Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery

Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery Inspection report

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110995 Unique Reference Number Cheshire Local Authority 288821 Inspection number 9 July 2007 Inspection date John Atkinson Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 226 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Fred Coleman Chair Mr A Rowe Headteacher 11 March 2002 Date of previous school inspection Middle Lane School address Kingsley Frodsham Cheshire WA6 6TZ

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01928 788436 Telephone number 0 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 9 July 2007 Inspection date 288821 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Kingsley Community Primary and Nursery is an average sized school. It is very popular with parents and the majority of its pupils are from outside the catchment area. Very few pupils are entitled to free school meals. A small number of pupils come from a minority ethnic heritage and there is a very small percentage of pupils whose first language is not English. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well below the national average and the number of pupils with statements of special educational need is similar to the national average. A new headteacher has been appointed from September 2007 following the retirement of the current headteacher.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery, 9 July 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has significant outstanding features. It is particularly effective in promoting pupils' enjoyment of learning and developing their determination to work hard and do their very best. Under the good leadership of the dedicated, long-serving headteacher, the school is firmly focused on ensuring that pupils become respectful, responsible and 'rounded' young citizens with an appetite for learning and a thirst for knowledge. The majority of parents are thrilled with the children's progress and they are highly complimentary of the staff's commitment to providing a rich and diverse education. Pupils endorse their parents' views and talk enthusiastically and proudly about their experiences and achievements. By the time the pupils leave school they have developed into confident, articulate and independent young people who are very well equipped for the next stage in their education.

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Grade: 2

Standards by the end of Year 6 are very high and achievement throughout the school is good. Pupils start Year 1 with standards ahead of those of a similar age nationally because of the flying start they get in the Foundation Stage and the excellent support they receive from home and parents. By the end of Key Stage 1, standards are above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Good progress continues throughout the rest of the school. Most pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well. By the time they leave school at the age of 11 the pupils attain very high standards in English, mathematics and science. Results in the Key Stage 2 national tests have consistently been well above average for the past five years. Pupils achieve well because teaching is good and expectations are high. Teachers establish a vibrant and positive ethos where pupils are eager to become immersed in the challenging and

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Grade: 2

interesting tasks and activities they are set. The impact is that pupils are highly motivated and grow in self-confidence with a willingness to tackle work of increasing difficulty. Whilst teaching has a strong emphasis on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy, pupils have excellent opportunities to practise these skills in a wide range of different contexts by following topics that make effective links between different subjects. The curriculum is outstanding and plays a highly significant role in broadening pupils' horizons and extending their appreciation of the diversity of the world around them. Pupils participate in an amazing amount of exciting events and activities resulting in their excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Through visits, visiting musicians, theatre groups and annual residential trips, pupils are inspired to enjoy and 'have a go' at developing skills in, what for many, is unchartered territory. It is no

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Grade: 2

surprise that attendance is good and participation in additional school activities is extensive. Pupils' personal development is outstanding and is the ideal platform for the pupil's long-term success. The relationships between pupils and staff are excellent and built upon mutual trust and respect. Pupils have a real 'voice' in their school. They are articulate and bursting with enthusiasm to express opinions, take decisions and contribute to activities in the local community. Pupils feel secure about asking for help and support and are always willing to help each other with any difficulties. Their behaviour is very good and reflects the high expectations of the school. They feel entirely safe and are absolutely confident that that any problems will be dealt with quickly and fairly. The school provides a healthy environment and excellent opportunities for pupils to practise a healthy lifestyle. The school gives good care and support

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Grade: 2

to pupils. There is undoubtedly a 'can do' culture throughout the school and pupils feel highly valued as individuals. Teachers set the pupils targets and praise is used well to encourage and motivate them. However, the guidance they receive, from marking and other feedback, is not 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery, 9 July 2007 always clear enough to direct them so that they know what they have to do to reach the target as quickly as possible. The school's effective provision derives directly from the quality of leadership and management. The headteacher is a strong leader who drives the school forwards with dedication and commitment. An able senior leadership team, who work effectively in supporting and initiating improvements, supports him very well. The leadership team are modest in the self-evaluation of the school's performance. Good improvement has been made since the last inspection and

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Grade: 2

the governing body continues to effectively challenge and support the school in its desire to give the very best for all pupils. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Give clear feedback and guidance so that pupils know exactly what it is they need to do to improve their work as quickly as possible.

