Kingsmead Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where everyone is treated fairly and equally. Pupils' best interests are at the heart of all the school's work.

Pupils are enthusiastic about all aspects of school life and show a keen interest in their learning. From the moment pupils join the school, they work hard and rise to the high expectations set by staff. Children in the early years get off to a great start in school and settle in quickly.

The sense of community is well established here. Staff know pupils and their families well. Staff are rightly proud of the strong professional relationships that they have with parents and carers.

Pupils, staff and parents are very positive about t...he school. They typically spoke about feeling part of a school 'family'. Pupils are safe and well looked after.

The school organises well-planned experiences to enhance pupils' learning. These include outings to various museums and places of interest. For example, pupils learn about the Iron Age through a visit to Epping Forest.

Pupils are exceptionally well behaved and show kindness and respect for their fellow pupils and school staff. Staff help pupils to understand the importance of concepts such as compassion and responsibility. All this helps the school to be a happy and caring place to be.

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

Leaders, including governors, have maintained the school's excellent quality of education since the previous inspection. The governing body holds school leaders to account to ensure that all aspects of the school's work are of a consistently high standard. Staff are very well supported in their roles and share the same high expectations as leaders.

The curriculum is carefully planned and sets out clearly what pupils need to be taught and in what order. This starts in the early years, where children learn the key knowledge and skills they need for learning in Year 1 and beyond. In geography, for example, younger pupils develop their knowledge and skills by exploring and mapping their local area.

By the time pupils are in Year 6, they understand the use of coordinates for mapping and navigation.

The school has thought carefully about how the curriculum meets pupils' needs and reflects pupils' differences. Staff are quick to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or difficulties (SEND) and work closely with outside agencies to provide specialist support.

Teachers are skilled at adapting teaching for individual pupils' needs. For example, they use technology effectively, to record and capture pupils' learning and achievements.

Staff are well supported, including through training, to develop their subject expertise and teaching skills.

Teachers ensure that pupils understand what they have learned before moving on to new content. They support pupils to retain important information, such as through carefully planned revision exercises. Pupils build up secure knowledge and skills across the curriculum and achieve highly.

The school prioritises reading and staff teach reading consistently well. In phonics, staff make regular checks on the sounds pupils know and ensure that the books pupils read are closely matched to their phonics knowledge. Pupils have frequent opportunities to practise and apply what they have been taught in their reading and spelling.

Pupils who fall behind in reading benefit from effective support to catch up quickly. The school promotes a love of reading, such as through the range of thought-provoking books that staff read to pupils.

In and around the school, pupils' behaviour is exemplary.

Pupils attend regularly. This is treated as an important priority for the school. Where there are attendance concerns, staff do everything they can to help pupils get to school.

The school provides many engaging activities to spark pupils' interests and nurture their talents. These include ice skating, learning to play the steel pans and participating in sporting events. The school uses its community links to create opportunities for pupils' wider development.

For example, pupils work with a local food organisation where they focus on the importance of cooking and healthy eating. Pupils are taught to appreciate the arts and culture. Children in Reception, for example, have created artwork based on works of the artist Kandinsky.

Pupils have opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They take on roles such as 'subject ambassadors', road safety officers and school councillors. The school has developed high-quality pastoral support.

For example, pupils can meet with the school counsellor to discuss any personal worries or concerns they have. The school encourages pupils to stay safe, including the potential dangers they could face when online.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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