Schools & FE · Report card

Kensworth Church of England Academy

Inspected 28 Apr 2026 · published 23 Jun 2026 · URN 144458

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Katie Devenport (lead), Bessie Owen, Nerrissa Bear

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
28 Apr 2026
Inspectors verified
Bessie Owen, Katie Devenport, Nerrissa Bear
Postcode verified
LU6 3RH
Name on report verified
Kensworth Church of England Academy
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
144458

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Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementNeeds attention
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+63Positivemore positive than 34% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praiseeffectivelypositiveclearfeel safesuccessfullyconfidentlystrongenjoy

Criticismgapsnot consistentlypersistent absenceconcernsnot alwaysnot strongdeclinenot yet

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1580w+63
Leadership251w+76
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve80w+21

Strengths

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Concerns

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However, pupils’ learning is not consistently strong over time. p.5

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,957; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 41, typical 43
Average sentence: 15 words
Next steps: 4; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 8%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 53%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 3%About the inspection 35%

Full report text

Kensworth Church of England Academy

Address: Common Road, Kensworth, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3RH Unique reference number (URN): 144458

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have secure approaches to identifying and responding quickly when pupils’ attendance falls. They track and monitor patterns in absence carefully. Leaders build strong relationships with pupils and families to promote punctual, regular attendance. Clear and consistent steps address any decline swiftly. The school provides a wide range of extra support, including pastoral care, to improve attendance. This helps pupils express and manage their feelings about school. Changes to the curriculum, such as more outdoor learning, have also increased pupils’ engagement. As a result, pupils' attendance is in line with national figures. Disadvantaged pupils and those with a history of persistent absence continue to show improvement over time.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and decision-making. They nurture pupils so that they feel safe to challenge themselves and others appropriately, at the same time developing a clear understanding of positive choices. When pupils make choices that do not meet leaders’ or staff's expectations, staff hold purposeful discussions to help pupils reflect and improve. Pupils respond well to this approach. Pupils generally behave well across the school. They understand routines and question changes thoughtfully, which helps them to settle quickly and focus on their learning. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive carefully tailored support that meets their individual needs.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders thoughtfully designed the curriculum to ensure it meets the needs of all pupils. The curriculum is generally delivered effectively to ensure that pupils’ learning builds progressively over time. Occasionally, some pupils do not remember some important knowledge in a few subjects because staff have not fully checked pupils' understanding of it.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff teach the phonics programme with skill. They identify pupils who need additional support with learning letter sounds. The recent introduction of a consistent approach to the teaching of handwriting is beginning to make a difference so pupils can form letters accurately, particularly for pupils in the younger years. Staff understand which pupils require further support with these skills. However, the actions taken have not yet had the time to have the impact leaders would want.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff benefit from high-quality professional development, which leaders align carefully with school priorities and the changing needs of pupils. As a result, staff are well prepared to support pupils especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They ensure that pupils have the skills, confidence, and resources they need to succeed as learners.

p.2

Early years Expected standard

Leaders prioritise the early years. The curriculum is well developed and carefully planned to ensure children acquire the skills and knowledge they need to access learning in Year 1 successfully. Staff are well trained and interact effectively with children to promote curiosity and engagement. As the story of Jack and the beanstalk is being retold the children engage with this. Staff model the language well with a focus on oracy and actions. They adapt their approaches to meet individual needs, including simplifying language for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.2

Early years Expected standard

Through purposeful questioning, they encourage children to explore and develop their thinking. They work collaboratively to address these gaps and support progress. However, there are a few children who find it harder to engage with other children or staff during their independent time. This means they do not develop their social and communication skills as quickly as they could.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Leaders focus on ensuring children have a smooth start in the early years. Staff gather detailed information from previous settings, as well as from parents and carers, which helps them tailor provision effectively. For example, the school has recently introduced an intervention to support children’s emotional well-being, in response to an increase in need. This supports their progress and generally prepares them well for Year 1.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders quickly identify pupils’ needs and put appropriate support in place promptly. As a small school, cohorts change regularly, therefore, systems are well embedded so that staff can respond effectively. Staff confidently adapt their plans, adjusting targets as needed, which ensures that pupils receive the best possible support. This support may be delivered by any of the well-trained staff and enables pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to access learning and make progress.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders' use of additional funding is carefully tailored to meet the needs of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders use monitoring and assessment systems to check impact and adapt provision swiftly, ensuring that support remains relevant and effective.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

The school works in partnership with a wide range of external agencies. Some agencies provide additional support, whereas others offer specialist expertise that helps the school to refine its provision further. For example, the school liaises closely with the specialist behaviour support service, which provides clear advice and guidance to help staff meet pupils’ needs. Leaders are tenacious in ensuring that pupils receive the right support, especially those who are, or have previously been, known to social care. This approach ensures that outcomes are improving.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders, including governors and trustees know and understand the school’s changing context well. They have successfully worked together to improve pupils attendance as well as reducing persistent absence. Alongside seeing improvements in pupils academic achievements especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as disadvantaged pupils. They have a clear vision for addressing the challenges the school faces and show a clear commitment to securing the best possible provision for pupils. Leaders work effectively with external professionals, alongside the trust team, to support continued improvement and ensure their plans are delivered successfully. The school works closely within the trust. This strengthens collaboration and professional development across schools. Staff receive extensive and tailored professional development, which leaders align closely with the school’s priorities for improvement. Leaders and

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

colleagues provide support. Staff appreciate the collaborative culture within the school. They know that leaders value their views when changes are introduced. For example, leaders involved staff in the development of the new marking policy, balancing the need to manage workload with the importance of providing pupils with meaningful feedback. This approach helps staff maintain a healthy work–life balance.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders place emphasis on staff wellbeing and regularly prioritise this through an 'open- door' policy. Staff value this supportive approach. Parents and carers, staff and pupils have regular opportunities to provide feedback about the school’s work. This feedback is well considered with changes being made as and where necessary. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about their own experiences with the school and their children’s education.

p.4