Kingstone and Thruxton Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 December 2022

Pupils enjoy school. Those spoken to said they were happy. They love their learning. Physical education (PE) lessons are popular with many pupils. PE and sports are promoted well by 'pupil sports ambassadors'. Leaders have high ambitions for all pupils to do as well as they can. They achieve this by ensuring that pupils from very different previous learning experiences can succeed in their work. The 'reading club' especially helps disadvantaged pupils learn to read. Pupils behave well in and around school. They live up to the three school rules, 'ready, respectful, safe', in their attitudes to each other. They show respect towards others from different backgrounds. Pupils feel safe. They know there are trusted adults they can speak to if anything worries or upsets them. Bullying gets sorted quickly if it happens. Pupils enthusiastically take part in wider extra-curricular clubs and in helping others. Some are editors and reporters on the 'Kingstone Chronicle', a half-termly magazine which records the school's news. Year 2 pupils have recently helped to collect donated toys and games in their Christmas appeal. Through the pupil parliament, representatives came up with the idea for an adventure trail next to the playground, which will be unveiled in the New Year.

What the school should improve

• In a few instances, pupils experience long gaps between subjects and topics within them. This can lead to some pupils forgetting some of their previous learning. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is organised in such a way that pupils can build on their learning successfully over time.
• Persistent absence remains high compared with pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, although it is falling. As a result, some pupils are missing key learning. Leaders should take further measures to reduce the number of pupils who are persistently absent.

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