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Handbook

School

Kingham Primary School is an exceptional village school in an outstanding rural setting. The school looks out over a school garden, wild flower area and woodland, with a large playing field beyond.

With a Nursery class that accepts children from the age of three, the school has an annual admission of up to 30 children into the Reception class, progressing through six further classes from Year 1 to 6 up the age of eleven.

The school is funded through Oxfordshire County Council and offers places to children free of charge in line with the local authority admissions policy.

Highly regarded by parents, Kingham Primary School is rated as outstanding by Ofsted, the organisation responsible for the inspection of schools.

The headteacher and the senior leadership team have extensive experience and expertise in education. All the class teachers are supported by a highly capable team of teaching assistants.

A broad and balanced educational programme is provided in line with the National Curriculum, through termly themes that engage children and enable teachers to respond to their individual interests and needs.

Children receive music and sports tuition each week from external specialist teachers as a part of the school timetable. They also benefit from the support of a computing advisory teacher, special needs advisory teacher and the school special educational needs and disability co-ordinators.

Kingham Primary School is part of the Chipping Norton Partnership of Schools, or CNPS, which works closely together on a whole range of events, including sports tournaments, art and topic days, dance festivals and concerts.

As a result of this positive environment for teaching and learning, the children consistently achieve well above the national average at the end of the Foundation Stage, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two.

The children go on to a range of excellent secondary schools in the area, including The Chipping Norton School, Burford School, The Cotswold Academy, and the nearby independent Kingham Hill School.

The school office has a dedicated administrative team and a part-time school business manager, who is also clerk to the governing body.

The governors, including two parent governors, a staff governor, and co-opted governors appointed for their skills and expertise, provide strategic governance for the school.

The Kingham Primary School Association, or KPSA, is the charitable parent teacher organisation, which is very successful at raising funds for enrichment resources and activities for the children, while providing a social focus for the community.

Location

Kingham Primary School is just off the village green at the edge of Kingham in West Oxfordshire. Kingham is four miles from the market town of Chipping Norton and six miles from Stow-on-the-Wold. It is 25 miles northwest of Oxford and has a direct train service to Oxford and London Paddington.

Kingham Primary School location

Kingham

A traditional English village, Kingham has a 14th-century church, two pubs with restaurants of national reputation, a village shop and post office. It was recognised by The Sunday Times in 2016 as “The best place to live in the South East”.

The parish has a population of less than a thousand, but Kingham Primary School also serves surrounding villages, including nearby Churchill. The nearest town of Chipping Norton lies outside the officially designated area of the school, but the school admits children from a wide area, subject to the availability of places.

The surrounding Cotswolds countryside is a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, the second largest protected landscape in England. The low rolling hills provide the honey-coloured limestone that characterises the stone buildings that are typical of the region.

Kingham Primary School context

Tour

This brief video tour was produced by Zack, a former pupil at Kingham Primary School, who now attends Kingham Hill.

Terms

Term dates 2023 – 2024

Term Start End
2023
Autumn Term Tuesday 5 September Friday 20 October
Tuesday 31 October Wednesday 20 December
2024
Spring Term Tuesday 9 January Friday 9 February
Monday 19 February Thursday 28 March
Summer Term Monday 15 April Friday 24 May
Tuesday 4 June Wednesday 24 July
Autumn Term Wednesday 4 September Friday 25 October

INSET DAYS (School Closed):

  • Monday 4 September 2023
  • Monday 30 October 2023
  • Monday 8 January 2024
  • Monday 3 June 2024
  • Monday 2 September 2024
  • Tuesday 3 September 2024

Term dates 2024 – 2025

TermStartEnd
Autumn term 2024Monday 4 SeptemberFriday 25 October
Tuesday 5 NovemberFriday 20 December
Spring term 2025Tuesday 7 JanuaryFriday 14 February
Monday 24 FebruaryFriday 4 April
Summer term 2025Tuesday 22 AprilFriday 23 May
Tuesday 3 JuneTuesday 22 July

INSET DAYS (School Closed):

  • Monday 2 September 2024
  • Monday 3 September 2024
  • Monday 4 November 2024
  • Monday 6 January 2025
  • Monday 2 June 2025

Transport

Many children are able to walk or cycle to and from school with their parents or carers.

