Pupils support each other and achieve shared ambition at Kineton
AN ambitious curriculum which encourages all pupils at Kineton High School to flourish academically and achieve their personal best means the school has once again been rated good by Ofsted.
Kineton was inspected on 30th and 31st January and the recently published Ofsted report includes: “Pupils are supported to achieve their personal best in this caring community school. The school’s values of ‘ambition, respect and kindness’ resonate throughout all aspects of school life. Pupils are happy to be a part of this inclusive and vibrant school. Staff have high expectations for pupils’ academic achievement.”
It adds that pupils flourish academically and personally and their school experience is ‘enriched with a plethora of activities’ and educational visits have increased their learning about culture and diversity with international trips, such as supporting local communities in South Africa, a cultural trip to Spain, skiing in Austria, water sports in France and geography trips to Iceland.
Pupils also benefit from local visits to museums, galleries, castles and a variety of places of worship.
The school has developed an extra-curricular programme where there is something for everyone. ‘Let’s talk’ is an inclusive group to encourage pupils to have their voice heard and to bring about change.
Recently, the group has ensured there are accessible facilities with readily available period products. The annual musical production is a highlight of the school year, which brings the whole community together.
Many pupils take part in these extra-curricular activities, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
The reported adds: “Leaders work relentlessly to ensure that pupils’ interests are at the heart of all that they do. Their monitoring and analysis ensure that they have a strong evaluation of what is working well and what they need to do to be even better.
As a result, pupils receive a good quality of education, which is complimented with an abundance of opportunities beyond the classroom.
The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils and is sequenced to build on knowledge from Year 7 to Year 13. It highlights the key concepts and skills that pupils need to learn and how they will learn these so that they can become experts in their subjects.”
The delivery of the curriculum is supplemented with educational visits. For example, in art, as part of the ‘cultural decoration project’, pupils visit The British Museum to strengthen their understanding of Japanese and African artefacts.
“Staff have expert subject knowledge in the areas they teach. They know their pupils well and use a range of activities to check that pupils have a secure understanding of the key concepts.
When pupils do not understand, teachers help them to close any gaps in knowledge and alleviate any misconceptions. This helps pupils to build on their knowledge over time and deepen their understanding. As a result, pupils progress well,” Ofsted noted.
The school accurately identifies pupils with SEND and puts in place bespoke additional support. Staff effortlessly adapt their teaching to meet the needs of all pupils. There has been a recent focus on engaging with the families of pupils with SEND through ‘SEND clinics’ and remote meetings. This is helping to keep them informed about the strategies in place to support their children.
The school has put in place ample support for pupils who struggle to read. It accurately identifies which pupils need extra help and provides a bespoke programme for pupils to improve their reading skills.
Sixth-form students listen to their younger peers reading, and staff who are trained to teach phonics support those pupils who are still at an early stage of reading. This is working well to improve pupils’ confidence and fluency when reading. The texts that pupils read are purposeful and insightful and include topics such as refugee camps, current affairs and LGBTQ+ awareness.
Kineton has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour.
“In lessons, pupils are focused and keen to contribute to class discussions. When pupils’ behaviour falls short of the expected, they are given the support they need to regulate their behaviour. As a result, most pupils behave well and learn from their mistakes. However, a small minority of pupils do not receive the support they need to improve their behaviour. As a result, they often receive suspensions, which are not having the desired impact,” the inspection advised.
However, the school’s wider development programme is taught through ‘culture and character’ lessons. Pupils learn about topics, including mental health, healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe. There are extensive pupil leadership opportunities, such as ‘student president’, being a part of the charity committee and the student council.
Sixth form students raise money for charities through fundraising events, such as teacher dance battles and selling tickets for the Christmas show, which they have choreographed and written. This helps pupils to play an active role in society and teaches them the importance of kindness and charity.
“The arrangements for safeguarding are effective but the needs of a very small minority of pupils are not always met as well as they need to be. These pupils are often suspended repeatedly, which is not having the desired impact. The school should continue to implement and review a range of strategies to engage with these pupils and ensure that staff are supported effectively to do this,” the report noted.
An Ofsted inspection of Kineton High School in 2017 also rated the school as good.
