Kirby Primary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Kirby Primary Academy Halstead Road, Kirby Cross, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex CO13 0LW

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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Outcome

Kirby Primary Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Debbie Byles. This school is part of Reach 2 Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Cathie Paine, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gavin Robert. There is also a deputy director of education, Sinead Harper, who is responsible for this school and six others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a vibrant school. They participate in a rich range of wider experiences through the ‘11 before 11’ programme. These include beekeeping, seal watching and sleeping under the stars. Pupils go to trusted adults when they need to because they know caring staff will listen and help. This creates an environment where pupils are happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a broad, interesting and well-structured curriculum. This is brought to life for pupils through themed days, where they become immersed in what it is like to be a Greek or an Egyptian. The school has raised expectations for pupils’ achievement. These are typically realised well in the work pupils produce and the knowledge they gain. However, sometimes pupils do not develop their spelling or the depth of their mathematical knowledge as well as they might.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school community follows the values of being kind, respectful and responsible. Pupils learn about how to show these through assemblies and class discussions. Pupils take great pride in the badges they gain for showing these values. Pupils get lots of support in dealing with feelings and resolving any issues. This all means the school is a pleasant environment where pupils behave well. 25 and 26 February 2025

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

The school has adopted the trust curriculum across most subjects. However, this has been adapted to be relevant to the local context. For example, in early years, children explore the local area to develop their understanding of the world. The school has put in place extensive training for staff to teach this effective curriculum well. For example, the school introduced a new approach to teaching phonics and reading. Staff have been fully trained in this, including through effective support from the trust’s staff. As a result, pupils now learn to read well, and older pupils who had gaps in their knowledge have had the support they need to close them.

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

The school has worked with the trust to focus on adapting teaching to suit the needs of all pupils. This has particularly benefited pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), whose needs are identified well. Teachers model examples clearly and give pupils opportunities to practice and develop important skills. They carefully check what pupils have understood and provide further guidance where needed. Pupils with SEND get targeted additional support from adults. This includes additional explanations, which support them to produce high-quality work.

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

Across the curriculum, pupils typically learn and retain knowledge strongly. For example, pupils articulate confidently the impact of being a refugee from a book they study. The school has worked to develop the composition element of pupils’ writing well. This starts in early years, where children practise letter formation linked to the sounds they learn. However, some pupils’ grammar, punctuation and spelling are not as well developed. This detracts from the quality of these pupils’ written work.

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

The school has done extensive and effective work to ensure pupils develop confidence in mathematics. However, sometimes teachers do not provide the opportunities pupils need to deepen their learning.

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

Leaders have worked to build strong relationships with parents. They have worked with a local charity to provide valuable wider support for families. This has helped attendance to improve significantly. Pupils now attend well. The school has put in place a new behaviour policy that focuses on pupils taking ownership of their actions. This has reduced suspensions, so they are now infrequent. Pupils are keen to learn and show respectful and polite attitudes.

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

Pupils are well prepared for life beyond school. There is a wealth of pupil leadership opportunities. This includes the junior leadership team that manages the tuck shop and rewards. Pupils participate in Diwali celebrations, African storytelling and Bollywood dancing, which enriches their cultural understanding. Sports clubs and teams are successful and attended by a broad range of pupils. There are funded places for those who need it, so barriers to participation are overcome.

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

The school is well led and managed. Following the previous inspection, the school went through a period of leadership turbulence. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school did not ensure pupils engaged with remote learning well enough. The trust 25 and 26 February 2025

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challenged this and put in place suitable support. Over the last three years, the school and trust have worked together to raise standards. A combination of historical gaps in learning and particular contextual needs of a year group meant that Year 6 pupils did not achieve as well as they should in the 2024 national tests and assessments. However, the school and trust have addressed the factors that caused this effectively. This is reflected in current pupils’ knowledge and quality of work. Therefore, overall, an effective quality of education has been maintained.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes teachers do not develop the depth of some pupils’ mathematical knowledge well enough. This means some pupils do not extend and develop their knowledge further. The school should ensure that teachers provide opportunities for pupils to deepen their mathematical knowledge so pupils achieve as highly as they can in mathematics.  The school does not have a consistent approach to teaching grammar, punctuation and spelling. As a result, some pupils do not apply their knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation consistently in their written work. This means these pupils’ written work is not always of the standard it should be. The school needs to ensure that staff teach grammar, punctuation and spelling effectively and help pupils to apply this knowledge consistently well in their written work.

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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, 25 and 26 February 2025

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behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 January and 6 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up post in April 2022.  The school is part of a local cluster of seven Reach 2 Academy Trust schools.  The school does not use any 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with representatives from the local governing body and trust board. This included the chair of local governors and the link trustee.  The inspector met with the trust’s deputy director of education, the trust’s director of 25 and 26 February 2025

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safeguarding, the trust’s mathematics lead, the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and other senior staff.  The inspector conducted further meetings with staff to discuss other aspects of the school’s work.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around school and at social times.  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 the online Ofsted staff and pupil surveys. They also considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments.

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Inspection team

James Chester, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 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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