Limited parking spaces are available in the free parish car park adjacent to the school. Additional parking is available on Churchill Road, to the north of the village green.

Kingham Village Car Park

A school bus operates for those children that require this service.

Bakers coach

Further information about travel assistance is available in the Oxfordshire Home to School Travel and Transport Policy.

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk

Day

Kingham Primary School welcomes children and their parents or carers to assemble in the playground from 8.35 in the morning on school days. The school bell rings at 8.45am and class teachers will come to each year group line to collect the children and take them into school. A teaching assistant will wait to meet any children who missed the bell to ensure that they are safely supervised into school.

Outdoor classroom
Outdoor classroom

Please make every effort to ensure that your child is at school on time. If you arrive after 8.55 please bring your child through the main front entrance to the school office where a member of our office staff will greet you to sign in your child. One of the school staff will then escort your child to their classroom.

Morning break is from 10.30–10.45.

Lunchtime is from 11.45 for the Reception class, from 11.55 for Y1-2, and from 12.00 for Y3-6.

Afternoon registration is at 1.00pm and school continues until 3.15pm.

Parents and carers are welcome to come to the playground from 3:10pm to collect children from 3.15pm.

Children can only be collected by nominated individuals that have been previously identified to the school and are known to the child. If there is any change to the usual collection arrangements please notify the school in writing in advance. This can generally be done through an entry in the school diary of the child.

Attendance

Kingham Primary School encourages regular attendance as there is a very strong link between poor attendance and poor performance. Students are expected to attend daily and on time unless they are ill.

Good school attendance habits are best started early. Children learn from those around them and you as parents set the standards and expectations for your child. Showing your child the importance of attending school every day not only helps your child to settle quickly when starting school but helps them to keep and maintain friendships and enjoy the school environment.

If children do not attend school regularly they may struggle to keep up with school work and struggle to make and keep friendships.

The Department for Education advises that Leave of Absence should not be permitted during term time unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances’. As there are thirteen weeks of school holiday in which family holidays can be taken, holidays are not considered as ‘exceptional circumstances’. We understand that this can be hard on families from other countries who want to be able to visit their relatives abroad during term time, but arrangements will have to made to make visits either without your children or during the school holidays.

If parents or carers do plan to take their child out of school for any reason, they need to complete an absence request form, available from the school office or on the link below:

Absence Request Form

School Attendance Policy

Lunches

School lunch

Kingham Primary School is pleased to be able to offer a healthy hot lunch for all children in school. Children may alternatively bring an appropriate packed lunch. Children can state at morning registration whether they will require a school meal. A vegetarian option is always available.

Packed lunch

A packed lunch can be brought to school in a lunch box clearly labelled with the name of the child. This should contain appropriate items that do not require refrigeration. As some children may have food allergies, lunches should not include products containing nuts or peanuts, including peanut butter, nut spreads, and confectionary or cereal bars containing nuts.

School meals

School meals are supplied by Oxfordshire County Council and are prepared onsite by our catering team. The menus are designed to ensure that all meals are nutritionally balanced over the course of a three week cycle. Children can sit together and enjoy their meals whilst developing social skills that are so important in later life. A well-fed and happy child is more likely to be receptive to participating in the afternoon activities.

School menu

Free school meals

School meals are free of charge to all children in Reception and Years 1-2. Some parents and carers of children in the Nursery and Years 3-6 may also be able to claim free school meals and other benefits.

The school receives additional ‘pupil premium’ funding for children whose parents or carers are entitled to certain credits or allowances or children that have been previously registered for free school meals. This funding is used to benefit the education of eligible children and is worth over £1,000 per child for each year that they are at primary school, even if they are already entitled to universal infant school meals in Reception and Years 1-2, or bring a packed lunch. The school can use this money to help pay for things like the cost of school visits or music lessons.

Parents and carers are encouraged to enquire about the pupil premium and how it benefits both their children and the school. It simply requires completion of an application form, together with proof of entitlement. Further information is available in confidence from the school office.

