Kemble remains a good school, but is not complacent

 

Staff, pupils and parents at Kemble Primary School were relieved to receive the letter from Ofsted confirming the outcome of the school’s section 8 inspection on Wednesday 25 May 2022. 

 

As with all short inspections, the day itself was intense and the process something of a whirlwind! Emma Morrogh-Ryan, Headteacher, her team and pupils were keen to share what they know, understand and can do.

 

There is no change to the overall judgement that Kemble is a good school, Emma Morrogh-Ryan, her team and governors look forward to welcoming another inspection team back for a full (section 5) inspection next time.

 

Emma Morrogh-Ryan reflects: ‘We are pleased that the inspection team recognised the strength of our school community and the ambitious curriculum we are developing based on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Improvements to our curriculum, particularly in Phonics, Reading, Writing and Maths, have been validated by recent statutory assessments and there is a clear oversight of pupils with additional needs.’

 

Receipt of the letter from Ofsted, which constitutes a report, coincided with the arrival of the results of the school’s statutory assessments in Key Stages 1 and 2. These consistently on each measure, including the outcomes in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Phonics, exceeded the national figures and, commendably, a significant proportion of pupils attained greater depth too.

 

As Headteacher, Emma Morrogh-Ryan was reassured by the exceptionally positive feedback from the school’s stakeholders: staff expressed their loyalty and commitment and pupils reported that they are happy in school and feel safe. Impressively, 100% of parents believe their children do well and would recommend Kemble Primary School to another parent. She is especially grateful to all members of the school’s community and the Corinium Education Trust: ‘Thank you for your ongoing and continuing support. We are confident that the journey for Kemble is strong and we, as a staff, are proud to be part of it.’ Emma Morrogh-Ryan.

 

‘I am very proud of all that Emma Morrogh-Ryan has been able to achieve at Kemble Primary School. She has inspired her team and supported their professional development. They share a strong vision for the school and encourage pupils to debate big ideas. I am confident they will continue to develop the curriculum, strengthen the foundation subjects and ensure that all pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Congratulations!’ Chiquita Henson, Trust Lead (CEO)

 

>> Go to Ofsted : Kemble Primary School  

 

A message to all Corinium Education Trust schools' Parents and Carers:
School Attendance

Thank you for all you do to ensure your child(ren) attend(s) school. We appreciate the last two years have been especially challenging for everyone and that it has not always been easy to maintain regular patterns of school attendance.

Following a year of transition from September 2021, in which we have not had to close any of our schools for periods of lockdown or home learning, we are concerned to get things back to normal from September 2022. We are committed to working with parents to support good attendance.

You can help prevent your child missing school by:

• having a routine from an early age and sticking to it;
• making sure your child understands the importance of good attendance and punctuality;
• making sure your child understands the possible implications for themselves and you as a parent if they do not go to school;
• taking an interest in their education - ask about their learning and encourage them to get involved in school activities;
• discussing any problems your child may have at school and letting their teacher know about anything that is causing concern;
• not letting them take time off school for minor ailments or holidays during term time;
• minimising disruption to your child's education by arranging (as far as possible), appointments and outings after school hours, at weekends or during the school holidays.

 

We appreciate many of you already do this and we have seen the impact of your actions in our schools. However, we also understand that parenting can occasionally be challenging. Therefore, we have a member of staff in each of our schools who can provide support and guidance, specifically with regard to attendance.

 

As you are aware school attendance is mandatory. Our Headteachers and their teams know that absence from school is a potential safeguarding risk and understand their role in keeping children safe. Therefore, our schools rigorously follow up any absences to:

• ascertain the reason for a child not attending school;
• ensure the proper safeguarding action is taken;
• identify whether the absence is approved or not.

 

All schools have a statutory responsibility to register school attendance twice a day. In the guidance provided for schools (May 2022) the government expects

all schools to;

• promote good attendance and reduce absence, including persistent absence;
• ensure every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled;
• act early to address patterns of absence;

parents to:

• perform their legal duty by ensuring their children of compulsory school age who are registered at school attend regularly;

and all pupils to;

• be punctual to their lessons.

