Kingsway Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Kingsway Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for all pupils, both academically and personally. The school vision, 'Every child, every chance, every day', can be seen in all aspects of school life. Leaders want pupils to be prepared for their future lives.

Pupils rise to these expectations.

The school offers a range of experiences for pupils beyond the classroom. There is a 'Pupil Parliament' with representatives from each year group.

Pupils enjoy applying for the variety of jobs on offer through 'Kingsway careers.' For example, pupils say that the 'well-being warriors' will a...lways help someone if they are sad. They enjoy taking on these responsibilities.

Pupils know the school's behaviour management system and say that most pupils behave well in class and in the playground. Pupils understand and love 'golden time', when they can choose to do something that they enjoy. They say it encourages them to behave well and work hard.

Pupils say that if bullying happens, adults are quick to sort it out. Pupils show respect for each other and adults. Positive attitudes to learning start in early years and continue throughout the school.

Pupils feel safe at this school and know that they can talk to trusted adults if they have a worry. One pupil said, 'We feel very protected here.'

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

Leaders and staff have high aspirations for all pupils.

This is shown through the curriculum, where pupils can talk about their learning and the careers that it leads to in the future. The curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils develop the communication and language skills they need to learn in all subjects. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language.

Leaders monitor pupils with SEND carefully and use this information to adapt their provision appropriately so that they can learn alongside other pupils in their class.

Curriculum plans are well sequenced. Leaders have made sure that curriculum subject plans include what is to be taught to children in the early years.

This means that pupils build on what they know year on year. Staff use their assessments well to plan activities that enable children's learning and development across a wide range of subjects. Subject leaders are given time by senior leaders to check on pupils' learning in their subjects.

They provide effective support and training for teachers and support staff. As a result, adults have strong curriculum subject knowledge.

Leaders have made positive changes to how reading is taught through phonics from the early years.

The phonics scheme maps out the order of phonics teaching across the early years, key stage 1 and beyond. Children in the early years develop firm foundations in the core skills of reading. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 build on these skills and read books in school that are matched to the sounds that they have learned.

When pupils are falling behind, leaders act quickly to give pupils extra help. Currently, not all staff have completed the training to deliver the phonics programme. As a result, not all staff teach phonics consistently well.

Children in the early years learn and play together in a happy and safe environment.Children enjoy playing collaboratively. They share resources and are considerate towards each other.

Plans for what children will learn in the early years are clear. This means that children in the early years can explore and be curious about the curriculum while developing their language and communication skills. Staff in the early years regularly check children's knowledge and understanding so that they are able to plan children's next steps.

Staff take every opportunity to develop children's spoken language, and this focus on oracy and vocabulary continues to be developed into Year 1 and beyond.

Beyond the classroom, pupils develop their interests through a range of extra-curricular activities that are on offer, including art, singing and basketball. They develop a sense of responsibility for the local area by visiting the community centre for an intergenerational project.

Pupils talk to older members of the community, play games and share experiences. Enrichment activities are planned for across the curriculum, including an enterprise project and art exhibitions.

Leaders and staff work together as one team in the best interest of pupils.

Staff work hard because they care for the pupils and know them well. Staff told the inspector that leaders take care of their well-being and help them to manage their workload. Leaders, including governors, build strong, supportive relationships with those in the school community.

They take the well-being and professional development of their staff seriously.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Well-trained staff in school know the pupils well and know how to support their needs.

Leaders have assessed the risks posed to pupils in their local community and there is a strong team in place to ensure pupils are kept safe. Staff receive frequent safeguarding updates and training so that they know the school's procedures for raising concerns about pupils' safety and well-being. Record-keeping, including employment checks, is managed vigilantly by leaders.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in a wide range of situations. For example, they learn about the dangers associated with the internet, including online stranger danger.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Not all staff have been trained to deliver the phonics scheme.

This means that there is some variation in the quality of phonics teaching for children and pupils who are in the early stages of reading. Leaders need to provide all staff with the support and training required so that they can deliver the phonics curriculum consistently and effectively.Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2017.

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