Paid meals

There is a charge of £2.30 per meal for children that are not entitled to free school meals.

Meals can be paid for in advance using ParentMail, a secure online payment system. Payments can also be made in advance directly through the school office, on a weekly, monthly, or half-termly basis. The school does not offer a credit facility. If parents are for any reason unable to pay for meals they should contact the school office.

Allergies

Parents and carers should inform the school about children with severe allergies. Staff receive appropriate training in understanding and dealing with anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions and will use this training as necessary.

The school is aware that some children have nut allergies and aims to be nut-free as far as possible. Parents and carers are asked not to send food to school that contains nuts, including peanut butter, nut spreads, and confectionary or cereal bars containing nuts. Children will be asked not to share food and encouraged to wash hands before and after eating.

Uniform

The Kingham Primary School uniform reflects the school colours of navy blue and gold. It is designed to be practical, supporting our school identity while providing flexibility for individuals.

Options

  • White or navy polo shirt or white formal school shirt
  • Navy sweatshirt or cardigan (preferably with school logo)
  • Navy or dark grey skirt
  • Dark grey trousers, or shorts (for summer)
  • Navy gingham dress (for summer)
  • Navy or black shoes
  • Navy or dark grey tights
  • White, black or navy socks
Kingham Primary School cardigan and sweatshirt

Daily items

Kingham Primary School book bag and back pack
  • Book bag, including provided school diary and books
  • Water bottle, clearly labelled with name of child
  • Labelled lunch box for those taking packed lunches
  • Art smock or old shirt for art and craft work
  • Wellies for outdoor learning in Nursery or Reception classes
  • PE bag, including sports kit
  • Suitable hat and coat for cold weather or sun hat for summer

Sports

Indoor

Kingham Primary School PE bag and T-shirt
  • Gold T-shirt (preferably with school logo)
  • Navy shorts
  • Plimsolls (for Years 1-2)

Outdoor

Kingham Primary School fleece and PE T-shirt
  • Warm tracksuit top and bottom
  • Trainers
  • Spare socks
  • Gum shield (for hockey)
  • Shin pads (for football)

Hair styling

All shoulder length or long hair must be tied back using a black, white, grey or navy-blue hair band, scrunchie or bobble.

Make-up

Make up/nail polish is not allowed to be worn in school

Jewellery

Jewellery must not be worn in school, apart from a watch or small piercing studs, which must be removed or covered up for sport or PE.

Labelling

All items of clothing, including shoes, hats and coats must be clearly labelled with the name of the child.

Purchasing

Suitable clothing is easily available from many retailers.

Items with the school logo, including clothing, bags and rucksacks are available for purchase from Wreal Sports at their shop front or by ordering online. Please visit their website or call for more information

01451 822823

Wreal Sports | Embroidery/Print for Workwear, Schoolwear & Sportswear

Pre-Loved Uniform

Kingham Primary School uniform logos

The Kingham Primary School Association also manages donations of school uniform items, which are available for purchase at reduced prices, with proceeds going to the KPSA school fund. See the link below: https://www.pta-events.co.uk/kpsa/index.cfm?event=event&eventId=66538&isProductGroup=true

Photography

Photography on school premises requires specific permission. The school permits parents and carers to take images of their children at official school events for their own private use and requests that any such images identifying other children are not shared online or on social media.

Staff and other authorised individuals may record images of children to document their work or achievements. Written consent is required from parents or carers to permit the use of personally identifiable images of children and their work on the school web site and in other media.

Social media

The school has policies in place to cover the use and prevent the abuse of online services and social media by staff and children.

Parents and carers are also encouraged to act respectfully and consider the effect on others when posting on social media.

Fundraising

Kingham Primary School Association

The Kingham Primary School Association is a registered charity run by parents that manages fundraising activities for the school.

KPSA Summer Party

The KPSA has raised thousands of pounds for the school, most recently for the outdoor classroom and a well-stocked library.

Outdoor classroom
Kingham Primary School library

Through its fundraising events for the school, the KPSA also provides social activities that bring together parents, children and the wider community.

All parents and carers of children enrolled at Kingham Primary School are members of the KPSA and are entitled to vote and take part in elections for committee posts.

