Kineton Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Kineton Church of England Primary School King John’s Road, Kineton, Warwick, Warwickshire CV35 0HS

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Outcome

Kineton Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Margaret Pollard. This school is part of The Stour Federation Multi 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), Christian Hilton, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jo Barker.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive here. Dedicated staff know the pupils, their interests and their needs, well. Through this knowledge, care and support, pupils engage happily in their learning. They behave well and take their education and personal responsibilities seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the many opportunities that they have during their time at Kineton. They speak with high regard of the spacious grounds and all that these offer them. A host of outdoor activities promote active play and help pupils of all ages to socialise and interact together. They do this well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Being active in play and in learning go hand in hand throughout the curriculum. The school sets very ambitious expectations for learning. Pupils meet these and achieve well in all subjects across the curriculum. Their excellent behaviour and dedication to gaining increasing knowledge is consistently evident throughout the school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. They receive a raft of help and expertise that allows them to grow as individuals and learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From building forts outside to fundraising for carefully chosen charities, pupils learn to live life in all its fullness. Parents and carers rightly state, ‘Kineton is a warm and welcoming school with adults that really show care for all the children they support.’ 11 and 12 March 2025

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

All involved in the school feel a strong kinship to Kineton. The dedication of leaders at all levels gives direction and purpose to the life and the effectiveness of the school. Staff sing the praises of the way leaders ‘grow great people’. This is as true of the pupils as it is of the staff.

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

The school has created a distinctive curriculum that challenges pupils to deepen their knowledge over time. This is working extremely well for all pupils. Pupils are fully engaged in their lessons. Pupils’ strong achievement is clearly evident in what they say about their learning and their work. Pupils’ books clearly demonstrate their pride in sharing what they know in a range of creative ways. The level of detail, the specific knowledge and the high standards of presentation are impressive. However, on occasion, older pupils make some spelling and grammatical errors. These are not always addressed by staff, and they detract slightly from pupils reaching their full potential.

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

Children in Reception make a great start to school life. They soak up the support and the opportunities in the environment to practise what they have learned. They are proud to share the words that they know, such as ‘spiky’, ‘protection’ and ‘herbivore’. They apply a range of skills in creating life-like dinosaurs and persevere to join various materials to form scales, legs and horns. Sensible choices of resources, learning how to share and safe use of tools show off the increasing independence that these youngest children gain. They are more than ready for their next stage of learning.

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

The theme of being ready for what comes next is alive throughout the school. Pupils learn to read well. For those who need a little more help, it is sensitively and strategically given. This aids them over the hurdle of reading sounds, then using this knowledge to read words and sentences. Pupils learn to count, calculate, comprehend and crack the mathematical code with confidence. The precise and deliberate curriculum structure, well- taught content and confident and knowledgeable staff develop pupils who talk with expertise around a range of topics.

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

Pupils acquire a wealth of information and vocabulary across subjects. This includes rivers and their uses and contour lines, countries and continents in geography. Creating fake blood is just the start of the flow of learning about the heart and the circulatory system in science. A raft of sewing stitches and sophisticated structures are explained in detail and depth in design and technology.

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

Learning and activities rightly look different for different ages and stages of development. Sensitive, subtle strategies are in place across the school to support pupils, including those with SEND, to cope with the demands of school life or to learn in a different way if they need to. These are successful. Pupils with SEND are fully included in the curriculum in a way that is right for them. They achieve well.

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

Pupils justifiably speak with passion, pride and purpose about the many aspects of school life that make a real and positive difference to their personal development. The school’s 11 and 12 March 2025

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vision and values underpin the visits and pupil leadership responsibilities that are in place. Pupils learn, grow, succeed and achieve well together.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not always address pupils’ errors in their written work. This means that some pupils have gaps in their foundational grammar and spelling knowledge which persist. The trust should ensure that the school enables pupils to write with increased grammatical and spelling accuracy and that errors are addressed.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Kineton Church of England Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2017.

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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. 11 and 12 March 2025

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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). 11 and 12 March 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school currently uses no alternative provision.  The school is part of The Stour Federation Academy Trust. Kineton Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy school in July 2022. When its predecessor school, Kineton Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Coventry. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was carried out in May 2023.

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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. 11 and 12 March 2025

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other leaders in the school and staff. The inspector also met with the CEO and special educational needs coordinator of the trust.  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.  The inspector met with four members of the local academy council, including the chair. She spoke with a representative of the Diocese of Coventry. She met with the chair of the trust board.  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

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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 11 and 12 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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