Kennet Valley Primary School

Inspection of Kennet Valley Primary School Carters Rise, Calcot, Reading, Berkshire RG31 7YT

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this caring and inclusive school. Pupils say, rightly, that everyone is welcome. Staff nurture pupils to develop confidence in themselves and to respect others. This supports pupils to behave well and to be considerate of other people and the world around them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils to achieve well. Dedicated staff help pupils to build their understanding gradually over time. This helps pupils to learn successfully and to meet the school’s high expectations. Current pupils’ learning in mathematics reflects stronger achievement than was indicated by the 2024 national tests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school identifies and supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged particularly well. The recent addition of a specially resourced provision for those with SEND (specially resourced provision) has enabled more pupils to benefit from the school’s skilful care and support. Pupils with additional needs thrive at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the school’s many opportunities to enrich their learning. This includes a science week in which they completed interesting practical investigations. Pupils make a strong and positive contribution to school life. They hold important responsibilities such as peer mentors, sports leaders or school council representatives.

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

The school has established an interesting curriculum, which begins well in the early years. In Reception, staff use each area of learning to develop children’s language and communication skills effectively. The school has accurately identified the key knowledge and skills it intends for children to learn in each subject. This means that new knowledge, from Reception to Year 6, builds carefully on what pupils have learned before.

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

Staff have secure subject knowledge in most subjects and design tasks that promote pupils’ learning effectively. The school provides pupils with helpful resources that support their understanding. In 2024, pupils did not achieve well enough in the national tests in mathematics. The school has responded swiftly and made effective changes to its curriculum. Overall, current pupils achieve well and develop appropriate skills and knowledge so they are well prepared for their next stage of learning. Previous learning is often revisited. However, on occasion, in some subjects the school does not check pupils’ understanding effectively. At these times, it does not identify gaps in pupils’ learning well enough before new content is taught.

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

Well-trained staff teach reading effectively from the start of Reception. The school’s routine checks of pupils’ reading mean that pupils who fall behind are identified quickly. The school provides appropriate support to help weaker readers to catch up. Staff make thoughtful choices about the texts that pupils read and hear throughout the school. This exposes pupils to texts they might not otherwise read independently. Pupils become confident and fluent readers. 1 and 2 April 2025

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Support for pupils with SEND is a strength of the school. Starting in the early years, the school identifies pupils’ needs accurately. Staff adapt their teaching to help pupils to learn the curriculum successfully. In the recently opened specially resourced provision, expert staff support pupils’ learning effectively. They help pupils to make strong progress in understanding the curriculum and towards the targets in their education, health and care plans.

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Pupils benefit from a well-considered programme of personal development. This includes a wide range of enrichment activities to help bring learning outside of the classroom to life. Diversity is highlighted and celebrated thoughtfully. Pupils are encouraged to be proud of their heritage, through events such as cultural days, as well as to understand the lives of other people. This helps pupils to develop a strong understanding of the importance of treating everyone with respect. Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy, and they know how to promote their own mental health.

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Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning, and their lessons are rarely disrupted. Staff help pupils to behave well throughout the school day, such as by modelling to them the behaviours they expect. The school is effective at supporting pupils who need extra help to meet the school’s high expectations. At social times, pupils play together with kindness. Currently, some pupils’ attendance at school is not high enough. A renewed approach to supporting families has been effective in improving attendance for some pupils. Nevertheless, some pupils do not attend school as often as they should.

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Leaders, including governors, are determined to provide a high-quality education for pupils. The school is keen to equally promote pupils’ academic and personal development. It seeks to include all pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision, in all that it does. The school prioritises the training and well-being of staff, who can then focus on pupils’ needs. Governors are well-informed and effective at supporting the school to continually improve its work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the school does not ensure that some teaching accurately checks what pupils know and can do. As a result, some teaching does not help pupils to secure their previous learning before staff move them on to new content. The school should identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge and any of their misconceptions effectively.  Some pupils do not attend school as frequently as they could. This means that they do not learn the full curriculum or benefit from the personal development opportunities provided. Leaders should continue their renewed high focus on supporting families to address barriers with pupils’ attendance. 1 and 2 April 2025

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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). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Thom Byrne and Giles Murphy (co-chairs)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school opened a specially resourced provision in September 2024. There are six pupils with autism and/or social, emotional and mental health needs on roll. All have an education, health and care plan.  There is a before- and after-school club on the school site, managed by the school.  The school currently uses two registered alternative provisions.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 1 and 2 April 2025

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the lead teacher of the specially resourced provision and subject leaders.  The lead inspector met with three members of the governing body, including one of the co-chairs.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, design and technology and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors looked at curriculum information for a range of other subjects, including pupils’ work. They reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s own

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evaluation of its effectiveness and priorities for improvement. They also looked at information relating to behaviour, attendance and SEND.  Pupils’ behaviour was observed during lunchtimes.  The views of staff and pupils were gathered through both formal and informal discussions. Staff also completed an Ofsted survey.  The views of parents were gathered through the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also spoke to parents during the inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.

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Inspection team

Katie Hancock, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Phil Sherwood Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 April 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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