Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Kelsale Church of England Voluntary-Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Kelsale Church of England Primary School is a warm and welcoming place. Pupils and staff stay true to the school vision that 'together, we believe, we learn, laugh and shine'.

Pupils meet the high expectations staff have of their learning and behaviour.

Pupils enjoy their lessons and try hard. They describe how they become good learners by following the school's 5 Cs: to be curious learners, creators, collaborators, communicators and critical thinkers.

As a result, pupils flourish. Pupils' parents recognise that leaders and staff ensu...re that all pupils receive a strong start to their schooling.

Pupils are kind, well behaved and respectful.

They are proud to be members of this highly inclusive school. They look after each other. Pupils enjoy the opportunity to become school councillors and relish the responsibilities this brings.

This includes interviewing prospective members of staff. Older pupils speak with pride about acting as role models for younger pupils.

Pupils feel safe at school because staff listen to them.

This helps forge positive, trusting relationships between pupils and the staff. Pupils are confident in staff members' ability to resolve issues. Pupils know if bullying occurs, teachers will deal with it firmly and thoughtfully.

Therefore, bullying is rare.

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

Using input from staff, leaders developed an ambitious and logically sequenced curriculum. The specific knowledge they want pupils to know is set out clearly.

The curriculum considers the needs and interests of the pupils as well as the school's core values of respect, compassion and perseverance. As a result, the curriculum plans help teachers understand and build on the key knowledge that pupils should know from Reception to Year 6. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils in Year 1 learn to send and receive a ball accurately in football.

Then pupils in Year 2 build on this to perform a series of passes over a short distance.

In the early years, the curriculum sets out what children need to learn and when. Children are keen to learn and focus on the appropriate and engaging activities staff plan.

For example, following a phonics lesson, children sorted labelled pictures to help a monster identify foods beginning with the 'm' sound. Some subject leaders lack the training or experience to know how children learn in the early years. Consequently, when they check provision, they do not identify potential issues, such as ensuring children develop the depth of knowledge they should across all areas of learning.

Teachers make effective use of assessment in most subjects. This allows teachers to precisely identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and quickly pick up and resolve any misconceptions. As a result, pupils make good progress.

In a few subjects, assessment is not as precise. This means staff do not always spot when a pupil needs extra help to secure their understanding.

Pupils learn to read using a consistent approach across the school.

Staff are well trained to teach phonics, so children get off to a good start. The books they take home are well matched to the sounds that they know. Leaders quickly identify any pupils who need help to keep up with learning their sounds.

These pupils are provided with the support they need. As a result, pupils become confident, fluent readers.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support.

Leaders identify pupils' needs on entry to the school. Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND access a curriculum suited to their needs. This is usually the same curriculum as their peers, but with suitable adaptations that aid pupils' understanding.

This works because staff receive training to support these pupils to be successful.

Pupils' wider development is at the heart of the school's work. Pupils celebrate diversity and learn about different types of family.

They told the inspector the important thing in any family is 'to care and to love'. Pupils value people of all backgrounds. They learn about what it means to be a refugee.

They also support the food bank in their local community.

Governors check the work of school leaders to ensure that pupils receive a good quality of education. Plans for further improvement are clear.

Leaders support staff to manage their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know pupils and their families well.

Leaders have built strong relationships with families to help keep pupils safe. Staff report all concerns about pupil welfare. Leaders act on concerns immediately.

They work well with other agencies, such as children's services. Staff have an 'open door' policy. They take the time to listen to pupils, so pupils feel safe.

Leaders make all the required checks on adults to ensure they are safe to work with pupils in the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have developed a curriculum which builds sequentially on knowledge from the early years. However, where some subject leaders lack knowledge, they do not know how to check if the curriculum in the early years is working well.

Therefore, they do not know if the curriculum in the early years is strengthening children's start to their education as well as it could. Leaders should arrange appropriate training and support to address this, helping leaders at all levels to understand how best to monitor staff's implementation of the curriculum in the early years. ? In a few subjects, teachers do not use assessment as effectively as they could.

They are not consistently able to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge. Leaders should improve teachers' use of assessment so that it is consistently strong across the curriculum.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2013.