South Kilvington Church of England Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Warm and caring relationships exist between pupils and staff at South Kilvington Primary School.

Parents say that their children 'adore their teachers' and that staff 'go the extra mile to support them and their child'. Pupils know that they can rely on an adult to help and support them. This makes them feel safe, and bullying is rare.

Pupils love attending school, especially to play with their friends.

Pupils behave well during the school day. They are courteous and polite.

However, some pupils do not always listen well and engage with their learning during lessons. Some pupils' engagement with lessons is not as well supported as it should be, parti...cularly for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The curriculum is broad and ambitious, although some subjects are more developed than others.

Most pupils enjoy lessons. However, leaders do not always identify the right support for pupils with SEND to help them access the curriculum successfully.

Leaders have thought carefully about how teachers use the school's local area to improve pupils' mental health and well-being, particularly since COVID-19.

Pupils benefit from many varied and worthwhile experiences, such as trips to churches, abbeys and aquariums, connected to the curriculum. They thoroughly enjoy their weekly outdoor learning activities. This helps build their confidence, perseverance and broadens their outlook on life.

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

Since joining the school in 2021, the new headteacher and governors have focused on improving the curriculum and behaviour of pupils. However, leaders' plans are at an early stage of implementation. In some subjects, such as music and mathematics, leaders have identified the important knowledge they want pupils to know.

They have planned the small steps required to build pupils' knowledge each year. For example, pupils use rhymes and prompts to remember how to play notes on the recorder that they learned in Year 1. This helps them to play a tune in Year 3.

However, leaders know that there are subjects that need further development, such as physical education (PE). In these subjects, leaders have not broken down the expected knowledge so that pupils can build on what they already know. This means that pupils are not acquiring the knowledge that they need to be successful.

Teachers regularly check what pupils remember in mathematics and reading. They identify the exact knowledge that pupils do not know, such as specific sounds in phonics. Teachers quickly provide support.

This enables pupils to be successful in becoming fluent and confident readers. In wider subjects, such as geography, leaders have recently introduced 'rainbow continuums' to assess what pupils remember. Currently, teachers do not check the specific knowledge that pupils need to remember.

As a result, teachers do not consistently provide the right support.

Teachers instil a love of reading right from Reception. Reading raffles, challenges and engaging books capture children's imagination.

In Reception, staff model the correct language and vocabulary. They ask questions that help to clarify understanding and help children to be successful.

Some pupils with SEND are not being supported well enough.

Their needs are not being accurately identified. This results in teachers not being able to plan the curriculum effectively for pupils with SEND. This hinders these pupils' learning.

Leaders have worked hard to improve pupils' behaviour. The new behaviour policy, that staff consistently apply, has already had an impact. However, leaders still have work to do to ensure that all pupils actively participate in their lessons to ensure that valuable learning time is not wasted.

Leaders provide a range of activities for pupils to engage with beyond the classroom. These include cricket, multi sports and choir. Pupils can develop their leadership skills through becoming eco-council members, school parliament members, sports leaders and reading ambassadors.

Leaders have developed their personal development curriculum to reflect their values of courage, compassion and respect. Pupils understand the different faiths and types of relationships that exist. One child echoed the views of others: 'All children should feel welcome in the school whether they have dad or dad, a mum or mum or mum and dad.

It doesn't make any difference.' Despite this, pupils are not sufficiently knowledgeable about some British values. Teachers do not deliver the lessons around this topic that are in the planned curriculum.

Staff appreciate leaders' consideration of their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders complete all required safeguarding checks when recruiting staff.

This means that leaders know adults are safe to work with children. Staff receive regular training that enables them to understand their role in keeping children safe and acting swiftly to address any safeguarding concern.

Leaders have planned a curriculum that teaches pupils how to stay safe both in and out of school.

Pupils know how to stay safe online. For example, they know that they must keep passwords secure and not to trust people online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum in some subjects, such as PE, is not constructed well enough.

The specific knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn is not explicit. Leaders have not planned the curriculum from the early years to prepare them for Year 1. Pupils' expected knowledge does not build over time.

Leaders should continue to develop the curriculum and set out the exact knowledge they want pupils to learn. This should start from Reception, so that children can build on this knowledge as they move into and through key stage 1. ? In some foundation subjects, teachers' assessment of what pupils remember is not precise enough.

Teachers are unable to identify gaps in pupils' learning and address these gaps. Leaders should ensure that any checks on pupils' learning accurately match what they want pupils to know in the intended curriculum. ? Leaders do not accurately identify the specific needs of pupils with SEND.

Pupils' individual support plans do not identify how teachers should support pupils with SEND. Leaders should provide training for staff so that they are able to identify pupils' needs and plan the right support. Support must be regularly reviewed to ensure that it is helping pupils to be successful.

• While leaders have created a behaviour policy that addresses challenging behaviours, they have not developed a consistent approach to manage pupils' learning behaviours. Staff do not challenge low-level disruption from some pupils. Leaders need to ensure that all staff have high expectations for pupils' learning behaviours and that there is a consistent approach to managing these.