Priors Field Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Priors Field Primary School Clinton Lane, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 1BA

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Outcome

Priors Field 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?

The school’s motto, ‘growing together, ready for life,’ is seen and heard across the school. Pupils are happy and enjoy their learning. They talk with knowledge and confidence about all that they learn and do. The school’s ambitious academic and personal development provision make a real and positive difference to pupils. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ love of learning shines through in their positive behaviour, both in and out of the classroom. Pupils are proud of and demonstrate the vision and values branching through the ‘Priors Field Tree’. The school’s care, nurture and inclusive nature means that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), feel valued and supported; they discover how to be great learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Peeking at the deer under the apple trees, protecting red kites and supporting Reception children as they start school, are part and parcel of school life. Pupils learn to be leaders of the school as well as active and responsible citizens in the local community. The experiences and opportunities are wide, varied and planned with great care. Pupils not only appreciate this, but can talk with maturity about how it helps prepare them for life beyond school. Parents and carers rightly state, ‘The school develops well-rounded, good- natured, motivated children with a great mindset for learning.’

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

The school’s ‘blueprint’ for their curriculum has been deeply researched and carefully considered. Leaders have used the context of the school, the local area and beyond and the expertise of staff well. They take account of pupils’ starting points, needs and potential future careers to guide their decision-making. 4 and 5 March 2025

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The curriculum design is structured and sequenced. The school ensures that pertinent professional development for staff provides what they need to understand the ‘curriculum blueprint’ and to teach it well. The delivery across year groups and subjects is successful. Feedback given to pupils is manageable, meaningful and moves their learning forward.

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Pupils, right from the start in Reception, grow their knowledge in a structured way that helps them to make links within and across their learning. Pupils’ skill in talking about their previous and current learning is impressive. For example, older pupils use their increasing knowledge of a range of stitches to make waistcoats. Younger pupils recall a vast array of geographical knowledge, including countries, continents and coasts. Reception children link ‘penguins porpoising’ from last term to the way worms move in this term’s learning. However, very occasionally, the resources used across subjects and year groups are not best suited to the learning intention of the lesson. When this is the case, pupils’ learning is not deepened as well as it could be or errors and mistakes creep in.

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Pupils learn to read, write and calculate well from the very start of their school life. All children in Reception receive an exceptionally strong start to their personal, communication and language, and phonics learning journey. Phonics is taught well. Pupils learn to read with fluency and understanding. Effective extra help is in place and assists those who find reading tricky. Expert staff support Reception children to learn right from wrong, to speak in full sentences and articulate their thinking using sophisticated vocabulary. Some children need a little more help or a different way of learning. They get it. The aid that these children receive is subtle, supportive and sustained.

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The expertise of staff in identifying, knowing and supporting additional needs is notable. The effective inclusive nature is a standout feature of Priors Field. All within the school, leaders, staff and pupils alike, buy into and live out the vision of uniqueness and individuality. The systems, procedures and expertise intertwine in a way that allows pupils with SEND to shine as individuals, to be themselves and to be successful learners who achieve well. All pupils flourish and thrive because of the individual attention that they receive; as do staff.

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So many spaces and places around the school support pupils’ social and emotional development. These include outdoor learning in the woods, the Nest, courtyards and the Zen Den. Pupils appreciate these spaces. They are happy to share when and why they might use them. They describe the positive difference it helps in calming, soothing or giving them a moment to themselves so that they are ready to learn again.

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Memories are made here. They often involve mud. Den building and residentials at the coast and an outdoor centre are firm favourites. As is the renowned cross-country race culminating with running through the ‘brook’. These adventures form just a small part of what pupils take with them as they move on. 4 and 5 March 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few cases, resources provided do not fully support the intended learning. This means that pupils’ learning is not always deepened as well as it could be or pupils may develop errors and misconceptions. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge and expertise to scaffold pupils’ learning effectively and consistently.

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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 October 2019.

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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. 4 and 5 March 2025

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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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 October 2019, 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 provides before-and after-school provision through its Rainbow Club.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other leaders in the school and staff.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She listened to some pupils read to a known adult. 4 and 5 March 2025

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 The inspector met members of the governing body. She spoke with a representative of the local authority.  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 considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses. She also reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s evaluation and improvement plans, a range of policies and information on the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Foulkes, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 4 and 5 March 2025

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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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