Killinghall Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a highly inclusive school community where pupils are valued. As a result, pupils are happy and feel safe in the school. Leaders have high expectations for pupils.

For the most part, pupils rise to these expectations and achieve well. Children get off to an excellent start in the early years.

Most pupils behave well.

They show kindness and consideration for others. Bullying is not a problem in the school. Pupils know that they can talk to any of the adults in school if they are worried about something.

They are confident that adults will act quickly.

Over recent years, both staff and pupils have faced some difficult chall...enges in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of pupils on the school's roll has increased significantly and the school building was severely damaged by a flood earlier in the year.

All members of the school community have demonstrated high levels of resilience in the face of these setbacks. Pupils show commitment to their education. They look forward to taking on the different roles and responsibilities available to them, such as becoming a digital leader, a member of the school council or a rainbow ambassador.

Pupils have a strong sense of equality and tolerance. They are well-equipped for life in modern Britain.

Pupils can talk about their aspirations for the future.

They know which subjects they need to do well in to enable them to achieve these aspirations.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for most subjects, particularly art and history. The curriculum in early years is sequenced well.

This helps children to build their knowledge step by step. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the curriculum for some subjects is still in development. Sometimes, the work required of pupils is less ambitious than leaders' curriculum plans.

When pupils make mistakes, teachers do not always correct them. This means some pupils continue to make the same mistakes repeatedly.

The teaching of phonics and early reading is high quality.

Skilled staff deliver a carefully chosen phonics programme. Letter formation is taught alongside sounds. Teachers do not always check that pupils are writing letters correctly.

In the early years, there are lots of opportunities for children to practise the sounds they know. Pupils' reading books match the sounds they know. Most pupils talk enthusiastically about reading.

They enjoy visiting the school library and refer to library books as 'fun books'. Extra support is in place for pupils who are not learning to read as quickly as they should. This support enables them to catch up with their peers.

Leaders have embedded the mathematics curriculum across the school. It is particularly strong in the early years, where children can engage with number in lots of different ways. For example, they can find stars in the sand pit using magnets and compare who has found more and who has fewer.

Teachers use the same teaching strategies, such as the use of 'Flashback 4', to revisit prior learning. This helps pupils to know and remember more. In key stage 2 mathematics lessons, pupils can choose their own 'challenge', and most pupils make sensible choices.

Teachers check what pupils know, and they use this information to plan future learning. Sometimes teachers do not correct basic mistakes, such as pupils writing numbers the wrong way round.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have full access to the curriculum.

Teachers make adaptations to activities and resources to ensure that pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers. Skilled support staff contribute greatly to the inclusive culture that exists within the school. Targets for some pupils with SEND are too broad.

This may make it difficult for pupils to achieve their targets. Leaders do not fully have a system in place to identify and monitor pupils with potential SEND before they are added to the SEND register. In the early years, however, staff do spot children with potential SEND.

They receive timely support to meet their needs.

Children in the early years do extremely well. The curriculum is highly ambitious.

Teachers and staff know what the children can do very well. Staff make skilled use of questioning to develop children's thinking. Activities are carefully designed to enable children to practise and refine skills, particularly their physical and social skills.

Warm, nurturing relationships exist between staff and children.

Most pupils behave well in lessons and have positive attitudes to learning. However, in some classrooms, teachers' expectations are not high enough.

Some pupils say they find this frustrating. At playtime, most pupils play cooperatively with each other. Behaviour in the early years is excellent.

Children show high levels of self-control and sustained levels of concentration. They treat each other and their classroom environment with respect.

Leaders listen to pupils' opinions.

They provide opportunities for them to bring about change within the school. There are chances for pupils to play a part in the community through activities such as litter picks and charity events. A wide range of after-school clubs are on offer to all pupils, for example archery and karate.

Pupils say they enjoy these.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff and governors are trained to enable them to fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities well.

Leaders are aware of local risks to pupils, such as county lines. Safeguarding records are accurately maintained. The headteacher is tenacious when following up concerns about pupils.

Leaders make sure that pupils and their families get the support they need. Pupils have a strong understanding of how to stay safe online. Governors and leaders ensure that the right checks are in place before an adult starts to work at the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Expectations of pupils are not consistently high across the school. In some classrooms, high expectations for behaviour have not been fully established. This means learning is occasionally disrupted and pupils say they find this frustrating.

Leaders should ensure that all expectations for pupils' behaviour are consistently high across the school. ? The process by which pupils with SEND are identified and monitored before being added to the SEND register is not fully effective. This means that in some instances, it is not clear what has been done to monitor and support pupils prior to them being put on the SEND register.

In addition, targets for some pupils with SEND are too broad. This means that it is hard for pupils to achieve their targets. Leaders should ensure that processes for identifying and monitoring pupils with SEND are consistently strong and that targets are precise.