Kingsholm Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 February 2025

Kingsholm is a school that welcomes and accepts everyone, regardless of background. Caring relationships exist between pupils and staff. Pupils trust adults in school to act on any concerns, including bullying, quickly and effectively. This helps them feel happy and safe. In the early years, children get off to a secure start to their education. However, the school has not fully realised its high ambition across key stages 1 and 2. Some pupils have not achieved well enough by the end of Year 6. This is why the school has overhauled the curriculum and how it is taught. Still, many recent positive changes have not had time to fully impact some pupils' learning. Most pupils follow the three 'Bs' of being 'respectful', 'kind' and 'your best'. They make 'green behaviour' choices, such as listening to the person speaking and not calling out. Occasionally, a minority of pupils need reminders from staff about important routines, such as lining up at breaktimes. The school raises pupils' aspirations during 'Kingsholm University' enrichment sessions. Here, pupils get the chance to be creative and learn life skills, such as cooking and first aid. Currently, however, pupils have limited opportunities to take on responsibilities.

What the school should improve

• In a few curriculum subjects, the school has not made clear the precise knowledge pupils need to learn and revisit. This prevents pupils from developing a deep knowledge and understanding in these subjects. The school should ensure that the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember is clear across all subjects.
• The school has not ensured that teachers' expectations of pupils' written work are consistently high. Some pupils do not apply the writing skills they know within their written work. This affects the quality of pupils' writing. The school should ensure that teachers' expectations of pupils' written work are consistently high and that teachers use the agreed systems to support pupils to become successful writers.
• In some subjects, the school's oversight of how pupils learn the curriculum is not fully effective. As a result, the curriculum is not implemented consistently well. Where this is the case, pupils' knowledge and skills are less secure. The school should sharpen its oversight of how well pupils learn in all subjects so that it can act quickly to secure improvements, where needed.
• Some pupils continue to be absent from school too often. These pupils miss essential learning, which has a negative impact on their education. The school should ensure that it implements its renewed expectations and that attendance improves.
• The school does not provide opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities across the school. This limits the chances for pupils to make an active and positive contribution to school life. The school should provide more opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities to support their wider personal and character development.

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