Kirkbie Kendal School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 May 2024

Pupils, including students in the sixth form, are proud to attend this school. Pupils value the friendships that they forge. They also appreciate the care and warmth that they receive from teachers. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), typically behave well during lessons and at social times. Lessons are rarely interrupted by the behaviour of others. This creates a purposeful learning environment in classrooms. Students in the sixth form have positive attitudes towards their learning. They are motivated and keen to do well. The school has high expectations of pupils' achievement. Nonetheless, some of the flaws with the curriculum design means that pupils do not learn all that they should. In addition, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not checked and remedied effectively. As a result, pupils' learning is uneven and this limits how well they achieve. Most pupils, including those with SEND, enjoy the wider opportunities that the school offers. For instance, sixth-form students enjoy designing and delivering reading support sessions for younger pupils. They value holding such positions of responsibility as this builds their confidence. Some pupils relish working with others across the school for their annual theatre performance. Many pupils also enjoy taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. This helps them to build resilience and team working skills.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the school has not clearly identified the key knowledge that pupils should learn. As such, it is not clear what subject content should be taught and how this knowledge should build on prior learning. This means that some pupils do not learn all that they should. The school should refine the curriculum in these subjects to ensure that teachers know what pupils should learn and how to build their knowledge securely over time.
• The support for older pupils who struggle to read is underdeveloped. As such, these pupils do not overcome gaps in their reading knowledge as well as they should. The school should improve its practices in supporting pupils in Year 11 and the sixth form to read so that they can better access the curriculum.
• Some teachers do not use strategies to assess what pupils know effectively. As a result, pupils have unaddressed gaps in their knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers check that pupils have secured the learning that they need to make sense of new subject content.
• The school's monitoring of attendance in the sixth form is not as rigorous as in the rest of the school. Barriers to sixth-form learning are not identified and addressed effectively. Leaders should improve how patterns and causes of pupils' absence in the sixth form are monitored so that barriers that are causing pupils to miss school are understood and removed successfully.
• Pupils have limited opportunities to learn about fundamental British values and different faiths in sufficient depth. At times, this means that some pupils have a superficial understanding of different religions and cultures. A small number of pupils have not grasped fully the negative impact that the use of derogatory language can have on others. The school should ensure that the programme to promote pupils' wider development is carefully designed to better prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.

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