Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and feel safe in this welcoming and friendly school.

Pupils play harmoniously at playtimes and older pupils show care to the younger children. They know that there are many trusted adults in the school who look out for them and this helps them to feel safe. Pupils say that discrimination is not tolerated because there are 'no outsiders' in the school.

Pupils welcome pupils with different backgrounds and beliefs.

Parents, pupils and staff are proud of the school. One parent echoed the views of many others saying, 'I could honestly not wish for a better school for my children.

There is a family feel about the school and all staff reall...y care about each and every child.'

The school's values of 'dream, believe, aspire, achieve' are shared and understood by staff and pupils alike. The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils relish talking about their learning, and they achieve well.

Pupils develop their talents and interests through a range of extra-curricular clubs and activities such as coding, chess, art and gardening. All pupils benefit from well-planned trips and experiences that deepen their understanding of the curriculum.

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

The school's curriculum is of high quality. Leaders have worked hard to identify the knowledge and skills that pupils need and sequenced it effectively for mixed-age classes. In some foundation subjects, the curriculum is being refined to precisely identify the sticky knowledge that leaders want the pupils to know and remember.

Assessments are used particularly well in the core subjects to identify gaps in learning. Assessments are also in place in the foundation subjects. However, they are also being revised to ensure that they accurately reflect the precise knowledge that pupils should know.

Pupils learn to read in a systematic and sequenced way. Pupils develop an understanding of the sounds they need to become fluent readers. Reading is well embedded in the school.

Pupils read a range of ambitious texts that are planned across the curriculum. However, while pupils achieve well in reading, some staff lack the expertise in the school's chosen phonics scheme. This means that they do not always spot and address errors quickly enough.

Children in the early years flourish in a caring environment, where they develop strong and nurturing relationships. Learning is well planned and meets the needs of the children of different ages, including the two-year-olds. Children know the routines of the school day and learn to behave well.

They learn to take turns, share and communicate effectively with adults and their friends. Adults plan activities that stimulate children's interests and provide meaningful opportunities to learn.Pupils with SEND are fully included in the life of the school.

Support for individual pupils is highly personalised and allows the pupils to thrive. The school identifies the barriers to learning that pupils may have and works with staff, parents and external agencies to overcome these.

Behaviour around the school is calm.

Lunchtimes are harmonious; boys and girls play football with each other and older pupils act as role models to the younger ones. In lessons, the vast majority of pupils behave well and work hard. However, at times, some off-task learning behaviour and low-level disruption occur.

In the main, this is addressed effectively. However, at times, it is not addressed quickly enough. While this does not disturb learning for the majority of pupils, it means that some pupils do not work as well as they could.

Pupils are respectful and polite. They understand and embrace differences such as religion, culture and beliefs. Pupils say that bullying is not tolerated and if they saw it, they would speak out.

Pupils know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They talk confidently about how they have learned strategies to cope if they are anxious or worried, such as calm breathing. Pupils learn the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and take part in the school's daily mile around the school's running track.

Pupils take the lead in raising money for charitable causes. They have organised their own fun run and tractor run and collected crisp packets to turn them into blankets for the homeless.

Governors are committed to ensuring the school is the best it can be.

They understand their statutory duties and effectively hold leaders to account. They have a detailed knowledge of the school's strengths and development areas, including the school's curriculum offer. Staff are very positive about the school.

They feel leaders manage their workload appropriately. They are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Although the staff have received phonics training, some staff are not implementing the training securely. This leads to inconsistencies in how effectively phonics is taught. The school should continue to ensure that all staff are well trained to have the expertise they need to teach phonics well so that all pupils are supported to read as well as they can.

• While behaviour around the school is strong, there are some inconsistencies in how the behaviour policy is implemented in lessons. This means that at times, some pupils are disengaged from learning. The school should ensure that all staff share consistently high expectations of all pupils in lessons.

The school has begun to refine the sticky knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in the foundation subjects. However, they have not yet updated the assessment processes for these subjects. The school should ensure that assessment in the foundation subjects is used to check that pupils have gained the sticky knowledge that leaders have identified.