 

Good attendance at school is not just valuable, it is essential. There is a direct correlation between regular school attendance and positive progress and attainment. Children need to be in school to learn and frequent or prolonged absence can lead to significant gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Furthermore, the routines established in school, prepare pupils for life beyond school and the world of work.

 

Going to school helps to develop:

• friendships and reduce the risk of isolation;
• communication and social skills;
• life skills, such as punctuality and effective time management, and team values;
• healthy living and learning;
• resilience and strength of character;
• cultural awareness;
• aspirations and career pathways.

 

Across The Corinium Education Trust we share high expectations. Our new MIS, Arbor, will allow you to see your child’s attendance in real time, once the parent portal is launched in the autumn term. While all of our schools expect 100% attendance, we define regular school attendance as attendance at or above 98%. This allows for a short period of illness.

In 2021-22, we have seen a dip in attendance across The Corinium Education Trust and, while our average attendance is just above the national averages for primary and secondary schools, we have concerns about the number of persistent absentees. A persistent absentee is a pupil who has less than 90% attendance. When this happens robust and supportive procedures are put in place to bring about improvement.

 

We appreciate that achieving 90% in an exam or test is a fantastic result. However, if your child is at school for only 90% of the school year, they will have missed 19 days, almost four whole weeks of school. For primary-age children, this can mean the loss of almost 120 guided learning hours. This is a big gap for any child to make up. If your child is a pupil at secondary school, 120 guided learning hours is the same as studying one full-time GCSE (normally taken over two years).

We are aware that 2021-22 has not been a typical year as we have all had to manage the legacy of the pandemic. We know school attendance has been impacted by the previous COVID-19 requirements for those testing positive to self-isolate initially for 10 then 7 and now 3 days. Hopefully, this will not be necessary in 2022-23 as we expect the situation to improve.

 

Please help us to continue to support and educate our pupils by ensuring your child regularly attends school. I remind you that Headteachers are unable to authorise any absence for a family holiday in term time.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Chiquita Henson
Chief Executive

We are looking to recruit a new Clerk for our Local Governing Bodies to start on 5 September 2022.

 

Each of our 4 schools has its own Local Governing Body which meets 6 times a year. Meetings are scheduled termly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-8pm, within The Corinium Education Trust’s annual calendar. Dates for 2022-23 are provided in advance. Our new Clerk will liaise with our Headteachers and the Chairs of each Local Governing Body to draft and prepare agendas and finalise the minutes of meetings. Papers for meetings are shared in a secure portal.

 

Our new Clerk to our Local Governing Bodies must:

• be well organised with a proven ability to work on their own initiative, under pressure and with discretion;
• ensure a high level of accuracy and confidentiality;
• have excellent administrative and communication skills and a positive can-do attitude;
• be familiar with Microsoft Office and have secure IT skills.

 

Experience of governance or the Clerk’s role would be useful but not essential as training will be provided. The Corinium Education Trust’s Governance Officer will continue to clerk our Trustees’ Board and Committee meetings and will provide induction, support and guidance for our new Clerk to the Local Governing Bodies.

 

The post is equivalent to 8 hours a week for 38 weeks a year (term time only). These hours will be worked flexibly allowing approximately 2 hours a week per school, but with the fixed commitment of scheduled evening Local Governing Body Meetings on set dates each term. This is therefore an ideal opportunity for anyone looking to work flexibly around other commitments or alongside another job. The Clerk will be expected to plan ahead, attend and minute all meetings, some of which will be in person and some online in MS Teams. Furthermore, the allocation of hours includes time for the Clerk to engage in additional activities such as The Corinium Education Trust’s Governance Seminars, line management and quality assurance meetings.

 

We anticipate that the Clerk’s role will evolve as The Corinium Education Trust develops and grows and the Clerk will be expected to operate flexibly to accommodate ad hoc projects and analysis and to liaise with The Corinium Education Trust’s Governance Officer on these where appropriate.

 

>> Find out more...

 

Completed application forms should reach the school no later than 9.00am on Wednesday 20 July 2022, with interviews provisionally scheduled for Monday 25 July 2022.