Killinghall Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Killinghall Primary School. They enjoy learning. Leaders and staff value the links that they make with the local community.

They care deeply about the families and pupils in the school. Pupils say staff listen to them and appreciate their ideas. Pupils feel safe in school.

All staff have high expectations for behaviour. Pupils walk around school quietly and smartly. Staff show respect to pupils and, consequently, pupils show respect for others.

Pupils say bullying is very rare. If bullying does happen, they are confident that staff will help them to sort it out.

Pupils regard highly the roles and responsibilities they have ...in the school.

They say pupils who are school councillors, well-being ambassadors and active champions are 'inspirational'. Leaders ensure that pupils who take on these roles are trained to make decisions, support others and inform people about healthy lifestyles.

Following the pandemic, leaders focused on rebuilding links with, and supporting, the community.

Parents are invited into school regularly. They are positive about how the school supports them. Leaders are now focusing on developing the curriculum further.

They are clear about where further improvements are needed to ensure pupils remember important learning in all subjects.

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

Leaders are determined and ambitious to build a curriculum which inspires and informs all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In core subjects, such as mathematics and science, leaders have identified much of the knowledge that they want pupils to learn over time.

This learning starts from the early years and builds progressively to Year 6.

Subject leaders share senior leaders' ambition for the curriculum. However, they have not ensured the curriculum in each subject outlines sufficient detail about what will be taught and when.

This means, teachers do not have enough support, or subject knowledge, to plan lessons which help pupils to learn more over time. As a result, pupils' depth of knowledge across the curriculum is inconsistent.

Leaders have focused on developing reading across the school.

Teachers use lessons to teach different reading skills effectively, to help pupils improve their reading over time. Pupils in all year groups read daily. All pupils read individually to an adult every week.

Pupils who need more practise read more often. Pupils enjoy getting awards for reading. They enjoy the wide range of books used in lessons to interest and enthuse them with reading.

Children in the Bright Start provision for two-year-olds and across Nursery and Reception classes are encouraged to develop independence. Staff are warm and caring. They know the children well.

Staff plan interesting and exciting activities for specific groups of children. This enables them to monitor learning carefully.

In Reception and key stage 1, pupils are taught phonics using the school's chosen programme.

Staff are trained to use this programme. However, not all have sufficient expertise to use it as leaders intend. This means some pupils find it difficult to master early reading skills.

Leaders ensure that intervention lessons are planned to support these pupils, but these are not regular enough to ensure that pupils catch up quickly.

This is a very inclusive school. Leaders quickly identify pupils with SEND.

They work with staff to ensure that learning is adapted to meet the needs of each pupil. This enables most pupils to access the same curriculum as their peers. Pupils with more complex learning needs are taught by well-trained staff in the school's 'Raise Room'.

Staff support these pupils using bespoke learning plans with clear targets. This ensures that pupils make strong progress.

Leaders have thought carefully about the way pupils' personal development is supported through the school 'well-being' curriculum.

They ensure that all pupils have regular lessons to teach them about topics such as positive relationships, healthy lifestyles and keeping safe. Pupils enjoy these lessons but do not always remember important learning about issues such as protected characteristics or British values. Pupils have opportunities to attend a wide range of enrichment activities such as Children's University or residential trips.

Leaders are determined to build pupils' aspirations for the future and to develop knowledge about the wider world.

Leaders continue to try to improve pupils' attendance. However, rates of attendance are often below national average.

This is mainly due to families taking pupils on holidays during term time. Leaders challenge parents about this and try to support them to realise that this can limit pupils' opportunities to learn.

Governors are involved with the school.

They visit regularly. Governors challenge and support leaders. Most staff are positive about the support they receive from leaders.

They say their workload and well-being are considered.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The culture of safeguarding in the school is exemplary.

Leaders have created a team of professionals, including a social worker, a parent educator and several trained designated safeguarding leaders, who work with all staff to ensure that safeguarding is well understood. Staff report any safeguarding concerns immediately. Leaders keep detailed records of concerns and support given to pupils.

This ensures that nothing is overlooked. The team works effectively together to support families. Staff visit pupils' homes, run parental support sessions and work with other external agencies to help and support families.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They learn about online safety and know to speak to trusted adults if they are worried about anything.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, curriculum plans do not identify the important knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn.

As a result, teachers do not plan lessons that help pupils to build subject knowledge sequentially. Teachers also cannot assess if this knowledge is being remembered. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum contains sufficient detail to ensure that teachers can plan progressive and coherent sequences of learning.

• Leaders' and teachers' subject knowledge is not developed enough in some subjects. Therefore, leaders do not identify when teachers plan lessons which create misconceptions, or when they are not using, or teaching, subject-specific vocabulary effectively. Leaders need to ensure that all subject leaders and staff have the necessary subject knowledge to ensure that all subjects are taught well.

• The teaching of phonics and early reading is inconsistent. This means that some pupils who are finding reading difficult are not supported well enough and do not practise phonics skills regularly enough. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and understanding to implement the phonics scheme effectively, to support pupils to read well.