Kilby St Mary’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school. Parents and carers appreciate the caring environment that leaders have established. Parents praise the 'strong family atmosphere' at the school.

The school's Christian values of respect, hope, forgiveness, perseverance, friendship and honesty are present throughout the school. Pupils show these values in their behaviour at school. Bullying is rare.

Pupils know that they can share concerns with staff if they experience a problem. They know that teachers will deal with bullying quickly if it should occur. Pupils are happy and safe at school.

Adults celebrate the success of pupils. Pupils enjoy receiving the 'jelly bean scented' certi...ficates to praise their achievement in specific subjects and for demonstrating the school's values.

This is an improving school.

The school has required significant improvement since the last inspection. Pupils, staff and families alike appreciate the changes that leaders have made. However, there is still improvement required.

In most subjects, leaders have not ensured that pupils know and remember specific knowledge. Improvement has started in the early years, but leaders have not made it clear what children need to learn to prepare them for the next stage of learning.

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

Leaders have prioritised early reading.

There is a new phonics programme in place. Leaders ensure that staff receive effective training. Consequently, the phonics programme is taught consistently.

Staff ensure that reading books match the letter sounds that pupils are learning. Frequent assessments mean that any pupil who might be falling behind is spotted quickly. There are daily opportunities for these pupils to catch up, ensuring they do not fall further behind.

There is a real love of reading among pupils, which they confirm, with one saying, 'Reading is my favourite thing about coming to school'. Every classroom has a book corner with a range of books to encourage this love of reading.

Although leaders have prioritised early reading, they have not been able to complete the same improvement in other subjects.

The curriculum for most subjects does not clearly show the specific knowledge pupils need to learn and when it should be taught. Curriculum plans for some subjects are more focused on the activities that pupils will engage in than on the knowledge they need to learn. Leaders have not always considered the early years when planning the curriculum, and there is a lack of clarity regarding what the youngest learners need to know in readiness for key stage 1.

Teaching is sometimes not adapted to suit the needs of all pupils. Some pupils do not develop a greater understanding of the topics they are studying. For others, misconceptions in their learning are missed.

Leaders have identified that the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) needs to improve. Parents say there has been an improvement in the communication they receive about their child's needs. There are processes in place to identify the needs of pupils with SEND.

Leaders want to introduce 'pupil passports' for pupils with SEND, but this has not yet been implemented for all pupils.

Behaviour expectations are woven through the school's Christian values, and high expectations are focused on positive reinforcement, with resources, for example, like a marble jar for recording positive behaviour. There are clear routines in place, from the early years onwards.

Where pupils struggle to make the right choices, a specially trained adult supports pupils to learn the skills needed to resolve differences and regulate their behaviour.

Leaders have high expectations for the attendance of their pupils. They know their pupils' families well, which allows them to identify barriers to pupils attending school.

Leaders work with families to remove these barriers.

The planned programme of collective worship delivers a question of the week linked to fundamental British values and the school's Christian values. Pupils are able to apply this information to their daily lives.

Pupils know that their school council demonstrates democracy in action. Pupils enjoy extra-curricular visits, such as the whole-school trip to a pantomime. Pupils benefit from taking part in film, music and dance festivals alongside other schools.

Older pupils take advantage of lunchtime clubs, ranging from tennis to gardening.

Governors and school leaders know that further improvement is needed. Governors have increased the monitoring of school systems and the curriculum.

However, this is not fully embedded across all areas. Governors, staff and parents know that leaders have implemented a lot of change since September, and they see the positive impact this has had in specific areas.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide staff with appropriate training. Staff know how to identify and raise concerns about a pupil's welfare. Leaders keep records of any concerns and the actions that are required to address these.

The governor for safeguarding regularly checks the safeguarding procedures.

Leaders work with a range of agencies to provide support for pupils and their families. The personal, social and health education curriculum supports pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe.

For example, they learn how to keep themselves safe on the internet.

Leaders ensure that appropriate recruitment procedures are followed.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a number of subjects, the precise knowledge, skills and vocabulary that leaders want pupils to learn, and by when, has not been thought through in sufficient detail.

In some lessons, pupils can remember the activity they completed rather than the exact content their teachers wanted them to learn. Consequently, pupils' knowledge is not secure. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum planning contains the exact knowledge, skills and vocabulary that they want pupils to learn, and by when, and that teachers implement this curriculum effectively.

• Sometimes, teachers do not successfully adapt their lessons to consider the different needs of pupils in their classes. Consequently, these pupils are not progressing as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the knowledge to adapt their lessons effectively so that pupils are able to make sufficient progress.

• Pupil passports are not yet being consistently used across the school. Consequently, teachers do not have the clarity in how to implement strategies to support pupils with SEND in their lessons. Leaders should ensure that all pupil passports are in place and clearly highlight the strategies adults need to implement to support pupils with SEND to progress as they should.

• The curriculum for the early years foundation stage lacks clarity about the specific knowledge, vocabulary and skills that the children need to know before moving to the next stage of learning. Consequently, the youngest learners do not have sufficient knowledge ready for key stage 1. Leaders need to adopt or construct a curriculum that is coherently planned and sequenced to build towards sufficient knowledge and skills for the future learning of the youngest learners.