Kingsbury Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 February 2026

Pupils come to Kingsbury wanting to do well. However, too many do not get the teaching or support that they need to succeed. When pupils struggle with the basics of speaking, reading, writing or number, staff do not pick this up quickly enough. Staff are not clear about what pupils should learn and the order they should learn it. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), often struggle to access the curriculum because teachers do not explain or adapt learning in helpful ways. As a result, pupils often fall further behind. They do not secure the knowledge they need for the next stage of education. This especially affects disadvantaged pupils who, like many of their peers, achieve far below national expectations. Younger pupils, including children in the early years, are not taught phonics well enough. This slows down their early reading skills and holds them back from future success. Day-to-day routines and expectations for pupils' behaviour vary widely. This leads to a loss of focus on learning. Pupils do not attend school as often as they should, and many are frequently absent. Leaders’ support for these pupils has not been successful in helping them to come to school more often. Despite this, when they do attend, most pupils feel safe. They say that bullying is rare. Pupils know that trusted adults will help them if worries arise. Pupils enjoy taking part in trips and clubs. Some hold responsibilities such as school councillors. However, the range of opportunities is narrow. Furthermore, disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND often miss out. This hinders their readiness to experience all that modern society has to offer.

What the school should improve

• Governors must equip themselves with the knowledge and skills required to fulfil their statutory duties and to hold leaders to account for the quality of education across the school.
• Leaders and governors should strengthen their mechanisms to evaluate the impact of their work, including their work around inclusion, so that they can take timely and effective action to address the school's urgent weaknesses.
• Leaders should implement effective systems to identify and assess any barriers to pupils' learning, including any special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), so that staff receive the information that they need to support them appropriately.
• Leaders should ensure that staff have the subject knowledge, expertise and guidance needed to deliver the curriculum effectively so pupils, including those with SEND, learn successfully and achieve well.
• Leaders should develop a strategic approach to analysing patterns of absence, in order to take consistent, effective action that rapidly reduces persistent absenteeism.
• Leaders should ensure the curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education is coherently sequenced so that knowledge builds progressively across year groups, helping pupils to develop secure understanding over time.
• Leaders should ensure that staff in the early years use information about children’s starting points to plan purposeful interactions that develop vocabulary, deepen understanding and strengthen early language and communication.

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