Kimpton, Thruxton and Fyfield Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are proud of the way that school helps them to live out the school values of faith, hope and love.

These are the basis of the high expectations of the school that pupils strive to meet. Pupils develop warm and respectful relationships with each other and with adults. They know that staff care about their mental health and well-being as well as their learning.

Pupils learn to care for each other so that everyone feels welcome. Bullying happens rarely, and pupils are confident that staff deal with it effectively.

Pupils delight in building dens and safely climbing trees in Boundary Wood.

Pupil play leaders organise g...ames and races so that their classmates are physically active at break- and lunchtimes. The school-designed 'Skylark' award encourages pupils to take an active part in their local community and develop their personal interests. Pupil-led clubs are extremely popular and make a significant contribution to the life of the school.

Pupils enhance their understanding of the world by standing for election for the school council at which pupils share their views with staff and are kept well informed about things that are happening.

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

Since the last inspection, leaders have worked with urgency to design and put in place a well-sequenced curriculum which starts in the early years and continues throughout the school. They have ensured it is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders have chosen the most important information that pupils need to learn and broken this down into small, manageable steps. This helps teachers to present the information in an interesting way and supports them to skilfully adapt their teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders have established effective systems to swiftly identify and support pupils with SEND.

Teachers routinely recap previous learning. Staff use questioning and other checks to make sure that pupils have understood what has been taught before. They use this information to adapt their teaching and the future sequence of lessons.

This helps pupils to be ready to learn more complex content. As a result of this, pupils gradually learn the essential content, and so, learn well across the curriculum. Leaders are making headway in ensuring that all these developments are fully embedded.

Leaders prioritise reading across the school. The well-stocked and inviting library is visited by every child, every week, and pupils value the help staff give them to make choices about the next book to read. Staff routinely read aloud to pupils using a carefully selected range of texts that raise awareness of different styles of writing and different cultures.

The teaching of reading is mostly effective. Leaders have made sure that staff are trained to teach pupils how to read. Children start to learn to read as soon as they enter Reception and quickly learn the sounds they need to become fluent readers.

They read books which are well matched to the sounds they are learning. Staff usually check pupils' understanding precisely. However, this is not as consistently strong across the school as it needs to be and so sometimes pupils' misconceptions are not addressed quickly enough.

The systematic use of leader-led assessments means that these pupils are identified. As a result, targeted help is provided so that they catch up with their reading as quickly as possible.

In light of weak results in 2022, leaders have reviewed and revised the curriculum and approach to teaching mathematics throughout the school.

The carefully constructed sequence of learning, and use of assessment in lessons to identify and fill gaps in knowledge, means that pupils can remember more over time.

Pupils usually behave well. Leaders have developed a clear and concise behaviour policy that staff and pupils understand and apply consistently.

Right from the start of Reception, children try hard to behave well and meet the high expectations of staff. Throughout the school, lessons are calm and pupils listen to each other and their teachers. At break- and lunchtimes, pupils of all year groups play together happily.

Where pupils struggle, the school provides effective additional support to help them learn how to behave in a more positive way.

Governors undertake their statutory responsibilities well, and a small number complete the majority of these. However, many governors are not knowledgeable about the school.

As a result, the governing body does not provide sufficiently effective support and challenge to the leadership team to help drive continuous improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff are well trained to understand their safeguarding responsibilities.

Staff accurately report and record their concerns about pupils who may be at risk of harm. Leaders follow up on concerns swiftly and work with external agencies so that pupils get the help they need.

Leaders complete required checks on the suitability of adults to work with pupils.

Governors make sure that leaders carry out their duties effectively.

Pupils learn to keep themselves safe through the well-planned curriculum. They understand how to identify and avoid risks when using the internet and how to have healthy and happy relationships.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In phonics lessons, not all staff consistently check that pupils have understood. This means that some pupils do not learn to read with fluency quickly enough. Leaders should ensure that all staff follow their training closely to precisely check pupils' understanding and address gaps in learning swiftly.

• Although a small number of governors are highly engaged, the majority are not. This means that they do not have the knowledge they need to sufficiently hold leaders to account. Governors need to strengthen their oversight of the school and use this information to challenge and support leaders so that they develop an accurate understanding of the quality of education for all pupils.

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