To register for KPSA newsletters and for further details about social events and fundraising throughout the year please see the separate KPSA web site.

www.pta-events.co.uk/kpsa/

Partnership

Kingham Primary School is a member of the Chipping Norton Partnership of Schools. The CNPS comprises the Chipping Norton School and ten local primary schools. These schools come together to participate in various sports activities, festivals and workshops.

This offers opportunities for children to compete and collaborate within a larger community of local schools and use a variety of facilities.

Some events and activities include teams or whole year groups, others can be provided as extension opportunities for individuals or as optional free or paid events.

Kingham Primary School also benefits from using some of the facilities of Kingham Hill School, the nearby independent secondary school.

Places

Kingham Primary School is a popular school and places are in high demand. If you are interested in the possibility of a place in the school you are encouraged to contact the school office for further information.

Kingham Primary School library

Contact school office

Nursery places

Our Nursery takes children from three years of age, with a maximum of 26 children in any one session. Places for children in the nursery class are managed by the school. A place in the nursery does not provide any guarantee of a place in the school reception class.

Nursery places

Reception places

Kingham Primary School has a Published Admission Number (PAN) of 30 for entry into Reception. Places for children of school age are administered by the local authority, Oxfordshire County Council, in line with its admissions policy.

You can apply online. The deadline for applications for places in reception is generally in January of the year in which the child will start in September.

The school serves an officially designated area that is determined by the local authority. Places may be offered to children living outside this area, depending on the number of applications received.

Places are allocated according to strict criteria, which are determined by the council. Even if Kingham Primary School is your stated first preference there may not be sufficient places available for all those that apply.

Later years

Places occasionally become available for older children in classes further up the school. Please contact the school office in the first instance for details of any current availability. Formal applications are administered through the local authority.

Further information

Video tour

Admissions

People

Kingham Primary School has a highly dedicated staff committed to ensuring that every child is valued and feels confident and secure.

Mr Nicholas Prockter
Mr Nicholas Prockter, Headteacher

The Headteacher is supported by Senior Leaders in the management of the school, including a Deputy Headteacher and school business manager.

Each class has at least one qualified Teacher, who may also take the lead in one or more specialist areas. Their role is to care, encourage and listen as well as to teach. They are supported by Teaching Assistants who also work with small groups or individual children.

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator works closely with all staff ensuring that children with additional learning needs are provided with appropriate levels of support throughout their time in school.

The Office staff support the business and administrative management of the school and the reception area. 

Governors collectively represent the parents, staff, community and the local authority and meet regularly with the Headteacher to review priorities, policies and performance.

Headteacher

Mr Nicholas Prockter

Mr N Prockter

I became Headteacher of Kingham Primary School at the start of 2021, returning to England with my wife and two sons.

I was previously Head of Lower School at the prestigious Harrow International School in Bangkok, Thailand, nearly 800 children from nursery through primary school age. Offering an exceptional education to children from 18 months to 18 years, it is the largest of the international schools associated with the renowned Harrow School in London, which was founded in 1572.

Before moving to Thailand with my family in 2014, I was Executive Headteacher at a large state primary school in South East London for nine years, leading its transformation from an underperforming school with falling numbers to be recognised as outstanding in all areas, expanding it over two sites with over 800 children.

I am as enthusiastic now about working with young people as the day I started training as a teacher. My belief is that education should be a special time that provides memories and friendships students will cherish forever. I am passionate about an education that enables each child to be treated as an individual, to feel valued, and above all, to reach their full potential. I aim to ensure all my staff share this philosophy and do their best for every single child.

Directory

Clubs

Kingham Primary School provides optional extended care for children of school age through its Breakfast Club and Afternoon Club. This enables the school to offer wraparound care from 7.45am to 5.15pm to support working parents and carers.

The Breakfast and Afternoon Club staff all work at Kingham Primary School as teaching assistants or lunchtime supervisors. This ensures good continuity for the children, enabling behavioural expectations to be clearly understood.

Optional extra-curricular activity clubs are also provided each term, subject availability and demand.

