Kennett Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Kennett Primary School 98 Station Road, Kennett, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7QQ

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Outcome

Kennett Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Scott Horsley. This school is part of Staploe Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Dr Carin Taylor, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Simon Wright.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time here and thrive at this small school. They know the ‘KennettCAN!’ values well. They are proud to put these values into action each day as they try hard, aim high and behave kindly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that their teachers expect them to do their best. They respond to this with great enthusiasm. Even the youngest children, in the early years, listen carefully to their teacher and each other. They are eager to learn and to show what they know. Older pupils work diligently. They show mature attitudes to learning. Overall, pupils achieve well and produce work of a high standard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is good, and pupils feel safe. The few pupils who need extra help to manage their behaviour get the right support from adults as they learn to manage tricky feelings. Pupils are considerate and respectful towards adults and their peers. This starts in pre- school, where children learn to share, take turns and include everyone in their play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff seek and consider pupils’ views. The well-being council works with the headteacher and pupils to bring about improvements to playtime, such as the calm hut, which is a cosy spot for pupils to relax with cushions and books.

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

Leaders at every level share a commitment to continually raising standards in a nurturing environment. They are reflective and tenacious in their drive to secure the continued growth and development of the school. Leaders take the views of staff and other members of the community into account when managing these changes. They are 27 March 2024

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considerate of the workload demands for staff in a small school. They provide the time and support that staff need. This shared vision, along with helpful training and regular checks, enables effective teamwork from everyone involved.

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The school has carefully considered how best to organise learning to secure progress as pupils move through the school in mixed-age classes. The curriculum is ambitious. Learning starts straight away in the early years and develops in small steps as pupils build new ideas on what they already know. Pupils clearly articulate their ideas and develop their thinking in lessons. Teachers use assessment well to check pupils’ understanding in lessons and over time. They put in place carefully tailored interventions to help to address any misconceptions. Occasionally, some pupils do not get the same opportunities to deepen their knowledge before moving on to new learning. When this happens, a few pupils have weaker understanding and achieve less well. Over time, however, most pupils make strong progress and achieve well.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get carefully tailored extra help. Adults provide skilful support. They establish good relationships with the pupils they help. They build pupils’ confidence as well as their understanding. In lessons, pupils with SEND are well included with their peers. Teachers make extra checks on their learning. They provide extra resources and adjust tasks when needed so that pupils with SEND can join in and make progress.

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The school has a carefully considered approach to teaching pupils to read. Teachers ensure that pupils learning to read regularly practise their phonics with books that are well matched to the sounds they are learning. Teachers check what pupils know and swiftly put in place extra help for those who need it. Most pupils learn to read well and with enthusiasm. In some lessons, adults teach new vocabulary precisely, but this is not consistent. A few pupils do not understand all of the words that they can read and cannot then use these words effectively in their writing.

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Pupils know that attending regularly is important for their learning and well-being. Teachers establish fair, consistent routines in class so that learning proceeds smoothly. Pupils are confident that adults will stop any unkind behaviour straight away. As a result, breaktimes are calm and inclusive. Older pupils help the youngest children to join in activities confidently. Adults organise energetic games and pupils enjoy adventurous play in ‘the spinney’. Other pupils relax with colouring or reading.

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The school provides a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities to enrich learning. These include trips to museums, the outdoor adventure centre and the nearby pony academy. Through links across the trust, pupils learn to play instruments and consider a wide range of careers. Leaders considered the views and aspirations of pupils when designing the curriculum. As a result, pupils learn about financial skills early in key stage 2 and older pupils learn about changes and transition, ready for secondary school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 27 March 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, some pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to apply new learning in depth. When this happens, these pupils do not achieve as well as they could because they do not practise using knowledge to develop a secure understanding. The school should ensure that teachers consistently provide all pupils with tasks that enable them to practise, secure and deepen their knowledge.  Adults do not always teach new vocabulary clearly and ensure that pupils understand and can use this independently and correctly. This affects the quality of some pupils’ written work as they do not have the extensive vocabulary needed to convey their ideas clearly and to high standards. The school should ensure that all adults have the expertise to teach new words clearly so that pupils can use them skilfully, appropriately and with confidence in their written work.

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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 October 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. 27 March 2024

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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). 27 March 2024

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CEO of trust

Dr Carin Taylor Headteacher Scott Horsley

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CEO of trust

Date of previous inspection 26 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any off-site providers of alternative education.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club on site.  The headteacher joined the school in September 2020.

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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.  The inspectors met with senior staff in the school and the trust, including the chief executive officer and other school leaders, the vice chair of trustees and other trust members, the chair of the advisory board and other advisory board members and the designated lead for safeguarding. 27 March 2024

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics 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 some samples of pupils’ work.  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.  The inspectors considered the views of parents through responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free text comments. Inspectors gathered the views of staff through Ofsted’s staff survey, as well as discussions conducted throughout the inspection. No responses to the Ofsted pupil survey were received. Inspectors spoke

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with groups of pupils throughout the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Lynne Williams, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Charlotte Martin Ofsted Inspector 27 March 2024

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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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