Kempsey Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school.

They enjoy their work and the wider activities on offer, for example 'gym fest', for younger children. Pupils attend school regularly. They respond enthusiastically to well-planned lessons.

Pupils have high standards of behaviour and attitudes to learning in class and around school.

Pupils have a good understanding of other cultures through activities such as 'playgrounds through the world'. As a result, they respect each other's differences.

Relationships are strong.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils. Their ethos is to 'challenge, create and dream'.

However, there was a dip in outcomes in 2019 in... reading, writing and mathematics.

Leaders have worked successfully to improve the way they plan the teaching of mathematics. Reading has a high priority.

Nearly all pupils read books that are well-matched to the sounds and letters they know. They produce written work of high quality, for example in English, science and French. Leaders know there is still more to do to plan work in some subjects, such as design and technology.

Leaders make sure pupils are safe. Parents, staff and pupils overwhelmingly agreed with this. Pupils spoken to confirmed this.

Leaders deal effectively with any rare bullying incidents that occur.

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

Children get off to a good start in Reception. They settle quickly to their routines.

As a result, they start to learn to read very early on in the first term. Staff ensure that children acquire their phonics skills promptly. This is because of the way teachers plan and implement lessons sequentially.

This is not achieved as consistently well in key stage 1. However, by the end of Year 2 most pupils have achieved the expected standard in phonics and are reading regularly and often. Leaders foster a love of reading throughout the school.

Pupils enthusiastically choose books from the appropriate band they have reached.

Progress and standards in reading, writing and mathematics were low for Year 6 pupils in 2019. Leaders have made changes to make sure that the way mathematics is planned helps pupils to learn and remember more.

It also enables more pupils to work at greater depth.

Leaders have done much to improve opportunities for pupils to write with fluency and accuracy in their English lessons. This is supported in other subjects where pupils write regularly.

For example, a biography of Florence Nightingale in history. Leaders have set out plans clearly for a sequence of learning in reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar. These enable pupils to build on what they already know.

Leaders map out pupils' learning and progress expectations as set out in the national curriculum. Leaders have made rapid progress with their curriculum plans this year, including in physical education (PE). This ensures that there is a plan of progression and skills in place.

Similarly, leaders have set out clearly how they will check what pupils have learned in subjects such as PE. Planning in science ensures that pupils learn and remember more, for example about the heart and circulatory system. Younger pupils could recall their learning about classification of animals and the key features of mammals.

They have a good understanding of rain forests. Curriculum planning in French ensures that pupils build on their previous learning. As a result, Year 6 pupils are writing in sentences and short paragraphs.

Teachers know their subject well. Plans are less well developed in some subjects, including design and technology. In these subjects plans do not indicate clearly enough what leaders and teachers expect pupils to learn.

Leaders provide a wealth of activities and clubs for pupils to enjoy, such as the 'Kempsey Fest' sleepover. However, they do not check if disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) take up these opportunities as regularly as other pupils. Similarly, leaders are not analysing in enough depth any patterns in the small number of behaviour and bullying incidents for these pupils.

Leaders take great care to ensure that no pupils miss out on any of the subjects on offer. They have not excluded any pupil since long before the school became an academy. The school works successfully to integrate a high number of pupils mid-way through the year, some of whom have been previously excluded from other schools.

The school has a growing number of pupils with SEND. Most parents were very positive about the provision of care and support in the school, which is of high quality. Leaders have ensured additional effective support for pupils' emotional well-being through counselling.

Leaders have responded to reducing staff workload, for example in planning and assessment in mathematics and PE. Staff who responded were unanimous in their appreciation of leaders' actions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders are highly responsive to any safeguarding incidents that occur. They ensure that any concerns are investigated thoroughly. Where necessary, they report incidents promptly.

Records are kept safely and securely. Training is up to date, and staff know about the latest Department for Education guidance. Staff know how to report and record any concerns they have.

Governors ensure that leaders carry out all their duties and meet all their statutory responsibilities.

Pupils, including younger ones, know how to keep themselves self on the road, during a fire drill and, for older ones, when using the internet or using social media.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Standards and rates of progress in reading, writing, mathematics were low in 2019.

Leaders should ensure that the actions they are taking lead to significant improvements in 2020, including for those working in greater depth or a high standard, so that more pupils are well prepared for secondary school in their literacy and numeracy skills to succeed in a wider range of subjects. . Leaders have made significant progress in implementing their curriculum plans in a range of subjects.

There are some, including design and technology, where this is less well developed. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans in all subjects are consistently in place, so that teachers are clear of expectations and the knowledge and skills pupils should achieve. This should include arrangements for how leaders are going to assess pupils' learning in each subject.

. Leaders have not sufficiently monitored the uptake of disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND for the clubs and other activities on offer to ensure that they are as involved in school life as their peers Their analysis of bullying and behaviour incidents for these groups of pupils as perpetrators or victims is also underdeveloped. They should ensure that appropriate monitoring and analysis is in place.

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