Kilmorie Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 July 2024

This is a friendly and nurturing school. From the early years, children benefit from caring and supportive relationships with adults who help them to identify their emotions and to access a range of support, when necessary. Pupils' typically achieve well in national tests and develop knowledge across the curriculum. Leaders have reviewed the curriculum and made changes to deepen pupils' understanding of some key concepts. Pupils are polite, courteous and kind. From the early years they play well together. The school teaches pupils' the 'Kilmorie Qualities' to help them to understand and reflect on important social and learning behaviours such as respect and resilience. Pupils typically listen carefully in the classroom and teachers provide support where pupils need it to focus on their learning. There are a broad range of high-quality opportunities provided by the school to develop pupils' talents and interests, including instrumental lessons and sporting competitions. Memorable events include performances on stage in a local theatre and residential stays for pupils in Years 4 and 6 where pupils learn to climb and abseil. The school organises a wide range of extra-curricular clubs including karate, chess and creative writing although the school has not ensured that all pupils benefit from all that the school has to offer.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes, teaching does not focus on work that supports pupils to learn the intended curriculum, including in the early years. Additionally, teaching does not check systematically that pupils have understood key concepts fully. As a result, pupils' knowledge is less well developed in some areas of the curriculum which makes it difficult for them to deepen and extend their learning fully in some areas. Leaders should ensure that the activities pupils are set help them to learn key subject concepts securely and that teaching checks systematically that pupils know what they need to before moving on to new learning.
• Where systems to identify and meet the needs of pupils with SEND are new, the work given to pupils with SEND, and adaptations to teaching and resources made for them, do not take full account of their prior knowledge. As a result, some adaptations made for pupils with SEND are not well focused on helping them to understand and remember key subject content. This leads to pupils with SEND sometimes having less secure knowledge in some areas of the curriculum. Leaders should continue to embed new systems to address this.

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