Kimbolton St James CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Good teaching enables pupils to make good progress in all classes. Pupils make exceptionally good progress in reading, and standards are typically above average in English at the end of Year 6.

Children in the Reception Year make very good use of the outdoor environment and enjoy a stimulating range of activities. Teachers know their pupils well and provide good additional support for any who are in danger of falling behind. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils' learning.

Excellent relationships and the family atmosphere contribute well to the good learning environment. Pupils' behaviour in lessons and around the school... is good. Pupils feel very safe in school.

Pupils' enjoyment of school is reflected in well-above-average attendance. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to succeed. The school provides an interesting and varied curriculum.

Good leadership has improved procedures for keeping a check on the quality of teaching and how well pupils are achieving. The school has detailed plans to bring further improvement. The governing body provides a good level of support and holds the headteacher and staff to account for the education provided.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Opportunities for pupils to write are not always used effectively to consolidate pupils' writing skills. The marking and feedback on pupils' writing is not always rigorous enough to help them improve. Not enough opportunities are provided for pupils to apply their skills or investigate in mathematics.

Teachers do not give pupils enough opportunity to develop as truly independent learners.

Information about this school

The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action and the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are broadly average.

Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds. There are no pupils who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority or children whose parents are in the armed forces) is well below the national average.

The school provides a room for a separately registered and privately run nursery, which also shares outdoor facilities with the school's Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery is inspected separately. The number of pupils in Year 6 in 2012 was too small for information on pupils' performance at the end of Key Stage 2 to appear on Ofsted's website or for statistical comparisons to be made in relation to the government's current floor standards.

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