Kettlesing Felliscliffe Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Kettlesing Felliscliffe Community Primary School is a small school with a big heart and limitless aspirations for all.

The school is unwavering in their commitment to providing every pupil with the best educational experiences possible. Pupils are incredibly happy and thrive at this school. They are confident, articulate and proud.

Pupils are eager to contribute in lessons, have a real love of learning and a thirst for new knowledge and experiences. The school is built on the values of community, compassion and courage, which can be seen and felt in everything they do.

Behaviour across school is exemplary.

Right from children's starting points in the... early years, expectations and routines are well embedded and consistently applied. Pupils are kind and respectful. They value all the opportunities they can access in school.

Pupils are clear that bullying does not happen and everyone is kind. Relationships between pupils and staff are positive. Pupils' roles and additional responsibilities help them to develop their leadership skills.

Pupils feel they have a voice and make a difference.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Typical comments include 'my child is thriving and well cared for' and 'the school has maintained a small school caring environment, but it has large school expectations and opportunities – the perfect balance'.

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

Expectations of learning are high and pupils achieve well. Well-thought-out and carefully sequenced curriculums build from the early years to Year 6. Leaders regularly review and refine the curriculum offer to ensure that the needs and interests of all pupils are met.

Curriculum road maps show a clear progression of learning across each subject. Learning is carefully considered to take account of pupils in mixed-age classes in order to ensure that knowledge and skills build over time.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from high-quality support and care.

The school quickly identifies need, and support is put in place. Pupils with SEND flourish at this school.

Reading is high profile.

The commitment to teaching every child to read starts in early years. Staff are experts in supporting all children to become fluent, confident readers. Books are well matched to the letter sounds pupils know.

This allows pupils to practise the sounds they are learning. Pupils who find reading more difficult are very well supported to catch up. Pupils access a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books, which are matched to their interests.

Pupils choose to read for pleasure at home and school. Classroom reading corners are engaging and reflect the pupils' interests.

The teaching of mathematics is effective.

Staff are skilled at supporting pupils to access a range of practical resources to support learning, when needed. Lesson starters enable pupils to revisit and consolidate learning. Other curriculum areas, such as history, are exciting and engage pupils' curiosity.

Pupils benefit from trips to museums and enrichment days linked to the topic. Pupils talked about a visit to a local museum to look at artefacts from ancient Egypt. These experiences bring the curriculum to life and ensure that meaningful and memorable comparisons can be made with the modern day.

The school has begun to check how well the pupils remember the intended curriculum. However, this is not yet fully embedded in all foundation curriculum areas.

The school puts a huge emphasis on mental health and well-being.

Staff are trained to be mental health leads, and pupils to be mental health ambassadors. The school is working towards being recognised as a 'school of sanctuary' for their commitment to creating a culture of kindness and compassion.

The opportunities for personal and character development are exceptional.

Pupils have excellent knowledge of fundamental British values and protected characteristics, which they confidently articulate. Pupils talked enthusiastically about a recent trip to a local mandir and the importance of learning about different religions, beliefs and cultures. Pupils are tolerant and respectful.

Pupils attend a range of extra-curricular clubs, including choir, art, chess, plastic brick construction and sport. The school monitors participation to ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to attend. Pupils are taught about different careers.

They talk confidently about what they would like to do in the future, such as being a fashion designer.

Leaders carefully consider the workload and well-being of staff. Staff feel overwhelmingly happy and supported at this school.

Governors know the school well and have a clear understanding of their responsibilities. Governors are fully committed to supporting the school and the federation and hold the school to account in order to provide the best education for all.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not ensured that checks on what pupils need to know are embedded in all curriculum areas. This means that in some foundation subjects, staff do not systematically check if pupils know what they should, or if pupils have gaps in their learning. The school should ensure that assessment processes clearly identify pupils' gaps in learning to inform future teaching.