Kendall Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Kendall Church of England Primary School Recreation Road, Colchester, Essex CO1 2HH

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Outcome

Kendall Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Kendall Church of England Primary School every pupil feels valued. Pupils love their school. They have positive relationships with each other and demonstrate respect. Pupils model the agreed values. They treasure every opportunity to earn a leaf on the ‘vision tree’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are high aspirations for all. Teachers deliver a curriculum that is exceptionally well designed. Pupils build skills and knowledge over time and use these to produce work of exceptional quality. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. The school’s rules are clear and understood by all. Pupils have caring relationships with each other, meaning instances of bullying are extremely rare. When it does happen, it is not tolerated by leaders. Pupils feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk eagerly about the wider opportunities available to them. These include learning in the inspiring forest area and visitors who enrich their learning. Year 3 pupils, for example, loved their stone age experience day, where they used flint blades to prepare and cook rabbit.

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

Pupils learn extremely well because leaders have designed a curriculum that is ambitious for all. The curriculum sets out the detailed knowledge that pupils need to know from early years onwards. Nothing is left to chance. Leaders provide subject-specific training that ensures teachers know exactly what to teach. Staff know what to clarify, revisit and practise to ensure that pupils build their learning over time. 21 and 22 June 2023

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Leaders have identified knowledge that links across subjects. Teachers understand how each lesson links to the wider aims of the curriculum. For example, their cooking skills develop over time, and they are eventually able to fillet and cook mackerel. This further deepens their learning about cooking methods from the past.

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Teachers plan high-quality lessons for pupils. Teachers have secure subject knowledge. Therefore, their explanations are clear. Pupils secure new knowledge quickly and use this to explore and solve complex problems. Teachers use careful checks to determine if all pupils have learned what they need to. When misconceptions arise, teachers spot these quickly and adapt their teaching to successfully address these.

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Pupils learn to read fluently. They start to learn to read as soon as they enter school. Any pupils who fall behind in their phonics are quickly identified and supported. The wide-ranging support put in place is effective. This means that pupils catch up quickly. Pupils have a secure knowledge of authors and enjoy the books available to them in the library.

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The outdoor environment further enhances the curriculum. Teachers plan and use the outdoors skilfully to broaden the experiences pupils receive. The activities designed enhance pupils’ knowledge and support them to develop their learning through the curriculum.

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Children in Reception get off to a great start. The curriculum is designed thoughtfully to develop knowledge and vocabulary. Activities are carefully planned so that children know more over time. Children are happy and polite to each other. They love to talk about what they are learning.

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Pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as their peers. Support plans for pupils clearly set out what pupils need to know and the precise support that is required. Support is well delivered and is helping pupils to access all areas of the curriculum effectively. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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There is a sense of purpose in all lessons because all pupils behave well. Pupils are attentive in lessons and focus well. Teachers are quick to deal with disruption so that pupils can get on with their learning.

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Pupils have many opportunities to develop their characters. For instance, pupils learn about differences and respect in assemblies, lessons and everyday discussions. Opportunities to develop pupils’ personal development are vast. They learn about diversity and equality in a meaningful way. For example, pupils deepen their understanding of equality by learning thoughtfully about disability. School assemblies are closely linked to the school’s ‘personal development’ curriculum. This reinforces the values that pupils learn about, such as how to be compassionate to others.

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Staff feel valued and believe that their workload is well managed and that their well-being is considered by leaders. 21 and 22 June 2023

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Leaders, including governors, work together strategically to improve the school. Governors have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide appropriate challenge and support. The governing body undertakes regular visits to assess for itself the information supplied by leaders. This helps governors to support, challenge and hold leaders to account effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, oversee safeguarding well. They ensure that record- keeping, including rigorous pre-employment checks on staff and volunteers, is thorough.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to identify signs that might indicate that a pupil is at risk of harm. They record concerns in sufficient detail. Leaders investigate concerns fully and secure the right help for pupils to keep them safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about many risks and dangers that exist, including online. They are confident that adults in school will keep them safe. When they have concerns, they know that adults will listen and help them.

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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 June 2014.

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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. 21 and 22 June 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. 21 and 22 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10288442 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 6 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There is before-school care, run by school staff and managed by school leaders.  School leaders do not use any alternative provision.  The school has a Christian religious character. The most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (section 48) took place in March 2016. The next section 48 inspection is due in the 2023-24 school year.

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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 held discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, early years leader, special educational needs coordinator and subject leaders.  The inspector met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. 21 and 22 June 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  To further inspect the curriculum, the inspector reviewed curriculum documentation for design and technology and history.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised the single central record of staff personnel checks and reviewed safeguarding paperwork and systems. The inspector also spoke with leaders, teachers, support staff, members of the governing body and pupils to evaluate the culture of safeguarding in school.  The inspector held discussions with groups of pupils during the inspection.  The inspector took account of 30 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and gathered

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parents’ views by reviewing the 93 responses and 52 free-text responses submitted to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Conor Heaven, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 21 and 22 June 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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