Kettering Park Infant Academy

Overview

Kettering Park Infant Academy is described as a “warm, friendly and inclusive school” where pupils behave well and enjoy learning. The report states that the school has moved from “Requires improvement” to “Good” overall effectiveness, with strong leadership and a curriculum that is “carefully sequenced.” While the school works hard to meet the needs of all pupils, some aspects of its work lack strategic oversight.

Strengths

• Pupils are “attentive in lessons,” work hard, and present their work to a “high standard.”
• The curriculum is “broad and ambitious,” with a strong focus on reading where pupils become “confident and fluent readers.”
• Staff provide effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including a bespoke “Rainbow” provision.
• Personal development is a priority, with pupils learning to manage emotions and keep safe online.
• Trustees and governors “work extremely well together” to provide effective support and challenge.

Areas to improve

• Lesson tasks must be “precisely designed” to ensure pupils securely learn and remember key curriculum content, as current activities do not always fully match intended learning.
• Support for pupils with SEND in mainstream classrooms needs enhancement, with clearer strategies to identify the “small steps” these pupils need to improve their learning.
• Subject leaders require continued professional development and monitoring to effectively implement and evaluate their curriculums.
• Leaders should strengthen “strategic oversight” through robust monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work.

Safeguarding

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