Kennett Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Kennett Primary School continues to be a good school.

The headteacher of this school is Scott Horsley.

This school is part of Staploe Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Dr Carin Taylor, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Simon Wright.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time here and thrive at this small school.

They know the 'KennettCAN!' values well. They are proud to put these values into action each day as they try hard, aim high and behave kindly.

Pupils know that their teachers expect them to do the...ir best.

They respond to this with great enthusiasm. Even the youngest children, in the early years, listen carefully to their teacher and each other. They are eager to learn and to show what they know.

Older pupils work diligently. They show mature attitudes to learning. Overall, pupils achieve well and produce work of a high standard.

Behaviour is good, and pupils feel safe. The few pupils who need extra help to manage their behaviour get the right support from adults as they learn to manage tricky feelings. Pupils are considerate and respectful towards adults and their peers.

This starts in pre-school, where children learn to share, take turns and include everyone in their play.

Staff seek and consider pupils' views. The well-being council works with the headteacher and pupils to bring about improvements to playtime, such as the calm hut, which is a cosy spot for pupils to relax with cushions and books.

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

Leaders at every level share a commitment to continually raising standards in a nurturing environment. They are reflective and tenacious in their drive to secure the continued growth and development of the school. Leaders take the views of staff and other members of the community into account when managing these changes.

They are considerate of the workload demands for staff in a small school. They provide the time and support that staff need. This shared vision, along with helpful training and regular checks, enables effective teamwork from everyone involved.

The school has carefully considered how best to organise learning to secure progress as pupils move through the school in mixed-age classes. The curriculum is ambitious. Learning starts straight away in the early years and develops in small steps as pupils build new ideas on what they already know.

Pupils clearly articulate their ideas and develop their thinking in lessons. Teachers use assessment well to check pupils' understanding in lessons and over time. They put in place carefully tailored interventions to help to address any misconceptions.

Occasionally, some pupils do not get the same opportunities to deepen their knowledge before moving on to new learning. When this happens, a few pupils have weaker understanding and achieve less well. Over time, however, most pupils make strong progress and achieve well.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get carefully tailored extra help. Adults provide skilful support. They establish good relationships with the pupils they help.

They build pupils' confidence as well as their understanding. In lessons, pupils with SEND are well included with their peers. Teachers make extra checks on their learning.

They provide extra resources and adjust tasks when needed so that pupils with SEND can join in and make progress.

The school has a carefully considered approach to teaching pupils to read. Teachers ensure that pupils learning to read regularly practise their phonics with books that are well matched to the sounds they are learning.

Teachers check what pupils know and swiftly put in place extra help for those who need it. Most pupils learn to read well and with enthusiasm. In some lessons, adults teach new vocabulary precisely, but this is not consistent.

A few pupils do not understand all of the words that they can read and cannot then use these words effectively in their writing.

Pupils know that attending regularly is important for their learning and well-being. Teachers establish fair, consistent routines in class so that learning proceeds smoothly.

Pupils are confident that adults will stop any unkind behaviour straight away. As a result, breaktimes are calm and inclusive. Older pupils help the youngest children to join in activities confidently.

Adults organise energetic games and pupils enjoy adventurous play in 'the spinney'. Other pupils relax with colouring or reading.

The school provides a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities to enrich learning.

These include trips to museums, the outdoor adventure centre and the nearby pony academy. Through links across the trust, pupils learn to play instruments and consider a wide range of careers. Leaders considered the views and aspirations of pupils when designing the curriculum.

As a result, pupils learn about financial skills early in key stage 2 and older pupils learn about changes and transition, ready for secondary school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, some pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to apply new learning in depth.

When this happens, these pupils do not achieve as well as they could because they do not practise using knowledge to develop a secure understanding. The school should ensure that teachers consistently provide all pupils with tasks that enable them to practise, secure and deepen their knowledge. ? Adults do not always teach new vocabulary clearly and ensure that pupils understand and can use this independently and correctly.

This affects the quality of some pupils' written work as they do not have the extensive vocabulary needed to convey their ideas clearly and to high standards. The school should ensure that all adults have the expertise to teach new words clearly so that pupils can use them skilfully, appropriately and with confidence in their written work.

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 October 2014.