Kenton School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 March 2025

The school values all pupils. It has created an environment in which pupils build positive friendships with each other. Pupils know there is an adult they can go to if they have any concerns. Staff show a genuine commitment to helping pupils succeed. The school has high aspirations for what pupils can achieve. Recent changes to the curriculum mean that pupils are now experiencing more ambitious programmes of study. However, in spite of curriculum changes and ongoing staff development, many pupils do not achieve well at the end of key stage 4. Most pupils behave well. They follow teachers' instructions and conduct themselves in a calm and sensible manner. However, a significant minority of pupils do not meet the school's expectations. Sometimes, these pupils disrupt learning and display inappropriate behaviour around the school. The school prioritises attendance. Its recent work in addressing high levels of absence is starting to improve the attendance of some pupils. However, levels of absence are still high, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Pupils enjoy the elective curriculum. They choose activities that give them new experiences and develop their talents and interests. Pupils also benefit from educational visits and from an extra-curricular sports programme.

What the school should improve

• At key stage 3 and 4, sometimes teachers do not check pupils' understanding or secure pupils' knowledge with enough rigour before moving on to the next stage of learning. This means that pupils develop gaps in their knowledge and find it difficult to apply what they have been taught. The school should ensure that it provides teachers with the training and development they need in pedagogy and pedagogical content knowledge to secure a deep and coherent body of knowledge for pupils.
• A significant minority of pupils do not meet the school's expectations with regard to behaviour. This results in some disruption to the learning of other pupils and to inappropriate behaviour around school. The school should address this inappropriate behaviour and reduce the time spent out of school by pupils through suspension.
• Levels of absence for disadvantaged pupils are high. This means that many pupils miss too much of their education and do not achieve well at the end of key stage 4. The school should build on its current rigorous attendance strategy to reduce absence further.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)