Kensington Junior Academy

Inspection of Kensington Junior Academy St John’s Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire DE7 5PA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management 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 Becky Turner. This school is part of Djanogly Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Mark Mallender, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Tim Slade. 19 and 20 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Kensington Junior Academy is a welcoming and friendly school. Pupils live up to the school’s values of ‘inspire, believe and achieve’. They are confident learners who are proud to be part of the school community. Pupils feel happy and safe here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well. They are polite and well mannered. They strive to earn the class mascots for displaying their positive learning behaviours. Pupils are collaborative, resilient and curious learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are respectful and understanding of others. One pupil, typical of many, said, ‘We are all different and that should be celebrated.’ The pastoral support is a strength of the school. There is a strong sense of family at the school. Pupils know that there is always a trusted adult to talk to if they need to.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of clubs on offer to them, such as badminton, gardening and music. Pupils are proud to be members of the junior leadership teams. Older pupils are on hand to help younger pupils on the playground. The well-being team loves contributing to anti-bullying assemblies. Pupils take their responsibilities seriously. They make a positive contribution to school life.

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better?

The school has great ambition for its pupils. It has developed a well-planned and ambitious curriculum, which links to three big questions. This helps pupils to understand where they belong, what makes them unique and how they can make a difference. For each subject, the school has devised sequences of lessons that build up pupils’ knowledge. In core subjects, such as reading and mathematics, teachers ensure that pupils recall and remember what they have learned in the past. They also connect this to new learning. Pupils build their knowledge over time and achieve well. In a small number of subjects, pupils are less secure in their knowledge. The links to prior learning are less well developed. This is because, in some subjects, it is too soon to see the full impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning.

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better?

Reading is central to the school’s work. Pupils understand the importance of reading. The school has a strong reading culture. The books that are provided for pupils to read are well matched to their reading ability. This means that pupils develop a love of books and read widely and often. When necessary, pupils receive extra support to ensure that they catch up quickly. Pupils love receiving raffle tickets for reading often.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers. Skilled staff provide support and adapt their teaching to cater for pupils’ needs. The school ensures that pupils with SEND are quickly identified. The school provides a wealth of support for pupils with social and/or 19 and 20 March 2024

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emotional needs. For example, staff who are trained in providing emotional support help pupils to discuss their feelings and find strategies to cope.

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Pupils are kind and considerate to each other. They know the school rules and understand how important it is to behave well. Classrooms are calm environments, meaning that pupils can learn without distraction.

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Pupils learn an effective programme of personal development. The taught curriculum includes friendships, keeping healthy and how to celebrate each other’s differences. Pupils talk confidently about British values, such as democracy and respect. While pupils learn about different faiths and cultures, their knowledge of these is fragile.

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The school provides a variety of trips to enhance pupils’ learning. These include trips to the Eden Project, National Justice Museum and the seaside. Pupils develop their talents, for example, in learning to play the violin and viola. They have raised money for charities and help out in the local community.

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Staff at the school feel valued. They know that school leaders consider their workload and well-being. They are proud to work at the school. The trust, governors and school leaders work well together. The trust has played an integral part in securing improvements in the school. The governors act as critical friends. The school works closely with parents and carers to ensure that the school remains at the heart of the community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s strategies for helping pupils to retain knowledge over time are not yet sufficiently effective. As a result, some pupils cannot remember well enough what they have learned in the recent past and in previous years in some subjects. The school should ensure that the curriculum builds pupils’ long-term memory so that they remember more of what they have learned and can better apply past knowledge to new learning.  Some pupils do not have an accurate understanding of different religions and cultures. This limits how well pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that the wider curriculum enables pupils to learn about different communities, faiths and beliefs so that they are fully prepared for life in modern Britain. 19 and 20 March 2024

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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). 19 and 20 March 2024

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School details

Website www.kensingtonjunioracademy.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Kensington Junior Academy converted to become an academy in August 2019. When its predecessor school, Kensington Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be requires improvement overall.  The school does not use alternative provision.  There is an on-site breakfast club run by the school.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 19 and 20 March 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the history and physical education curriculum with leaders. Inspectors discussed the personal, social and health education curriculum with leaders.  The lead inspector met with trustees, including the chief executive officer of the trust. She met with members of the governing body.  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 took note of the response received on Ofsted Parent View and

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considered the results of the Ofsted staff survey. Inspectors met with small groups of pupils to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Allison Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 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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