Breakfast

Breakfast Club enables children to come into school from 7.45am. Cereal and fruit with milk or water are available. At 8.45am the children in are taken to the playground to line up with their classes.

Places for Breakfast Club must be booked and paid for in advance. Further information is available from the school office.

Contact school office

Afternoon

Kidz Club provides extended care in the afternoon on school days. The Kidz Club staff collect children from the classrooms at 3.15pm and they are available for collection until 5.15pm.

Activities are provided, including outdoor play. There is also an opportunity for children to take part in quieter activities, including homework tasks. Drinks and snacks are provided.

Hourly sessions must be booked and paid for in advance. Advance bookings are invited for each term, subject to availability. Occasional sessions can also be booked at shorter notice, where places are still available. Further information is available from the school office.

Contact school office

Activities

After school extra-curricular activities are supported by a combination of teaching assistants, specialist staff, and parent volunteers.

Sports Day

Clubs typically cover a range of activities, such as Art, Archery, Coding, Construction, Cookery, French, Football, Gardening, Golf, Hockey, or Tennis. They are offered to age appropriate year groups and vary by term.

These activities can be booked and paid for in advance on a termly basis, subject to availability. Further information is available through the school office.

Contact school office

Early Years

Nursery and Reception

Our EYFS Vision

Through positive relationships, enabling environments and an engaging curriculum we aim to provide our youngest learners with a strong foundation to their school journey, embed a lifelong love of learning whilst providing them with magical experiences and memories.

We aim to provide an environment where children can develop as learners and feel safe, happy and confident to express themselves. An environment, both indoors and out, that is stimulating and encourages the children to pursue their curiosity and become independent learners. We understand that every child is unique and celebrate the diversity this brings to our Early Years classrooms creating a supportive and inclusive community and helping the children to develop wonderful friendships.

We provide an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum that builds on the pupils’ interests and on-going learning and provide inspirational experiences that reflect the needs of individual children. We aim to offer a range of activities and opportunities, whilst building and embedding the skills and knowledge needed to succeed within the Early Years Foundation Stage.

We foster strong links with the child’s home and welcome parents’ support in their child’s learning journey. Not only does this ensure that the introduction to school life is smooth and happy, but also enables a team approach when preparing children for each new step in their learning journey, including the step into KS1.

With a nurturing approach, embedded in a deep understanding of the needs of our pupils we aim to provide a chance for Kingham’s youngest learners to develop their talents and knowledge so they can flourish and grow.

Nursery

The Nursery class at Kingham Primary School is part of our Early Years Foundation Stage Unit. Places are offered for children from the age of three, subject to availability.

Our Nursery provides appropriate activities and purposeful play for younger children suitable for their age and individual needs. If offers a nurturing environment to develop happy, healthy children and inspire a lifelong love of learning. The nursery enables a smooth transition into the Reception class for those children that subsequently receive places in the school.

Reception

The Reception class at Kingham Primary School is part of our Early Years Foundation Stage Unit. Oxfordshire residents who would like their child to join us in Reception should apply for a space through the Oxfordshire admissions process.

Parent Guide to the EYFS

50 Things to Do Before You’re Five

Facilities

Our EYFS classes are based in the purpose-built facility at Kingham Primary School that was specifically designed as an integrated Early Years Foundation Stage Unit.

The Nursery and the Reception classes are separate, although they share some facilities and outside space.

Children in both classes have shared access to the secure outside play area. Children can also take advantage of other amenities, such as the outdoor classroom and school field, at times when they are not in other use.

As part of the school, children in the EYFS are subject to the statutory safeguarding policies designed to ensure their welfare and wellbeing.

Both classrooms include dedicated age-appropriate toilet and washing facilities.

Staffing

The Nursery class is led by a qualified teacher with appropriate experience for this age group, supported by at least one suitably qualified teaching assistant.

Miss Jenkinson

The staff to child ratio will be no higher than 1:13, which is consistent with similar nursery classes elsewhere and the relevant legal requirements and statutory standards. In practice, the ratio will generally be lower than this, depending on the number of children enrolled and the sessions that are taken.

