Kingsley St John's CofE (VA) Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Kingsley St John’s CofE (VA) Primary School Hollow Lane, Kingsley, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 8EF

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Outcome

Kingsley St John’s CofE (VA) Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a welcoming, caring and nurturing school. They feel a strong sense of belonging at Kingsley St John’s CofE Primary School. Overall, pupils enjoy learning and achieving together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff have strong relationships with one another. Pupils know that staff will help them with any concerns or worries that they have. Pupils said that they are happy and safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils study a broad and balanced curriculum. Typically, pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in school. They show high standards of conduct both in lessons and around the school. This is because the school manages their behaviour well. Pupils also show enthusiasm in lessons. Typically, they learn without interruptions. Pupils focus on the activities that teachers prepare for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many enrichment opportunities. For example, they embrace learning in the outdoor environment. The school provides plentiful experiences to develop pupils’ confidence and independence. For instance, pupils enjoy residentials and other well- thought-out trips and visits.

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

From the early years to Year 6, the school has put in place a carefully designed curriculum that meets the needs of pupils. In many subjects, the school has organised the knowledge and skills that pupils must learn in a logical order. The curriculum is delivered well by staff. As a result of the well-designed and well-implemented curriculum, overall pupils achieve well. Children in the early years are also well prepared for Year 1. 14 November 2023

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Teachers know their subjects well. They have secure subject knowledge. Teachers and other adults ensure that the activities that they prepare for pupils are appropriate and match the intended curriculum.

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In many subjects, the school uses assessment strategies well to identify what pupils recall from their learning. However, in a few subjects, assessment systems are underdeveloped. This means that, on occasion, some teachers do not check that pupils have learned and retained all the essential knowledge that they require for the next steps in their learning.

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Staff are adept at identifying and assessing the additional needs of pupils with SEND. The school carefully considers how to adapt the delivery of the curriculum to meet these pupils’ learning needs. For example, staff tailor learning resources well. They also ensure that the content of the curriculum for pupils with SEND is ambitious. Pupils with SEND achieve as well as their peers.

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Reading is a high priority for the school. Pupils enjoy a wide range of carefully selected fiction and non-fiction books. Literature, authors and genres are celebrated regularly with pupils. In the Nursery class, children enjoy and benefit from learning rhymes, songs and poems. These opportunities give children the chance to develop their communication and language skills apace.

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Pupils benefit from a well-delivered phonics programme. They develop their phonic knowledge quickly and in depth. Staff receive appropriate training to teach the phonics curriculum consistently well. They regularly check pupils’ understanding. This means that the school can successfully identify where pupils have gaps in their knowledge of different sounds. When required, effective support is put into place so that pupils catch up quickly.

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Most pupils attend school each day. However, some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. While leaders have strategies in place to help these pupils to attend school more regularly, some strategies are not as effective as they could be.

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The school encourages pupils to participate in the many wider opportunities which are available to them. For example, there are plentiful leadership opportunities for pupils. Staff also ensure that pupils gain knowledge of how to live a healthy life. Furthermore, pupils organise many fundraising activities. These events enable pupils to help people who may be less fortunate than themselves.

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Pupils understand the importance of equality and diversity, for example by learning and reading about key influential people from the past. Consequently, pupils learn to appreciate and embrace people’s differences. Respect for others really matters to pupils. They said that everyone should feel valued, not just in their school community, but in the wider world.

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Governors have an accurate view of the strengths and what the school needs to do to improve further. They carefully monitor the work of the school, including by challenging leaders and other staff when improvements have to be made. 14 November 2023

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Everyone at the school works together as a cohesive team. Staff feel valued by the school’s leadership team. Staff appreciate the support and consideration given by leaders and governors to their workload and well-being. For example, staff appreciate being given a voice before any new policies or procedures are put into place.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of subjects, assessment systems are underdeveloped. This means that, on occasions, some teachers are not fully aware of how well pupils have retained new knowledge and information. The school should ensure that it refines its strategies for assessment in these final few subjects. This is so that teachers are fully cognisant of what pupils have remembered from their previous learning.  Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should. This means that these pupils miss out on important learning. The school should ensure that it works with pupils and families to improve these pupils’ rates of attendance apace.

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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 27 and 28 November 2018.

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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. 14 November 2023

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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). 14 November 2023

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.kingsley-st-johns.cheshire.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 and 28 November 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  This Church of England primary school is part of the Diocese of Chester. The last section 48 inspection took place in March 2019. The next section 48 inspection is likely to take place before March 2025.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 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 that 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, they met with subject leaders, visited lessons, talked to 14 November 2023

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pupils and looked at pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The lead inspector observed some pupils in Year 1 to Year 3 reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They met with the leaders responsible for attendance and behaviour.  The lead inspector met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority, and he spoke with a representative of the Diocese of Chester.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtimes and as pupils moved around the

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school building. They scrutinised leaders’ records of pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at the school.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and for pupils.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Stuart Perkins, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jane Holmes Ofsted Inspector 14 November 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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