Kings Oak Primary Learning Centre

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Kings Oak Primary Learning Centre Bondfield Close, Off Wells Lane, Wombwell, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S73 8TX

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Outcome

Kings Oak Primary Learning Centre 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?

Kings Oak school is welcoming and nurturing. Pupils enjoy school and the vast majority attend regularly and on time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and know that there are adults to speak to if they have any worries. Rare instances of bullying are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils are polite and courteous. Staff build warm, trusting relationships with pupils and know their needs well. Starting in the early years, pupils quickly develop their confidence and independence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils. Pupils work hard and try their best. They generally achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a range of enrichment activities. Educational visits ensure that learning is brought to life. Pupils take part in talent shows, residential visits and sporting competitions to build confidence and resilience. They have some opportunities to contribute to the life of the school by taking on leadership roles. The school ensures that pupils are well prepared for life outside of school. This includes road safety and internet safety. For pupils in key stage 2, workshops with the emergency services deepen their knowledge about safety and the law, including scenarios that they might experience.

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

The curriculum is broad, balanced, and interesting. The important knowledge that pupils should learn is sequenced clearly to ensure that pupils build their knowledge over time. The school has identified the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to 17 and 18 June 2025

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learn. In the early years, there is a strong focus on communication and interaction. Stories, rhymes, and songs are woven through children’s learning.

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In 2024, some Year 6 pupils did not achieve as well as they should in national tests and assessments. In response, the school has strengthened its curriculum and pastoral support for pupils. These published results do not reflect the quality of education that the school currently provides.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They explain new learning clearly. They revisit key knowledge and vocabulary regularly to help pupils remember. However, on occasions, teachers do not check well enough what pupils have learned to inform next steps in learning. On occasions, the activities chosen are not well matched to the intended learning. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported during their time at the school. There is a clear process in place to identify their needs and barriers that they may face. High-quality support from staff and meaningful adaptions help pupils with SEND to access their learning and achieve well.

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The school has a successful reading programme. Staff are trained in delivering this. Recent coaching for staff has been introduced to ensure reading lessons are consistently well taught. Pupils who need additional help to learn to read are quickly identified and effectively supported. The school has a strong focus on developing pupils’ love of reading through sharing high-quality texts, reading aloud, and encouraging discussion of stories.

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The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. It is committed to ensuring that pupils know how to behave well. The proportion of pupils suspended from school has been high in recent years. This is now beginning to reduce. This is because the school has worked effectively to ensure all pupils receive the right support and help to manage their emotions when this is needed. The school has engaged with external professionals to support this work. The learning environment is calm and orderly with embedded routines established from the early years.

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Pupils also learn about the wider world and their responsibilities as citizens. They have opportunities to be involved in environmental work, such as litter picking and taking part in fundraising for charities. Pupils know why respect and tolerance are important and that everybody should be treated fairly.

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Leaders at all levels share a strong commitment to the school and its community. Staff appreciate the support and development opportunities provided by the school. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths of the school and those areas that need improvement. They work with leaders to carefully evaluate the impact of the school’s work. This results in continual improvements, such as the introduction of a calm space for some pupils with SEND. 17 and 18 June 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, there is some inconsistency in how well the curriculum is implemented in lessons. On occasions, teachers do not check what pupils understand to plan next steps and some tasks are not sufficiently matched to the intended learning. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should continue their work to develop pedagogical knowledge and skills to help all pupils learn well across the curriculum.

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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 outstanding 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 school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in March 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. 17 and 18 June 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). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Dr Christopher Stokes

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School details

Headteachers Julie Meiner and Alison Wilks

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 The school operates a breakfast club on site.  The school uses no alternative providers.

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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 both co-headteachers and other leaders.  The inspector met with members of the local governing body.  The inspector met with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work. 17 and 18 June 2025

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 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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school and at social times.  The inspector considered the responses and free-text responses submitted by parents to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View as well as Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Tracy Duffy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 June 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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