Kingsway Community Primary School

Inspection of Kingsway Community Primary School Baker Avenue, Leamington Spa CV31 3HB

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Sharon Byrne. This school is part of Community Academies Trust which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Philip Hamilton OBE, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Simon Atkins. 13 and 14 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a very warm and caring school. Staff and pupils are kind and thoughtful. The single school rule of ‘respect’ is easily understood by all and shines out. Pupils say that at this school everyone is equal and everyone is welcome.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of how well pupils behave and achieve. Pupils speak with confidence about their learning and know that the school wants them to do their best. They work hard and are doing well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well in and out of class, rarely disrupting learning or being unkind. When they fall short of expectations, the school helps them learn to improve their behaviour in a positive way.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They always demonstrate positive attitudes. Classrooms are calm, purposeful places where pupils love to learn. From the early years to Year 6, pupils are progressing well through the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe, and all adults in the school know precisely how to keep them safe. Pupils learn how to stay safe and become experts in keeping themselves safe online. They know staff are there to help and are confident to seek help if they have worries.

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better?

This is a school which has been on an exciting, challenging and improving journey in recent years. Leaders across the school and trust have brought about many positive changes. Imminent building works have staff and pupils alike excited about the future.

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better?

The school has put in place an ambitious, well organised and exciting curriculum which pupils enjoy and remember. Careful thought has been given to the order in which staff teach each subject so that pupils’ learning builds over time. The school supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They identify pupils’ needs early and put effective support in place swiftly.

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better?

Teachers organise learning in ways that excite pupils and enable them to learn well. They enhance learning with lots of purposeful activities which bring learning to life. Pupils told inspectors how much they enjoy the projects they complete in computing. For instance, younger pupils loved creating their own stop motion animations. However, sometimes teachers give pupils work which they struggle too much with and so they do not achieve as much as they could. This is because teachers do not always ensure that pupils have the necessary knowledge to access it well enough.

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better?

Reading is a priority at this school. Well-trained staff know exactly how to teach it. From the very start of Reception class, children begin to learn phonics in daily 13 and 14 September 2023

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lessons. They quickly become familiar with the sounds letters make and how to blend these into words and sentences. Teachers check the sounds that pupils know and quickly put in extra support when needed. Adults select books for children which only contain the sounds they know. This means they develop into fluent readers.

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All pupils have access to a wide range of books to read from the well-stocked school library. They enjoy the challenge of the tests they do after each book; this encourages them to read more. The pupils at this school love reading and do so regularly, both independently and with adults.

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In the early years, the children get off to a positive start. Teachers provide activities that are well matched to what children need. The classroom and the outdoor environment are both engaging. Despite children having only recently started at school, they have already learned school routines. They are settled, happy and thriving.

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The curriculum extends well beyond the academic. The school has set out what pupils need to learn to be active citizens and be ready when it is time to move to their next schools. The school prepares pupils well for their futures. Pupils understand the importance of respect and equality and talk about both maturely and with sensitivity. They become school parliamentarians and contribute actively to school life.

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The school organises trips and visits that enhance the curriculum. These provide valuable experiences which pupils love. Pupils visit the theatre, an indoor snow centre and a space camp, and in Year 5 and Year 6 pupils attend a residential.

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Despite the best efforts of the school and the improvements made so far, there are still too many pupils who miss school regularly. This means they are missing the lessons, learning and exciting experiences which they need to achieve well.

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The school engages positively and thoughtfully with parents, and parents appreciate the support they and their children are given.

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Leaders at all levels provide teachers and staff with effective support and training. They consider the workload and well-being of staff. Staff, including teachers at an early stage of their career, feel valued and are proud to work here.

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Leaders in school and across the trust know the school very well. They are passionate and enthusiastic, and parents recognise this. Leaders carefully review how well the school is doing and put in place helpful plans to move the school forward. They share a clear ambition for this school’s continual improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 and 14 September 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, pupils are unable to access and complete their work because teachers have not ensured that pupils have the prerequisite knowledge to make sense of new learning. The school needs to support teachers to consistently provide pupils with work that builds on their prior knowledge and matches their learning needs.  Despite the best efforts of leaders and staff, too many pupils are absent from school too often. This means they miss out on important learning. The school needs to seek alternative ways to engage effectively with parents and carers so that pupils attend regularly and do not miss valuable learning opportunities.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 13 and 14 September 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Kingsway Community Primary School converted to become an academy in January 2021. When its predecessor school, Kingsway Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged as requires improvement overall.  The school is part of Community Academies Trust.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 13 and 14 September 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, computing and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans where they were available, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  An inspector held meetings with the chair of the board of trustees, the chair of the school standards committee and the executive director for education of the trust.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at lunchtime and breakfast club. They also spoke to pupils about pupils’ behaviour.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free- text responses. Inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the school gate and at breakfast club.

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Inspection team

Gareth Morgan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gill Turner Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 September 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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