Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy

Overview

This ungraded inspection confirms that Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy has “taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.” The school provides a “warm, inclusive” environment where pupils “achieve well and thrive,” supported by a “well-designed curriculum” and expert teaching. Leaders and staff are described as “knowledgeable and motivated,” ensuring a positive culture for learning and personal development.

Strengths

• Early years provision is strong, with children getting off to a “flying start” and being “prepared well for the transition to Year 1.”
• Staff are “expert in teaching children to read,” providing timely support so pupils become “confident and fluent readers.”
• Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is “very well” executed, with specialist provisions like “the Nest and the Den” being “particularly effective.”
• The curriculum “makes links between subjects to deepen pupils’ learning,” helping pupils remember prior knowledge.
• Pupils’ well-being is a priority, creating a “haven of calm” where behaviour is “praiseworthy” and pupils are “happy and proud to belong.”

Areas to improve

• Recent strategies to improve attendance have “not yet been fully effective,” meaning some pupils miss out on provision; the school must “embed its efforts to support maximum attendance.”
• In “a few subjects,” teaching activities do not ensure pupils learn the intended curriculum well enough, leading to “gaps in pupils’ knowledge.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”