Kingsley Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Kingsley Primary School Taybrooke Avenue, Hartlepool TS25 5JR

p.1

Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

p.1

Outcome

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

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Kingsley Primary School is very welcoming: all are included. There is a strong sense of community. The school ensures that all pupils are included. Many pupils at the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils learn well alongside their peers in mainstream classrooms or in the two specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND that operate within the school. Pupils feel safe and happy in school and enjoy their learning.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in school. Starting in the Nursery class, children quickly settle into the school’s routines. Pupils are very tolerant and understand each other’s needs. They know and respond well to the school’s expectations for behaviour. This helps to ensure that the atmosphere around the school is calm and orderly.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school ensures that all pupils have a range of experiences beyond the classroom. For example, pupils attend trips to the beach, theatre and zoo. They enjoy these opportunities to learn about the world beyond school. Pupils also benefit from the part they play in community events, such as litter picking and singing events at local care homes. There is a wide and varied range of extra-curricular activities on offer, including the popular performing arts club, chess and table tennis. Pupils make good use of these.

p.1

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

The school has high ambition for all pupils. The school has designed a curriculum to match this ambition, which identifies what it wants pupils to learn from early years onwards. Staff have secure subject knowledge and the school provides training to ensure this is the case. 19 and 20 November 2024

p.1

2

The school has set about reviewing and evaluating curriculum areas in a systematic way. This has taken into consideration teacher workload. As a result of this, some aspects of the curriculum and its delivery are newly implemented. For example, in physical education (PE) there is now a focus on the consistent development of gross motor skills in key stage 1. Pupils are now better prepared for their learning in PE in key stage 2. Some aspects of other areas of the curriculum are also newly developed such as in spelling and writing. Some pupils do not make expected progress in these areas. The school is monitoring and evaluating these changes to check that pupils are making expected progress through the intended curriculum.

p.2

2

Teachers support pupils to remember what they are learning and provide opportunities to retrieve their prior learning. Staff check what pupils know through questioning and quizzes and adapt their teaching if necessary to plug any gaps.

p.2

2

In early years, children are settled and happy. The interactions between adults and children support children to develop well. Children are exposed to early mathematics through planned play activities and through small-group sessions. Staff use their knowledge of children’s mathematical gaps to plan focused activities to ensure they develop the knowledge they need.

p.2

2

Staff identify the needs of pupils with SEND effectively. Additional provision in the resourced provision units ensures that pupils who cannot access learning in the classroom receive an appropriate curriculum. Staff carefully design activities to match pupils’ needs. Staff have had recent training to support pupils with speech and language needs. This has proved successful with many pupils now able to access sessions of increasing length.

p.2

2

The phonics programme is well established in the school. Pupils who are not keeping up with the programme have targeted intervention. This helps pupils to catch up with their reading knowledge. Older pupils enjoy reading.

p.2

2

The school instils positive attendance habits with parents, carers and pupils. Staff know families well and provide tailored support to ensure that pupils attend regularly. While absence for some pupils is high, the school is doing what it can to reduce this as quickly as possible. This includes working with external agencies where needed.

p.2

2

Pupils learn a range of values that develop their character such as respect and kindness. This helps pupils gain a clear understanding of the fundamental British Values. Pupils know that it is important to be tolerant of all.

p.2

2

Leaders know the school well. Governors hold senior leaders to account for the quality of education that the school provides. The majority of staff feel well supported by the school to manage their workload and well-being. Most staff are proud and happy to work at the school. 19 and 20 November 2024

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not make expected progress in some areas of the curriculum. The school is refining its approach to some curriculum areas. As aspects of this are new, the school does not know how securely pupils are deepening key knowledge in all subjects. The school should evaluate and strengthen its monitoring systems so that all pupils progress well through the curriculum from their starting points.

p.3

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 good/outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2019.

p.3

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. 19 and 20 November 2024

p.3

4

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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 November 2024

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 January 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  There is a breakfast- and after-school club run by the school on site.  The school has a Nursery for two-, three- and four-year-old children.  The school has two specially resourced provision units for up to 50 pupils with autism spectrum disorder and social and communication difficulties.

p.5

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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 19 and 20 November 2024

p.5

6

 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher. In addition, they met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair. The inspector also spoke with the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector considered how the school prepares pupils for life in modern Britain.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 inspector reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents and carers, Parent View. This included any free-text responses. The responses to the staff and

p.6

6

pupil questionnaires were also considered.  The inspector spoke to some parents at school drop off and also considered written communication from parents that were received during the inspection.

p.6

Inspection team

Jessica McKay, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 November 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7