Kemble Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's excellent personal development offer ensures pupils become knowledgeable active citizens. They learn to 'courageously advocate' for others.

Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are exemplary. They attend school very regularly. Pupils are safe and extremely well cared for by staff.

The school is a calm and orderly environment. Children in Reception benefit from time spent with their Year 6 'buddies' who show them how to get along with others. Children quickly gain the skills needed to make friends and learn together successfully.

Pupils learn to make the right choices.

The school is ambitious for pupils to be the best they can be. This ambitio...n is realised in most subjects, especially through the personal social and health education (PSHE) curriculum.

Pupils have a detailed knowledge of how to maintain a healthy body and mind. They enjoy physical activities. Pupils learn to grow their own vegetables and herbs.

Pupils aspire to have careers and they aim to contribute to local, national and global change.

Pupils know and understand about life outside of Kemble. They learn respect and tolerance as 'everyone is different'.

Pupils say, 'it's okay to be you'. Pupils share their thoughts and views confidently, with maturity and humility.

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

The school's vision and values are underpinned by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The school's strong personal development offer ensures pupils learn about the fundamental British values in depth. Pupils become informed and well-rounded citizens with a clear social and moral conscience.

The school has rightly made learning to read a priority.

Staff have a secure knowledge of phonics. The youngest pupils read books that match the phonics they learn. Staff support pupils who need extra help to learn to read.

Staff support ensures pupils practise their phonics and reading regularly. As a result, pupils build their phonics knowledge, reading speed and accuracy well.

Pupils read a wide range of books.

The books are specifically chosen to help pupils understand people's lives that are different from their own. Visits from authors and trips to local literary festivals help to nurture pupils' love of reading.

Since the last inspection, the school has worked tirelessly to develop its curriculum.

Most subject curriculums are clearly sequenced to build pupils' knowledge, skills and vocabulary over time. Leaders have thought about the needs of their school community. The school has identified the essential knowledge pupils must know and remember from the early years to Year 6.

In these subjects, the school has broken down the essential knowledge into small, achievable steps. This helps teachers to accurately check that pupils have secured their knowledge. For example, pupils are asked to explain their mathematical thinking using the correct mathematical vocabulary when solving problems.

Pupils are prepared well for the next stage of their education in these subjects.

Nevertheless, there are a few subject curriculums, including in the early years, that are not as well developed. The essential knowledge the school wants pupils to know and remember is not identified.

This makes it difficult for teachers to plan and check what pupils must know and remember. Pupils do not make connections between facts learned. As a result, pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge expected by the school.

For example, pupils can remember historical facts but are unable to link important concepts.

Leaders and external agencies work closely together to correctly identify pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This begins in the early years.

Staff know pupils and their individual needs well. Pupils with SEND learn effectively. The school is developing a system to ensure parents have more information about their child's provision.

Staff have very high expectations for pupils' behaviour. This begins in the early years where children follow clear routines. Pupils quickly learn the skills to resolve conflicts and take responsibility for their own actions.

Staff provide additional support to pupils who need help to recognise and manage their emotions and behaviour. This work is extremely effective.

The trust prioritises the professional development of staff, governors and trustees.

Staff benefit from working with colleagues and leaders from across the trust. This is starting to include the development of subject leaders in small schools.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, pupils do not make links between important concepts well enough. This makes it difficult for them to build on prior knowledge. The school needs to identify the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn and to check and strengthen pupils' knowledge of these concepts to help pupils make connections within and across subjects.