Kingsley Primary School

Kingsley Primary School Inspection report

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111601 Unique Reference Number Hartlepool Local Authority 310638 Inspection number 4 October 2007 Inspection date Linda Buller 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 461 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Gwyneth Hanson Chair Mr David Dobson Headteacher 1 November 2003 Date of previous school inspection Taybrooke Avenue School address Hartlepool TS25 5JR 01429 273102 Telephone number 01429 427098 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 4 October 2007 Inspection date 310638 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. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: achievement and standards in writing; curriculum provision, particularly for those pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities; provision for pupils’ health and well-being; how well the school uses information from monitoring to set challenging targets. Evidence was gathered from performance data and other school documentation, observations of teaching and learning, the work produced by pupils (including how pupils interact with each other and their response to what is provided for them), parents’ questionnaires and discussions with pupils, staff and governors. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation form, were not justified and these have been included where appropriate

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Description of the school

This is a large school set in an area of mixed housing. The proportion of pupils who claim a free school meal is above the national average. A below average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, although the proportion with a statement of special educational need is higher than average. This is because the school now has 21 places for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders. Most pupils are of White British heritage with a few from minority ethnic backgrounds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsley Primary School, 4 October 2007

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Grade: 1

Kingsley provides an outstanding standard of education and care for all pupils. The staff believe that if pupils are provided with the best then they will achieve their best. The success of this philosophy is evident in the high quality teaching and care of pupils which results in outstanding achievement and exceptionally high standards. Outstanding relationships with parents and partnerships with other agencies are a significant strength of the school. This extremely caring school welcomes all children; it is very inclusive and is focused on encouraging academic and personal excellence for all pupils regardless of the barriers which many need to overcome. Pupils and parents recognise this and say that this is one of the main reasons for their children’s outstanding personal development. Strong teamwork and the highly effective leadership of the headteacher and his senior staff are key factors in the school’s success. They have created a strong, happy, family ethos where

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Grade: 1

positive attitudes to learning and exemplary behaviour ensure that all pupils succeed. Accurate, if at times modest, self-evaluation is based on detailed analysis of assessment data, thorough monitoring of the quality of teaching and rigorous tracking of pupils' progress. For example, following a small dip in writing in the test results at the end of Year 6 in 2006 the school has been quick to act. Adjustments have been made to the curriculum and individual pupils’ targets have been sharpened. As a result, school records show that in 2007 standards in English were exceptionally high with more than half the pupils who took the end of Key Stage 2 tests exceeding the level expected for their age in English. The school exceeded its challenging targets. Extensive, high quality resources contribute significantly to consistently good and often outstanding teaching. The support and guidance provided for every pupil is exemplary.

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Grade: 1

Consequently, although children enter the school with skills and understanding that are below those typical of their age group, they make excellent progress so that by the time they leave Year 6 standards are significantly above average and often exceptionally high. Teaching assistants play a major role in this, particularly in their skilful and sensitive support for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders. All staff support pupils in fully understanding how well they are doing and how to use the targets they are set to improve their work. Targets are effectively incorporated into the tasks set in lessons and are referred to in the detailed marking of pupils’ work. In this way pupils are consistently challenged to do their best and improve. The curriculum is outstanding and provides tremendous opportunities for pupils' academic and personal development. It contributes significantly to their excellent spiritual, moral, social and

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Grade: 1

cultural development. Pupils respond with enthusiasm because they say they find learning fun and exiting. They enjoy working together and respect the contributions of others. Procedures for ensuring the safety of pupils are robust and meet national guidelines. Pupils feel safe and secure and take pride in everything they do. They have a considerable voice in the school. Through open assemblies every pupil has the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas. Pupils are confident that they are listened to and that they really make a difference in their school community. They are especially proud of their part in healthy eating initiatives and how well they respond to the vast range of opportunities to take regular exercise. For example, their work with the outdoor assistant, particularly on the climbing wall, not only provides exercise but adds significantly to pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. By the time they leave, pupils

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Grade: 1

have developed a high level of personal and academic skills to help them move on successfully in all that they do. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsley Primary School, 4 October 2007 The governing body is well informed and brings a range of experiences to the school. They are very supportive and are not afraid to question decisions in order to benefit pupils' education. There is a shared desire to move the school forward which, despite a significant change in the intake, has ensured that the school has maintained its high standards since the last inspection and continues to have an outstanding capacity to improve.

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Grade: 1

Excellent provision in the Foundation Stage provides children with outstanding, innovative and well planned activities. Children’s attainment on entry to the Nursery is below that typical of children of their age. Excellent teaching enables children to get off to a flying start in their learning. Accurate, thorough assessment and detailed planning ensure that the different learning needs of each child are well met. In the Nursery, a strong emphasis on personal and social education helps children to develop confidence and independence at an early stage in their learning. This is built on well in the Reception class where the highly effective staff team provides challenging activities that move children's learning on well. Consequently, most children reach standards in line with the expectation for their age by the time they enter Year 1.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ There are no major issues additional to those already identified in the current school improvement plan. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsley Primary School, 4 October 2007 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsley Primary School, 4 October 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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 1 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

1 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 1 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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 2 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?

1 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsley Primary School, 4 October 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsley Primary School, 4 October 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Letter to pupils explaining the findings of 5 October 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Kingsley Primary School, Hartlepool, TS25 5JR I really enjoyed visiting your school. Thank you for sharing with me all the wonderful things that you do. You helped me to understand how the school works and what makes it so outstanding. You and your parents are obviously very proud of your school and I think you have every right to be. Staff take exceptionally good care of you and it was good to see that you respond very well by helping each other and always trying your best. I agree with you that you have wonderful learning resources, that your school is an exciting place to learn and that your teachers make lessons interesting and fun. Your headteacher leads the school very well and all the staff keep a careful eye on how well you are doing. They make sure that they set you real challenges and this helps you to improve

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your work. This is so successful that you reach very high standards by the time you leave the school. Thank you again for being so helpful and I hope you continue to enjoy your wonderful school. Yours sincerely Linda Buller Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsley Primary School, 4 October 2007

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