Kingsmead Primary School

Inspection of Kingsmead Primary School Kingsmead Way, London E9 5PP

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since November 2011. 22 and 23 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where everyone is treated fairly and equally. Pupils’ best interests are at the heart of all the school’s work. Pupils are enthusiastic about all aspects of school life and show a keen interest in their learning. From the moment pupils join the school, they work hard and rise to the high expectations set by staff. Children in the early years get off to a great start in school and settle in quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The sense of community is well established here. Staff know pupils and their families well. Staff are rightly proud of the strong professional relationships that they have with parents and carers. Pupils, staff and parents are very positive about the school. They typically spoke about feeling part of a school ‘family’. Pupils are safe and well looked after.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school organises well-planned experiences to enhance pupils’ learning. These include outings to various museums and places of interest. For example, pupils learn about the Iron Age through a visit to Epping Forest.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are exceptionally well behaved and show kindness and respect for their fellow pupils and school staff. Staff help pupils to understand the importance of concepts such as compassion and responsibility. All this helps the school to be a happy and caring place to be.

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better?

Leaders, including governors, have maintained the school’s excellent quality of education since the previous inspection. The governing body holds school leaders to account to ensure that all aspects of the school’s work are of a consistently high standard. Staff are very well supported in their roles and share the same high expectations as leaders.

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better?

The curriculum is carefully planned and sets out clearly what pupils need to be taught and in what order. This starts in the early years, where children learn the key knowledge and skills they need for learning in Year 1 and beyond. In geography, for example, younger pupils develop their knowledge and skills by exploring and mapping their local area. By the time pupils are in Year 6, they understand the use of coordinates for mapping and navigation.

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better?

The school has thought carefully about how the curriculum meets pupils’ needs and reflects pupils’ differences. Staff are quick to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or difficulties (SEND) and work closely with outside agencies to provide specialist support. Teachers are skilled at adapting teaching for individual pupils’ needs. For example, they use technology effectively, to record and capture pupils’ learning and achievements.

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better?

Staff are well supported, including through training, to develop their subject expertise and teaching skills. Teachers ensure that pupils understand what they 22 and 23 November 2023

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have learned before moving on to new content. They support pupils to retain important information, such as through carefully planned revision exercises. Pupils build up secure knowledge and skills across the curriculum and achieve highly.

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The school prioritises reading and staff teach reading consistently well. In phonics, staff make regular checks on the sounds pupils know and ensure that the books pupils read are closely matched to their phonics knowledge. Pupils have frequent opportunities to practise and apply what they have been taught in their reading and spelling. Pupils who fall behind in reading benefit from effective support to catch up quickly. The school promotes a love of reading, such as through the range of thought-provoking books that staff read to pupils.

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In and around the school, pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Pupils attend regularly. This is treated as an important priority for the school. Where there are attendance concerns, staff do everything they can to help pupils get to school.

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The school provides many engaging activities to spark pupils’ interests and nurture their talents. These include ice skating, learning to play the steel pans and participating in sporting events. The school uses its community links to create opportunities for pupils’ wider development. For example, pupils work with a local food organisation where they focus on the importance of cooking and healthy eating. Pupils are taught to appreciate the arts and culture. Children in Reception, for example, have created artwork based on works of the artist Kandinsky.

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Pupils have opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They take on roles such as ‘subject ambassadors’, road safety officers and school councillors. The school has developed high-quality pastoral support. For example, pupils can meet with the school counsellor to discuss any personal worries or concerns they have. The school encourages pupils to stay safe, including the potential dangers they could face when online.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 22 and 23 November 2023

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with 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). 22 and 23 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Louise Nichols (executive headteacher) Evelyn Deeney (headteacher) Website www.kingsmead.hackney.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 November 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the LEAP federation with two other primary schools. All three schools in the federation share the same executive headteacher.  The school does not make use of 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.

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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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the executive headteacher, headteacher and other school leaders. Inspectors met with members of the 22 and 23 November 2023

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governing body, including the chair of governors, and had a discussion with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, art and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 spoke to some parents at the start of the school day and considered responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors spoke to groups of staff and considered responses to Ofsted’s online

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staff survey.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils and observed pupils’ behaviour in the playground and at lunchtime.  Inspectors reviewed school documentation, such as governing body minutes and records of visits, the school’s own evaluation of its work and priorities for improvement.

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Inspection team

Rebekah Iiyambo, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Dawn Titus Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 November 2023

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