King Arthur's School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 29 April 2025

King Arthur's instils in pupils a belief that they can and will achieve beyond expectations. Staff encourage pupils to 'meet their dreams and lead their lives'. The school has developed strong links with the local community. Pupils learn in a happy and supportive environment. However, the quality of teaching that pupils experience across classes and subjects is inconsistent. Pupils have a renewed confidence in their school. They feel safe and have a strong sense of belonging. Pupils rise to the high expectations that the school set for their behaviour. They appreciate the 'praise hard' approach that staff take towards them. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning in lessons. At social times, pupils are respectful towards each other and engage well in extra-curricular activities. Pupils benefit from a high-quality programme of enrichment. They attend trips abroad including to Berlin and Italy. Closer to home, many pupils participate in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, visit universities and go on theatre trips. The school's 'Aspire programme' is celebrated by pupils and staff. Pupils participate in trips and activities that develop their leadership skills and encourage them to consider their future goals. Pupils also take on additional responsibilities such as being prefects or sports leaders.

What the school should improve

• The effectiveness of the delivery of the curriculum is variable across classes and subjects. Some classroom practice does not build successfully on what pupils know and can do or consistently check pupils' understanding of what they have learned. As a result, in these instances, some pupils do not develop detailed enough knowledge or produce high quality work. The school and trust should ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently high, and that assessment is being used effectively.
• The school has not put in place an appropriate programme to support pupils at the early stages of learning to read. Additionally, the wider reading curriculum is in its infancy and is not implemented to a consistently high standard. Therefore, some pupils do not receive the support that they need to read fluently, and the ambition that pupils read widely and often is not realised. The school and trust should ensure that the reading curriculum for all pupils is of a high quality and delivered well, so that pupils learn to read at an age-appropriate level and develop positive reading habits.

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