Kingsland CofE School

116891 Unique Reference Number Herefordshire Local Authority 312436 Inspection number 18 October 2007 Inspection date Laurie Lewin 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 Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 129 School The governing body Appropriate authority Wendy Priday Chair Angela Daniel Headteacher 2 June 2003 Date of previous school inspection Kingsland School address Leominster HR6 9QN 01568 708436 Telephone number 01568 709172 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 18 October 2007 Inspection date 312436 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 who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: What the school’s tracking information shows about pupils’ progress and how this matches up with results in national tests; the quality of assessment procedures; and the quality of work in subjects such as history and geography. Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail, but inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a small village school. Nearly all of the pupils are White British. The proportion of them with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is slightly lower than the national average, as is the proportion known to be eligible for free school meals. The attainment of children starting school is broadly in line with that expected for their age.

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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: Kingsland CofE School, 18 October 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school. In the words of some of the Year 6 pupils, 'Kingsland is an amazing school because we get all sorts of opportunities to do well in different things.' They are right! Not only do they show great success academically, but they also shine in their sports and musical activities. They talk proudly about the success of their school sports teams in local, county and national tournaments and the huge collection of trophies and awards that adorn the school entrance area. Over the 18 months since her permanent appointment, the headteacher has helped the school move forward in a dynamic way, building on the legacy of high academic and sporting standards firmly established by her predecessor. It is an accolade to the staff and governors that the school maintained its high standards through a phase of changeover in staff prior to the appointment of the current headteacher. The leadership and management of the

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Grade: 1

school are exemplary. The headteacher, very ably supported by her deputy, successfully creates an atmosphere in which the staff and governors carry out their roles with full commitment. They ensure the school motto that all pupils 'learn to love and love to learn' is kept as a main focus at all times. The school has a very astute awareness of what works well and what needs fine-tuning. Coupled with the high energy and enthusiasm of the staff and governors, this means that there is excellent capacity for the school to keep on moving from strength to strength. The school's self-evaluation document uses a quote from W.B Yeats, 'Education is not about filling buckets, but lighting fires.' The excellent teaching from the Foundation Stage through to Year 6 shows that many 'fires' are being lit and instilling an enthusiasm for learning in the pupils. This results in pupils making outstanding progress in their work so that they reach

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Grade: 1

standards in English, mathematics and science that are well above average by the time they leave the school. A large proportion of pupils particularly enjoy participating in music and sports activities and they do very well in these areas as a result of the excellent teaching and coaching they receive. The school rightly identifies that, while standards in history and geography are good, they are not as strong as in other subjects. This is partly because assessment systems are not as sophisticated here as, for example, in English, mathematics and science. An exciting curriculum that draws on an excellent range of extra activities, visits and visitors gives pupils' learning a really strong boost. Similarly, pupils' academic success is given a strong boost by the high quality care, guidance and support provision. Part of the reason that pupils do so well is because they have good clarity about the targets set for them and the next steps needed to

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Grade: 1

improve their work. This, in turn, results from the school's excellent systems for tracking pupils' progress and analysing the resulting information to guide the process of setting targets. The extensive and very well organised support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities ensures they achieve just as well as all other groups of pupils. The teaching assistants play a vital role in this area of support. They do excellent work with supporting groups of pupils or individuals as well as playing a major role in helping teachers ensure that lessons run smoothly and efficiently. The strong Christian ethos of the school ensures that pupils develop a very full understanding of values in life, particularly in relation to showing respect for one another and people from different cultural backgrounds. Along with the strong support they receive, this helps pupils reach high standards with their personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social

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Grade: 1

and cultural development. Their strong involvement in sport and the successful emphasis the school places on eating properly ensures pupils are fit and healthy. They have many good 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsland CofE School, 18 October 2007 opportunities to demonstrate their talents in the local community. Through this, the work of their school council and the wide range of fund-raising activities in which they are involved, they make lots of contributions to the immediate and wider community. Pupils say they feel completely safe in school and their strong academic showing means that they are well armed to ensure their future success. Discussions with them and observations of them working show that they enjoy school life immensely. Parents have a very high regard for the school and many of them have much involvement with supporting different activities.

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Grade: 1

The excellent teaching for children in the Foundation Stage brings a touch of magic into their lives that imbues them with a clear impression that learning is huge fun. This gets children off to an excellent start at school. The teacher's warmth, charisma and good sense of humour means that the classroom abounds with smiles and children captivated by her every word. Teaching and support staff work very closely together and succeed in catering very precisely for children's academic and pastoral needs. As a result, children achieve exceptionally well and reach standards that exceed the expected levels by the time they start Year 1. The classroom is very well laid out and provides attractive displays of children's work and displays designed to stimulate children's ideas and imaginations in a wide range of curricular areas.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Bring standards in history and geography up to the same high standards as in other subjects by fine-tuning the assessment procedures and the use of assessment information. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsland CofE School, 18 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: Kingsland CofE School, 18 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 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?

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: Kingsland CofE School, 18 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: Kingsland CofE School, 18 October 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 October 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Kingsland Church of England Primary School, Kingsland HR6 9QN

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ It was really good fun coming to visit your school! Thank you for making me so welcome, talking to me and helping me during the school's inspection. I especially enjoyed the good discussion I had with some of you from Year 6. You will be pleased to know that the school is doing an outstanding job. Here are some of the most important parts of the report. ■ You work really hard in lessons and your achievement as you move through the school is excellent. This helps you to reach well above average standards. ■ Your personal development is outstanding. You all enjoy school and you are rightly proud of your sporting and musical achievements. ■ Staff make sure that there is lots of exciting work for you, and all the trips, visitors and the great range of extra activities really make your time at school enjoyable. ■ You told me that your teachers and teaching assistants do an excellent job and I totally agree

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

with you. You are lucky to have such talented and creative people working with you. ■ The school is very good at making sure you are safe and that there is always someone available to help with any problems. ■ Your headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, does a tremendous job of helping everyone work together to make the school as good as it is.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ With so much that is good going on in your school, it is hard to see what else can be improved! However, the school is right to spot that, although you achieve good standards in history and geography, there is scope for improvement ° to make your achievement in these subjects as high as it is, for example, in English, mathematics and science. ■ Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly when I came to see you. Laurie Lewin Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Kingsland CofE School, 18 October 2007

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Annex B

Inspection of Kingsland Church of England Primary School, Kingsland HR6 9QN

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Annex B

It was really good fun coming to visit your school! Thank you for making me so welcome, talking to me and helping me during the school’s inspection. I especially enjoyed the good discussion I had with some of you from Year 6. You will be pleased to know that the school is doing an outstanding job. Here are some of the most important parts of the report.

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Annex B

• You work really hard in lessons and your achievement as you move through the school is excellent. This helps you to reach well above average standards. • Your personal development is outstanding. You all enjoy school and you are rightly proud of your sporting and musical achievements. • Staff make sure that there is lots of exciting work for you, and all the trips, visitors and the great range of extra activities really make your time at school enjoyable. • You told me that your teachers and teaching assistants do an excellent job and I totally agree with you. You are lucky to have such talented and creative people working with you. • The school is very good at making sure you are safe and that there is always someone available to help with any problems. • Your headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, does a tremendous job of helping everyone work together to make the school as good as it is.

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Annex B

With so much that is good going on in your school, it is hard to see what else can be improved! However, the school is right to spot that, although you achieve good standards in history and geography, there is scope for improvement – to make your achievement in these subjects as high as it is, for example, in English, mathematics and science.

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Annex B

Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly when I came to see you.

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