Kingsmoor Lower School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

This is a good school. The headteacher provides clear leadership so that all the staff contribute to the good quality of education for the pupils. Parents and carers, teachers and the governing body greatly respect and share the headteacher's focused approach to promoting extremely high standards of behaviour, enjoyment in learning and exceptionally high levels of care, guidance and support.

One parent wrote: 'I have always been extremely pleased with the school and the progress of our children. It is very effectively led by the headteacher and he is well supported by the teachers and teaching assistants. Achievement is good.

Pupils make good progress from their broadly average starting point...s and standards are above average by the time they leave the school. The positive atmosphere in the classrooms, the additional support for pupils who find work difficult and the emphasis on key skills, are all contributing to pupils' good progress. The systems of tracking pupils' progress are well embedded so that any pupils who are in danger of falling behind are quickly identified and provided with additional support.

The school has been particularly successful in accelerating the progress of pupils in Years 3 and 4 in writing and mathematics. The excellent quality of care, guidance and support greatly promotes pupils' good and often outstanding personal development and ensures that each pupil is treated as an important individual. Pupils feel very safe in the school and have an excellent understanding of issues relating to safety.

The behaviour of the majority of pupils is excellent and this contributes to a very positive ethos for learning. Pupils are respectful towards each other so that everyone feels valued in the family atmosphere of this small school. They make an outstanding contribution to the school and local community by volunteering to take responsibility in school, raising money for charities and making a very valuable contribution to the local community.

The great majority of teaching enables pupils to make good progress and learn well. It is effective in ensuring that pupils are motivated and actively engaged in lessons. The curriculum is good and the school uses a range of opportunities such as theme days, visitors and trips to enhance pupils' educational experience.

It makes excellent provision for music and drama which supports regular productions and participation by most pupils. The provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is satisfactory but it is not fully structured to support the learning of the younger children. There are insufficient opportunities for children in the Reception class to develop their early writing and number skills.

Child-initiated learning is not sufficiently purposeful or appropriately supported by adult intervention to maximise children's learning. The school runs very smoothly because the headteacher is highly effective in motivating teachers and support staff to work as a strong team. The senior leadership team and governing body are well aware of the strengths and areas for improvement in the school.

The newly formed senior team is developing well and leaders are supporting the headteacher effectively. The school acknowledges that there is now a need to review the arrangements for the leadership of teaching and learning as much of the responsibility for monitoring has traditionally been undertaken by the headteacher. Key stage coordinators are not fully involved in the monitoring of teaching and pupils' work.

The school development plan has clear action points but it is not sufficiently linked to pupils' progress and learning outcomes. School leaders have developed an action plan for promoting community cohesion but this has not been fully implemented. There are very positive relationships with parents and carers who speak very highly of the work of the school.

They receive regular information about school events and the progress of their children. The effective leadership of the school, the accurate self-evaluation, the rigorous systems for tracking pupils' progress and pupils' consistently good achievement and personal development, indicate that this school has a good capacity to improve further.

Information about the school

The school is smaller in size than the average primary school.

The vast majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds although a very small number are from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils with a range of special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average.

Pupils are taught in two mixed-aged classes in Year 1 and 2 and three mixed-aged classes in Years 3 and 4. Provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage is organised through the Nursery and Reception classes. The school took over the responsibility for running the nursery group of Little Learners in April 2010 which now forms the nursery class.

The new senior leadership team was formed in September 2010 due to a number of staffing changes in the school. The school is presently experiencing a decline in pupil numbers due to the demography in the local area. The school has received the Basic Skills Quality Mark, Activemark, Eco and International Schools awards and holds National Healthy Schools status.

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