Kendall Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Kendall Church of England Primary School Recreation Road, Colchester, Essex CO1 2HH

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 3 and 4 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to this warm and welcoming school. They are happy, safe and well supported. Pupils embody the school’s values, including friendship and respect, in everything they do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They rise to the very high expectations set by staff and are determined to do well. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Every pupil benefits from the wide range of enriching opportunities available. Outdoor experiences bring their learning to life. Pupils’ learning is further enhanced by many visitors to school. For example, pupils meet a ‘Stone Age visitor’ who has built a den in the school’s woodlands.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests are plentiful. These opportunities include participating in school productions, musical and artistic activities. The wide array of clubs includes sports, Spanish and computer-aided design. Pupils practise their language skills at Spanish club, where they speak to pupils in a Chilean school. The gardening club helps to maintain the wildlife garden and woodlands. These opportunities improve pupils’ confidence and self-esteem.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils delight in taking on extra responsibilities to develop their leadership skills. These roles include play leaders, school councillors, eco-school and the worship committee. These enable pupils to see their positive impact on others and their community.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious in every aspect. Its intention is to promote ‘purposeful learning wrapped in awe, wonder and respect’. This ambition is fulfilled with pupils developing deep knowledge and understanding across all subject areas. The curriculum details the important knowledge that pupils will learn each year. This is carefully ordered within each subject.

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

All staff receive effective, tailored, ongoing professional development. This helps staff to develop their subject expertise and deliver the curriculum very well. Staff break down subject content into manageable chunks, which helps pupils secure new knowledge. They check pupils’ understanding skilfully and address misconceptions. Staff inspire pupils’ curiosity to find out more. Pupils build deep knowledge about the subjects they learn. They achieve exceptionally well across all subjects.

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

Pupils apply their knowledge and skills in the school’s outdoor environment. They engage in problem-solving activities that help to enhance skills, such as team building and communication. This helps make learning even more memorable.

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

Children in the Reception Year are very well prepared for Year 1. They show maturity in their behaviour and interactions. Their learning environment is stimulating and purposeful. It promotes a sharp focus on developing children’s communication and language skills. 3 and 4 June 2025

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Children start learning to read as soon as they join the Reception Year. Highly skilled staff teach and model individual sounds with precision. Staff then help pupils to blend these sounds to read words. Pupils who find reading a challenge are rapidly identified and expertly supported. They soon develop the fluency, accuracy and confidence to access the whole curriculum.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive in this inclusive school. The expertly trained staff know their pupils well. They ensure that pupils receive the most appropriate support. This means that pupils with SEND access and succeed in the same learning as their peers.

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The school’s work to support pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning is extremely strong. Pupils behave maturely and respectfully at all times, showing a strong commitment to their learning. They attend highly, eager to take part in all of the exciting activities the school has to offer.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ wider personal development is exceptional. Accordingly, pupils develop a strong sense of character, being kind, thoughtful and reflective. They have many opportunities to discuss and debate different viewpoints. Events such as ‘Parliament Week’ help pupils learn about the rule of law and democracy. Pupils get the chance to practise what they have learned, such as when they vote for their school councillors each year. The school is proactive in encouraging pupils to celebrate difference. For example, pupils take part in multicultural days and visit various places of worship. This enables pupils to experience the diversity of cultures and faiths.

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The school enables pupils to be active members of the local community. Pupils raise money for charities and conduct litter picks. They grow their own vegetables and fruit. They use these to cook meals for others at the local ‘slow cooker club’ community initiative.

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Staff enjoy working at this school. They feel very well supported by leaders for their workload and well-being. They are proud to deliver training and share their ideas with staff from other schools.

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Governors are knowledgeable and robust in holding the school to account. They have a very strong oversight of the school through their monitoring activities. Governors are rightly proud of the exemplary standards established by the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 and 4 June 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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 June 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school manages a breakfast club.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school has a Church of England religious character. The school had its last section 48 inspection in November 2023. The next section 48 inspection will be in five years of this date.

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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. 3 and 4 June 2025

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers. The lead inspector also met with those with responsibility for governance, including the chair of the local governing board.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, 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. The inspectors also viewed pupils’

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work in some other subjects.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered the responses to the staff survey. Inspectors considered the views of pupils through discussions held with them during the inspection. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to the online Ofsted pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Rowena Simmons, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Marc White Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 June 2025

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