Knowle Park Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Knowle Park Primary School Queenshill Road, Knowle Park, Bristol BS4 2XG

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 October 2024

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Outcome

Knowle Park Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Knowle Park Primary is a school where everyone is welcome. Pupils are happy, friendly and respectful. Relationships between adults and pupils are strong. Pupils have confidence in staff to sort out any worries they might have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of everyone. Pupils rise to these and achieve well. Most have positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils are keen to do their best. They recognise that to get better at something, it takes persistence and practice. Pupils make visits to places of interest. For example, pupils visited the SS Great Britain to further develop their understanding of local history.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the responsibilities they hold. These include being members of the eco squad and team captains. Pupils develop confidence and independence through such leadership positions. They regularly participate in local community events, such as working in the community garden and learn to become active citizens in their locality.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop new skills and talents through a range of clubs. These include crochet and football. The school closely monitors participation rates to ensure they are available to all. Sport has a high profile. Pupils are competitive, but fair-minded. They value the opportunity to represent their school in competitions.

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

The school identifies and meets the needs of all pupils including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Published outcomes do not reflect the quality of education that pupils receive. The curriculum has undergone significant change. There is now clarity over precisely what pupils should learn and when they should learn it. 22 and 23 October 2024

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Pupils revisit learning regularly and link this knowledge to new ideas and concepts. For example, in mathematics, pupils talk with understanding about how their knowledge of subtraction helps them to solve more complex problems. This helps them to deepen their knowledge.

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In many subjects, teachers check what pupils know and remember. Pupils who have fallen behind are supported to catch up and keep up. However, sometimes the checks that teachers make on pupils’ learning do not identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Therefore, pupils sometimes move through the curriculum with ongoing gaps and misconceptions in their learning. The school provides ongoing training and guidance to support and develop staff at all levels. On occasion, the curriculum is not delivered well and consequently, in some subjects, pupils do not build a sufficient knowledge.

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The school weaves the development of pupils’ oracy skills through the curriculum. A structured approach to the extension of children’s vocabulary begins as soon they start school. Adults model the use of important vocabulary for children to use in their daily interactions. This improves their communication and acts like a springboard to improve pupils’ understanding more widely. Older pupils enjoy opportunities to debate and discuss their views, which extend their ability to reason. Pupils communicate courteously, even when they have differences of opinion.

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There is a sharp focus on reading. Staff check pupils’ understanding of phonics carefully. The school puts precise support in place for pupils who fall behind so that they become fluent readers. From the Reception Year onwards, pupils read books that match the sounds they know. This helps them to develop fluency. The school has selected texts to support pupils to develop an appreciation of literature and a love of reading.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ broader development is well considered and thorough. Pupils understanding of the diversity of modern Britain is supplemented through carefully chosen texts. They learn how to become thoughtful young people who respect and appreciate the diversity of the world in which they live.

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There is equal emphasis on the development of pupils’ social and emotional skills. Pupils are knowledgeable about how to look after their mental and physical health. They value the ‘nurture’ room as a place for reflection.

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The school has established a new behaviour system that sets clear expectations in lessons and around the school. Pupils understand the school rules and conduct themselves well. Consequently, the school environment is calm and orderly. Pupils socialise happily and feel safe. Typically, pupils behave well in lessons. Occasionally, pupils become distracted in lessons, but this does not disrupt the learning of others. The school has taken appropriate steps to improve pupils’ rates of attendance. Most pupils attend well. The school works closely with families to ensure that all pupils develop positive attendance habits.

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Governors have the skills and expertise to fulfil their roles well. They have an accurate picture of the school through robust systems of checking and quality assurance. They ensure that the education that the school provides has a positive impact on all its pupils. 22 and 23 October 2024

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Staff appreciate initiatives in place to manage their workload and support their well-being.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, some pupils do not build enough depth of knowledge because sometimes the curriculum is not delivered well. The school should ensure that teachers have the expertise to teach the curriculum in the way that it intends.  Sometimes the checks that teachers make on pupils’ learning do not identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This means that adjustments are not made to the design or implementation of the curriculum. Therefore, some pupils move through the curriculum with ongoing gaps and misconceptions in their learning. The school should ensure that assessment is used to inform the way the planned curriculum is implemented to support pupils to build their knowledge coherently.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in July 2005. 22 and 23 October 2024

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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.

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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). 22 and 23 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.knowlepark-pri.bristol.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses no alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 held discussions with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinators, subject leaders and 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. 22 and 23 October 2024

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 The inspectors considered responses to the online survey for parents and Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Liz Geller, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Musty Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 October 2024

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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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