Headteacher’s pride as Kirkby school is officially good

Kingsway Primary School has been officially rated good in a newly published report by education watchdog Ofsted, following a two-day inspection in November.

Inspectors praised the “warm and friendly school” and said pupils found teachers were “supportive, kind and encouraging”.

Samantha Bradbury, headteacher of the school, which has about 335 pupils aged four-11 registered, said: “We are very pleased with the report and feel it reflects the inclusive nature of our school highlighting the support, kindness and encouragement we provide for our children at Kingsway.

“We are incredibly proud of the whole Team Kingsway community, working together to ensure the children in our care have the best start to their educational journey.”

The report praised the school’s safeguarding and inclusivity.

It said: “Children in the early years make a good start to their time in school, learning new knowledge and skills.

“Pupils respect differences between people. Pupils commented that ‘it doesn’t matter who you are, you are welcome here’.

"Pupils are friendly and polite to visitors. They behave well in lessons and work hard.”

Ofsted also praised the school’s range of extra-curricular activities, including sports clubs, a cooking club and “popular school choir”.

The report said: “Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Leaders have recently reviewed and set out an ambitious curriculum, which identifies the knowledge and skills that pupils need.”

The school’s teaching of reading was also praised.

Ofsted said: “Learning to read early is a priority. Leaders have introduced a new programme to teach phonics. This has got off to a good start.

“Pupils learn phonics right from the start of school. Pupils in the early years use their phonic knowledge to read and write simple words. Teachers swiftly identify pupils who fall behind.”

To further improve, the school was urged to ensure the curriculum and assessment policy is implemented consistently and that teachers deliver it effectively.

Mrs Bradbury said: “Moving forward, we will continue to embed and evolve our Kingsway curriculum to provide all the children with the opportunities they need to achieve in order to flourish throughout their school career.”

To read the report in full, see reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/122716