading is prioritised. There is a focus on developing pupils’ love of reading. Leaders have invested in new and engaging books. Pupils enjoy reading these books. Staff have received appropriate training to deliver the phonics programme successfully. However, for some pupils who struggle to read, this programme does not help them as well as it could. These pupils access catch-up sessions or interventions. These sessions do not support pupils effectively to overcome what they find hardest. This includes pupils with SEND.

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better?

Subject leaders have accessed support from local authority network meetings. They have developed a curriculum that is clearly mapped out. However, in some subjects, such as art and design, teachers have not received the training needed to develop their subject knowledge. In these subjects, teachers do not design lessons that help pupils to learn and remember the content identified in the curriculum.

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better?

Subject leadership is at the early stages of development. Teachers check what the pupils learn and remember across the curriculum. Leaders are not yet using this information to evaluate the impact of the curriculum or identify next steps. In some subjects, such as mathematics, leaders encourage teachers to make changes to the 23 and 24 May 2023

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curriculum to address the gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Leaders are not aware of the impact of these adjustments. In some cases, these alterations prevent pupils from learning as much as they could.

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Staff identify pupils with SEND early. Leaders engage with outside agencies so that these pupils receive support. Pupils with SEND access the same learning as their peers. However, some parents are unhappy with the information that leaders provide about the support that pupils with SEND receive.

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Leaders work with outside agencies to support the teaching of personal, social and health education. Teachers follow a curriculum that is progressive and detailed. However, teaching does not support pupils’ understanding of British values, different faiths and accepting differences. As a result, some pupils do not understand and appreciate the difference in the world and its people.

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Children in the early years get off to a good start in their education. Adults interact with children well. However, the curriculum is not as well sequenced as it could be. Leaders have not focused on making sure that learning in the early years is closely linked to starting points in Year 1. Children receive personalised learning through challenges in the environment. These are effective and support the children to engage and extend learning when working independently.

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All pupils feel comfortable going to a member of staff if they have a worry or concern. Pupils state that bullying does happen, but they always tell an adult. Breaktimes are calm and organised. Pupils respect and cooperate with each other.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the support they receive from leaders for their well-being and to fulfil their responsibilities. All staff receive regular training on developing safeguarding knowledge and practice.

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Governance is a strength. Governors provide support and challenge to leaders. This is having a clear impact. Their actions and commitment are improving the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have regular training in safeguarding procedures. They know how to identify risks and report concerns. Leaders keep records so that they can monitor pupils whom they are concerned about.

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Safeguarding

Teachers help pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including when working online. Pupils feel safe in school.

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Safeguarding

Governors check that the school’s safeguarding procedures are effective. Governors and leaders ensure that staff carry out required checks on people who are working at the school. 23 and 24 May 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils who struggle to read, including pupils with SEND, are not catching up as quickly as they could. Additional support for these pupils is not closely matched to the gaps in their reading knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that interventions closely match the needs of the pupils so that they catch up as quickly as they can.  Subject leaders are not yet accurately checking the implementation of the newly developed curriculum. As a result, there is some variability in teaching, including in mathematics, and art and design. Leaders need to ensure that systems for checking the implementation of new curriculums are embedded and that new curriculums are well taught.  Some pupils are not prepared for life in modern Britain. Teaching does not support pupils to develop an understanding of equality and different faiths. Leaders should ensure that lessons support pupils in understanding and celebrating differences.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some parents are not always able to speak to leaders when they have concerns or questions. This is preventing some parents from supporting pupils’ learning, including pupils with SEND. Leaders need to ensure that they engage and communicate with parents so that pupils can learn as much as they can, as quickly as they can.

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255611 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 and 4 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The headteacher was appointed in January 2023.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) 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.  The lead inspector held meetings with the headteacher, governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding and SEND.  Inspectors conducted deep dives into reading, mathematics, science and art. As part of the deep dives, inspectors visited lessons, listened to pupils read, 23 and 24 May 2023

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reviewed curriculum plans and spoke with curriculum leaders, pupils and teachers.  Inspectors visited lessons and observed pupils at various times of the school day.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents. This included any free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Andrew Yeomans, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Adrian Fearn 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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