Kings Cliffe Endowed Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school.

They are typically well behaved, polite and courteous to each other. There are a range of activities available which enhance their learning. Pupils take part in yoga workshops and local music festivals, and visit places of worship.

Pupils usually participate well in lessons. They have positive attitudes to their learning. Teachers expect pupils to achieve well, particularly in English and mathematics.

Pupils enjoy learning through a themed approach. In Year 5, pupils learned about space through the theme of 'to infinity and beyond'. They were enthusiastic about reading their class book, 'Cosmic' by Frank Cottrell Boyce.
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Pupils learn about all the subjects in the national curriculum. However, leaders have planned the order in which pupils learn new things better in some subjects than in others. In the early years, teachers do not expect some children to achieve as well as they can.

Some pupils have a limited understanding of British values. On occasion, a very small number of pupils do not show respect and tolerance or know what behaviour is right. Leaders have not always taken incidents of derogatory language seriously enough.

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

Leaders have made sure that pupils learn about a broad range of subjects. In most subjects, teachers build pupils' knowledge to help them remember more. Teachers have good subject knowledge.

This helps them to have high expectations of what pupils can achieve.

The school's themed approach helps to bring learning to life and to be meaningful for pupils. Teachers make links between different subjects.

For example, pupils learned about the Great Fire of London. They found out about the significant events before and after the fire. They made models of Tudor houses and set fire to them to learn how materials combust.

In a few subjects, what pupils will learn is less well planned. New knowledge does not always build on what pupils have learned before. Teachers use assessment goals to check what pupils should know by the end of the year.

However, subject plans do not always show what pupils will learn to achieve these goals.

When teaching reading, teachers are slow to get Reception-age children started. Typically, they do not begin to learn their first sounds until the end of the first half-term.

However, as children move through the Reception Year, teachers speed up the teaching of sounds. Most pupils join Year 1 knowing the sounds they should.

Teachers choose the books they will read with their class to grab pupils' interest.

Pupils are enthusiastic to read together. There is a weekly reading skill focus. For example, teachers ask pupils to predict what they think might happen next.

In mathematics, teachers know what they want pupils to have learned by the end of the year. They check that pupils have remembered previous learning. This helps when pupils learn new concepts.

Pupils revisit and revise knowledge. This helps it to stick in their memory.

Children in the early years are chatty, enthusiastic and independent.

They play well together and follow routines well. Staff in the early years have good knowledge of the foundation stage curriculum. Staff develop children's knowledge well during play.

For example, in the nursery, children learned to recognise and say sounds in words such as 'whizz', 'bang' and 'pop'. When children join the Reception Year, many are well prepared. However, the expectation of children is sometimes not high enough.

Some children show that they can do more than adults expect of them.

Leaders plan activities which support pupils' personal development. Yet, a very small number of pupils do not understand British values, tolerance or respect.

Most pupils behave very well. However, some do not behave well towards each other. A few do not show self-control in different situations.

Leaders do not always take it seriously enough when pupils use derogatory language.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have made sure that all staff, volunteers and governors understand how to keep children safe.

Staff pass on concerns to the school's designated safeguarding leaders.

Inspectors found that some safeguarding records were not well organised or maintained. Leaders took immediate steps and resolved this before the end of the inspection.

Governors know that they are responsible for keeping pupils at the school safe. However, they have not checked that safeguarding procedures are effective. This includes making sure that the right checks are made before staff begin to work at the school.

Leaders acted to rectify this before inspectors left the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

In a few subjects, such as music at key stage 2 and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, the curriculum is not sequenced well enough to build on what pupils have learned before. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is planned to build subject knowledge sequentially, helping pupils to remember previous learning and use this when learning new concepts.

. In the early years, the curriculum is not ambitious enough to enable some pupils to achieve as well as they might. Once children start in the Reception Year, some are not able to get off to a flying start.

Leaders must ensure that the curriculum for the early years is ambitious for all children and that tasks are demanding enough to meet all their needs. . Leaders have not planned all aspects of the curriculum for pupils' personal development to build on what pupils have learned before.

A few pupils have a limited understanding of British values. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum for personal development is progressive and develops pupils' knowledge of British values, including the concepts of tolerance and respect. .

Most pupils have a well-rounded understanding of tolerance and respect to know what behaviour is right or wrong. A few pupils do not always demonstrate this understanding. Leaders should ensure that all pupils know how they should behave in different situations, and understand what is acceptable and what is not.