Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Kiveton Park Meadows Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 20 June 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in February 2013.

This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You are uncompromising in your expectation that only the very best possible education is provided for each and every pupil.

You have created a culture where all can succeed. Leaders, teachers and governors share your vision of 'a... quest for excellence' and work together effectively to achieve it. The continued success of the school is testament to the commitment and desire you all have to ensure that all pupils leave Kiveton Park Meadows equipped with the skills they need to help them to be successful in future life and to be the best they can be.

The school is a calm and stimulating place to learn, where relationships between all adults and pupils contribute strongly to pupils' achievement. Pupils are confident and behave exceptionally well. They are eager to learn and have very positive attitudes.

As one pupil told me, 'At Kiveton Meadows, we look, listen, question, think and do, and every day learning something new.' You have a clear and realistic understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. You and your leaders continually evaluate the effectiveness of the work that you do so that you can bring about further improvement.

You ensure that the progress of all pupils is closely tracked and you quickly identify groups and individuals who are falling behind, working with teachers to plan how to address gaps in pupils' learning. Your 'Zap the Gap' meetings have successfully ensured that pupils' progress has improved significantly since the last inspection. You have recently strengthened your leadership team through the appointment of two further middle leaders.

These leaders are new to their roles and you are working closely with them to further develop their skills and expertise so they make a stronger contribution to the checks on the quality of teaching and learning. Pupils join the school with knowledge, understanding and skills in reading, writing and mathematics which are in line with those typical for their age. At the end of key stage 2, standards are above the national average as a result of pupils making good progress.

However, you have rightly identified that the progress previously made by the most able boys, those with middle prior attainment in reading and the most able pupils in mathematics was not as strong as it could be. The progress of the most able boys and those with middle prior attainment in reading has improved. Although the progress of the most able pupils in mathematics is improving, you are aware that there is more work to do.

At the time of the last inspection, you were asked to increase pupils' use of computers to help them to learn more effectively. In response to this, you now have a computer suite, which pupils enjoy using as a class and independently at lunchtimes. Displays of pupils' work show that pupils' computing skills are strong and that they use technology well to support their learning in other subjects.

The governing body is very committed to the ongoing success of the school. Governors share a wide range of experience and those new to their role are very keen to develop their knowledge and understanding further. Governors visit school regularly and are effectively applying the training they have undertaken to offer challenge and support to leaders.

Safeguarding is effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of high quality.

Arrangements for the checks on the suitability of staff are robust. You review and update training arrangements thoroughly to take account of current guidance and your knowledge of specific risks which pupils may encounter. For example, you remain vigilant to the risk of child sexual exploitation and ensure that all staff are alert to looking out for signs of abuse.

You have made sure that all staff know the school's systems and procedures well. They are in no doubt about what action the school expects them to take, should they have any concerns. Pupils told me that they feel safe and well cared for in school.

They know that there is always someone they can talk with if they have any worries. Pupils told me that bullying very rarely happens in school and, if it did, they are confident that an adult would deal with it immediately. Pupils understand how to keep safe on the internet.

Every parent I spoke to during the inspection agreed that the school keeps pupils safe. Inspection findings ? As part of the inspection, I explored whether the most able and middle-ability boys are making good enough progress in reading. Throughout the school, boys are enthusiastic about reading and their skills are well developed.

Teachers provide numerous opportunities for them to use complex reading skills, such as inference, in lessons. In guided reading lessons, teachers plan activities using texts which engage and interest boys. In a lesson we observed together, a group of boys were confidently reading a text about the Inca civilisation.

In the same lesson, another boy was reading a newspaper article about Donald Trump. Boys across school are making good progress and reaching standards that are above those expected for their age. ? The whole-school focus that you have on reading has been successful.

Your 'novel study' approach provides opportunities for pupils to read regularly and to develop their skills across the curriculum. Pupils read fluently, and many read at home for pleasure. Pupils were keen to share their varied reading experiences and told me about their favourite authors, such as Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and David Walliams.

They appreciate the variety of books on offer in their classrooms and in the school's library. Pupils are proud to be chosen as 'reading stars' and thoroughly enjoy reading. As one pupil told me, 'Reading helps us to learn new things.'

? Another key line of enquiry, and a key area for improvement in the school's 'developing excellence' plan, was the progress of most-able pupils in mathematics. Pupils are progressing well in mathematics as a result of thorough planning, good subject knowledge and effective teaching. Teachers ensure that appropriate apparatus and practical materials help pupils to understand ideas behind mathematics effectively.

Recent whole-school training has resulted in teachers providing more opportunities for pupils to talk about their learning in mathematics. The school's robust approach to regular times tables teaching and your termly 'Maths Mastermind' assembly ensures that pupils learn their times tables by heart. ? Work in books shows that pupils' confidence and skills in number, operations and calculation are very secure.

At times, however, most-able pupils spend too long practising mathematical operations that they have already grasped. Teachers do not always ensure that these pupils are given sufficient opportunities soon enough or frequently enough to apply their skills in solving increasingly complex problems. ? Disadvantaged pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

Pupils' work and the school's current tracking data show that the differences between their attainment and that of their peers are diminishing. This is because : you and your team know these pupils well and use pupil premium funding to good effect. ? Pupils' attendance, including that of disadvantaged pupils, is above the national average.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? new middle leaders continue to develop their leadership roles and more regularly check on the quality of teaching and the progress that pupils make ? all teachers plan more regular opportunities for the most able pupils to develop their mathematical skills through reasoning and problem solving. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Rotherham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Mark Randall Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection During the inspection, I met with you and your deputy headteacher, five parents, four members of the governing body, including the chair, and a representative from the local authority. I held meetings with the school's English and mathematics leaders. I talked with small groups of pupils informally in lessons and during playtime and lunchtime.

Along with you and your deputy headteacher, I visited all classes and looked at current mathematics books from pupils in all year groups. I also listened to some pupils read. I examined a range of documentation, including documents relating to attendance and safeguarding.

I took account of the minutes of the governing body meetings, a 'peer review' report, the school's evaluation of how well it is doing, the school's developing excellence plan and the school's assessment information. I reviewed the school's website. As part of the inspection, I considered the 12 responses from parents to Ofsted's online questionnaire, Parent View.

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