Knypersley First School

Inspection of Knypersley First School Newpool Road, Knypersley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST8 6NN

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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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The executive headteacher of this school is Abigail Rourke. This school is part of the Children First Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Abigail Rourke, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nicola Chell. 3 and 4 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Knypersley First School provides an excellent education for all pupils. They have many opportunities to be successful, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The school buzzes with aspiration and enthusiasm. It lives and breathes its motto of ‘learning together, learning for life’. Parents and carers agree. One comment, typical of many, is that, ‘the children enjoy a very rich and creative curriculum and are making excellent progress in all aspects of their learning.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave and learn exceptionally well because of the school’s very high expectations. They are excited, inquisitive learners. Children from Reception Year to Year Four are ready to learn. Pupils bubble with enthusiasm when they share their knowledge. They learn and live by the school’s rules of ‘be safe, be ready, be respectful’. Pupils are confident that the ‘Knypersley Knights’ will help them if any issues arise.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school ensures that pupils are very well prepared for later life. They learn to understand many careers that are available to them when they are older. There are a range of clubs on offer. Pupils know they only have to ask, and the school will do all that it can to provide a club for them.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has more pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It also has an increase in pupils eligible for free school meals. In response to this the school has paid particular attention to these pupils. It makes sure that all their specific needs are very well catered for. As a result, all pupils achieve exceptionally well from their starting points.

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

Starting in the early years, the school has expertly and meticulously crafted an ambitious curriculum. It sets out key knowledge pupils will learn, along with the most important vocabulary. Staff ensure pupils always recap on what they have learned before. Pupils practise what teachers demonstrate in lessons. They say that this helps them to understand and learn well. Teachers expertly check pupils’ learning to correct any misunderstandings. Pupils with SEND succeed alongside their peers. This is because the school identifies their needs early. Staff remove obstacles to learning. They are particularly adept at using technology to enable pupils with SEND to learn well.

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

Children make an excellent start to their education in the early years. From Nursery there is a real focus on developing children’s communication, language, literacy and mathematics skills. Staff skilfully adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of the children. For example, there is a real focus on developing children’s knowledge across the curriculum through expressive art and design. Relationships are very positive and children quickly learn classroom routines and access resources independently.

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

Staff deliver the school’s phonics programme extremely well. The school has prioritised reading. Children in Nursery learn about the sounds they can hear in words. In Reception and Year 1, children draw on their phonics knowledge when completing other activities. 3 and 4 December 2024

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The school ensures that additional support is exactly matched to the needs of individual children. Pupils develop an enthusiasm and love for reading through regular ‘love of reading’ sessions. They are rewarded for being ‘star readers’. Pupils develop into fluent readers and read regularly at home.

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Behaviour in lessons is exemplary. Routines are quickly established and well embedded. This means pupils know what is expected of them at all times. At the beginning of every day staff learn about how pupils are feeling and address any issues promptly. Pupils want to come to school and be ‘HEROs’: here, every day, ready and on time. Where necessary, the school supports families to improve their child’s attendance.

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Pupils’ personal development is extremely well considered. The school makes sure that pupils benefit from a range of educational visits and visitors to enhance the curriculum. For example, in history, pupils can explain how a trip to a pottery museum helps them to understand the importance of the industry in the local area. There are many opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles. They feel privileged to have these roles and take them seriously. Pupils have a firm understanding of fundamental British values and equality. They say, ‘you can be anybody you want to be, it doesn’t matter’.

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Leaders, the trust and local advisory board incisively evaluate school performance. The trust and LAB check that leaders’ actions are in the pupils’ best interests. Staff are extremely positive about all aspects of the school’s work, including their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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). 3 and 4 December 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 March 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school operates a before and after-school club.  The school is part of the Children First Learning Partnership, which consists of six schools.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 3 and 4 December 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school's education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the lead inspector held meetings with the executive headteacher, head of school, subject leaders, groups of staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with members of the trust and local academy boards, including the chair of the trust and chair of the local advisory board. The lead inspector held a meeting with the CEO of the trust.  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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in English, including early reading, mathematics,

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history and art and design. They met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and viewed examples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about the curriculum in some other subjects.  An inspector observed children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 and 2 read to a trusted adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the online staff and pupil surveys. An inspector spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Barry Yeardsley, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Susan Ray Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 December 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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