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Grade: 2

Most pupils join the school with skills that are above those expected for their age. Pupils make good progress in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. The standards they reach in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 are above average. This has been a consistent picture for the past three years. Pupils' good progress in English, mathematics and science is sustained throughout Key Stage 2 and they achieve well. Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 have been consistently high for the past five years. There is strong evidence that pupils achieve exceptionally well in music, physical education and information and communication technology. Successful interventions are put in place to support any pupils in danger of falling behind. Teaching assistants are very effective in helping individuals or groups of pupils to keep up with the demanding work. Consequently, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities generally

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal, spiritual, social, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. It reflects the school's very positive ethos in which pupils feel very happy, at ease with themselves and eager to do well. Attendance is good because pupils look forward to going to school with anticipation of what is on offer. They behave very well and relationships are excellent. Older pupils look after younger pupils and everyone is aware of the responsibilities they have to each other. Pupils have a very good understanding of how to stay healthy and use this knowledge when making choices about what to eat and drink. Taking part in sporting and physical activities is a significant factor of life at school and key in extending their friendships and broadening their interests. Pupils want to contribute to community life and thrive in the extensive musical and other community events they participate in. Pupils benefit enormously from the array of

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Grade: 1

opportunities available to them by acquiring the essential skills of independence, initiative and team-work that will support them well in their next stage of education and beyond. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery, 9 July 2007

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. A real strength is how teachers plan pupils' learning by taking account of each individual's activities and interests. They strive to make learning lively and relevant through the use of good resources and practical activities. Good use of interactive whiteboards motivates pupils to want to learn, although some pupils are desperately keen to participate more themselves. Questioning is thoughtful and challenges pupils to think hard and justify their answers. Teachers and teaching assistants work well as a team to support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and this results in good progress for most pupils with their individual learning programmes. Staff are well qualified and increasingly confident in using assessment information to set targets. A recent initiative of involving pupils more directly in assessing their own progress is having a positive impact and is to be spread

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Grade: 2

throughout the school. Marking praises pupils' efforts but rarely tells pupils what exactly they need to do to improve, the exception being in Year 6.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding curriculum gives pupils a wealth of opportunities to achieve as well as possible, particularly in the arts. French is being introduced throughout the school and all pupils in Key Stage 2 have the opportunity to learn to play a brass or percussion instrument. Music teaching is strong and the curriculum is highly creative and practical. For example, the current art and technology exhibition illustrates how imaginative and innovative pupils are. Extra-curricular activities are many and varied and well attended. A good number of excellent visits are organised throughout the year which enhance pupils learning well. All pupils in Key Stage 2 have the opportunity to participate in annual residential trips where pupils have excellent experiences of outdoor activities that serve very effectively to develop their independence and team-building skills.

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Grade: 2

The school has a positive and caring ethos which underpins the good care and support that children receive and most parents value highly. A minority of parents feel that their concerns about their children's progress and security are not given high enough priority or attention. The school recognises this and has identified it as an area for improvement. Staff know pupils very well and good attention is given to ensuring that they settle in well and transfer to secondary school smoothly. Risk assessments, and the checks on adults who work with children, are rigorous. The school's new tracking system is helping to ensure that pupils' academic progress is monitored more robustly as they move through the school. Pupils, however, are not given enough guidance on how to reach their targets as quickly as possible and are sometimes unaware of the specific improvements they need to make. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery, 9 July 2007

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and parental comments reflect the fact that the school has 'an excellent staff led by an excellent headteacher who will be missed enormously'. The headteacher has provided stable leadership over a long period of time and has an effective senior leadership team to support him in continually shaping the vision and direction of the school. Good steps have been taken to implement key strategies and systems. For example, those strategies in all subjects that enable the school to track pupils' progress and monitor their performance. These have enabled the school to move forward successfully. As a result the school has made good progress since the last inspection. The governing body supports the school well. It provides rigorous challenge to every aspect of the school's performance in pursuit of maintaining the best quality of provision and the highest of academic standards.

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Grade: 2

7 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery, 9 July 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery, 9 July 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery, 9 July 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery, 9 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for making me welcome when I came to visit your school. I was very impressed by your behaviour and attitudes towards school and each other. It was a delight for me to see how you help and respect each other and your school environment. I am sure that that you enjoy school enormously. You told me that you went to a 'great' school and I agree with you. The staff take good care of you and give you the help and support to do your best. I think that you all work very hard and take part in everything that the school offers. As a result you do very well and reach high standards in all aspects of your learning. I think you should be proud that you go to a good school and proud of your own achievements. The reasons your school is good are that: • staff make learning fun and interesting • you have fantastic opportunities to do so many different activities, including residential trips • staff have high expectations of you and you respond enthusiastically

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• you behave very well and act sensibly all of the time. I think that you can help yourselves and the school by continuing with your very positive attitudes. It is really important that you make the most out of the opportunities school provides for you because then you will be able to achieve your ambitions - and I know from my discussions with you that you have very high ambitions! I have discussed with the staff what the school can do to get even better and we agreed that it is important that you are given very clear advice on how you can improve your work and reach your targets as quickly as possible. You are a credit to your school and your parents and I am pleased to have met such thoughtful and sensitive group of young people who have such an appetite for learning. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Kingsley Community Primary School and Nursery, 9 July 2007

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