Kington Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Kington Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school sits in the centre of the town and at the heart of the community. Pupils are highly involved in community events, such as making harvest soup and singing with the town choir.

Pupils are proud to attend their school.

They talk confidently about the different roles and responsibilities they have, such as sports captains, eco-council members and school ambassadors. Pupils see themselves as role models to others.

Pupils learn in a very nurturing environment.

Their happiness and welfare are at the top of the school's agenda. They are exceptionally polite and... kind to each other and adults in school. Bullying is very rare.

If there is any unkindness, staff deal with it quickly. Pupils say they feel safe. There are lots of adults they can talk to if they feel worried.

Pupils know how to keep safe, including when online.

Parents and carers are very happy with the school. They know their children are happy and safe.

One parent said, 'I know my daughter is happy at this school because she always skips to school.' Parents particularly like the happy atmosphere and the importance placed on showing kindness and the level of care.

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

Leaders are maintaining a good standard of education across the school.

They have thought very carefully about how to revise and improve the curriculum. They have made sure that the new plans they have in place help pupils to develop their knowledge and skills across a wide range of subjects.

In Reception, children continue to learn phonics.

This builds on the preparation that is done in the Nursery. However, they do not start learning their first sounds quickly enough. As a result, by the time they enter Year 1, they are behind where they should be.

Through very effective teaching in Year 1, pupils catch up quickly. As a result, they achieve well in the national phonics screening check.

Leaders place reading at the heart of the curriculum.

Teachers are well trained in teaching the reading skills pupils need, including comprehension. Adults choose books for pupils that are carefully matched to their ability. Pupils understand the importance of reading.

They enjoy reading and listening to stories. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about books they have read and who their favourite authors are. Pupils read with confidence from an early age.

Teachers introduce pupils to challenging texts and vocabulary. For example, pupils in Year 6 were reading the original 'Oliver Twist', by Charles Dickens.

In mathematics, teachers are given clear guidance about what to teach and when to teach it.

They have good subject knowledge. This is because they have been trained well and are supported by leaders. Pupils enjoy mathematics.

They explain their thinking confidently. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are engaged in lessons. As a result of all of this, pupils are achieving well in mathematics.

Teachers plan lessons that build on what pupils have learned in the past. Teachers make good links with other areas of learning. For example, in science pupils successfully combined learning about changes of state with learning about glacial features in geography.

Pupils try their best in lessons and work hard. They are able to apply concepts they have been taught, for example using very complex scientific vocabulary when talking about the main systems of the human body and their functions.

Pupils with SEND have their needs met well.

They have full access to the curriculum and play a vital part in the school's community. Extra support from well-trained teaching assistants supports their learning.This is planned effectively with the class teachers.

Pupils with SEND make strong progress and they thrive.

Children are safe and happy in the early years. They learn and play together.

Staff provide lots of stimulating learning experiences that help children to learn. They skilfully encourage children to explain their thinking and learn new words. This supports their language development.

The provision ensures that children are cared for and kept safe.

Governors care deeply about the school. They have a good understanding of what the school needs to do to improve.

Governors receive detailed information about the school from school leaders. However, they do not always check the impact of leaders' work thoroughly enough.

Staff say that leaders are considerate of their well-being and do all they can to keep workload to a minimum.

Staff say that they are given the time to complete their work. Staff overwhelmingly support the headteacher in her leadership of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and governors place a high priority on keeping pupils safe in school. They have thorough procedures in place for staff to follow so that concerns are dealt with quickly. All adults, including governors, are well trained in a range of issues, including online safety.

Staff know what to do should a concern arise. Staff are vigilant and report all concerns. Leaders make timely referrals and seek help when concerns about a pupil's safety arise.

Pupils are able to talk about how the school has taught them to keep themselves safe, including when online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Governors care about the school. They know what leaders need to do to improve the school further.

However, they do not check the impact of leaders' actions thoroughly enough. This limits their understanding of what is happening within the school as a direct result of leaders' actions. Governors need to put in place more effective measures to check the impact of the information they receive.

. By the end of Year 1, pupils achieve well in phonics and most of them read with confidence. However, in Reception, children do not start to learn their first sounds early enough.

As a result, they do not make as much progress as they could. Leaders need to make sure that no time is wasted and that children in Reception learn phonics from the outset.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 17–18 May 2016.