Nursery staff

Mrs S Arthurs

Teaching Assistant

Mrs P Dowling

Teaching Assistant

Ms R Merry

Teaching Assistant

Sessions

The nursery offers morning and afternoon sessions every weekday during school term time, subject to availability.

  Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
8.45-12.00 AM AM AM AM AM
12.00-13.00 Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
12.00-15.15 PM PM PM PM PM

These sessions run from 08.45 until 12.00 for a morning session and from 12.00 until 15.15 for an afternoon session. There is the option of adding a lunch hour to a morning session.

Children staying in the nursery class through the day or arriving for the afternoon session can bring an appropriate packed lunch. A cooked lunch is also available. This is charged for in line with the school lunch rates. Lunch will be eaten in the nursery.

No two days are ever the same and the nursery offers a packed programme of activities. Each day also has a specific theme. PE is on a Monday. Arts and Crafts are on a Tuesday. Baking is on Wednesday. Thursday is a Forest School. Friday is all about Fine Motor Fun!

The nursery has plenty of toys and games, and a wonderful outside play area with spectacular rural views.

Fees

Funded hours

Under the government childcare scheme, the school offers up to 15 hours a week of funded nursery provision free of charge, from the term after the child’s third birthday until they start school in the reception class or reach the age of compulsory education.

Working parents may also be eligible for up to 30 hours a week for three and four year-old children. Up to 15 hours a week of this may be used at Kingham Primary School, as long as the child is not at more than two sites in one day. Parents may also use extended hours to stretch childcare outside term time with other providers.

Forest school

Additional sessions

Parents of any child with a place in the nursery may elect to pay for additional sessions, subject to availability, at the rate of £6.50 per hour, up to a total of 30 hours a week, including the free entitlement. . There is no requirement to purchase extra hours in order to receive the entitlement of 15 free hours.

Fees will be invoiced one half term in advance, with booking for any individual sessions invoiced as they are booked.

Places

Up to 52 nursery places are available. The actual number depends on how many sessions are taken by each child entitled to a place. There is a maximum of 26 children in any single session.

Nursery places are offered to children from the term after their third birthday. There are three admissions per year.

Term Start Application deadline
Autumn At the start of the school year in September
Spring At the restart of school after the Christmas break
Summer At the restart of school after the Easter break

Places for new admissions are offered in line with local authority admissions policy, subject to availability, by application to the Headteacher of the school, through the school office.

The school will endeavour to accommodate the needs of parents but will not be able to guarantee the availability of particular patterns of sessions.

Rising 3 in the Nursery Class

Kingham Nursery class is happy to offer an opportunity for our younger children to start to explore their early education specifically targeted to support their transition into Nursery.

From your child’s 3rd birthday, we can offer childcare and a rising 3 place at Nursery, where there is an availability of spaces. Where a place is available, your child would be offered a paid place and efforts would be made to secure you your preferred sessions. We require you to book a minimum of two full days/ 12 hours per week to secure a Rising 3 place.

Applications for places, bookings for nursery sessions and more information about Rising 3 childcare places can be made through the school office.

Contact school office

School places

A place in the nursery will not guarantee a place in the school and attendance at the nursery is not necessary to receive a place in the school. Even if a child is in the Nursery class, places in the Reception class of the school will still be subject to application through the local authority in line with its admission policy.

Information

This section contains information that all web sites for maintained schools in England must publish online.

School web site requirements

Vision

Our Vision is ambitious but simple:

A truly exceptional education for our next generation

Mission

Our stated Mission is:

  • To provide magical experiences, friendships and memories;
  • To develop the talents, skills and knowledge needed to excel in all that we do and thrive in a rapidly changing world;
  • To be a supportive and inclusive community, where we care for ourselves, each other, and our environment.

Values

Underpinning our Vision and Mission are three core values. We aim to be:

  • Inspirational
  • Ambitious
  • Kind

Constantly striving to improve, at Kingham Primary School we are:

Always learning to be our best 

Admissions

Kingham Primary School follows the school admission rules of the local authority, Oxfordshire County Council.

Places

Nursery

Applications for the nursery class can be made by contacting the school office. Places in the nursery class are managed by the school, in accordance with the admissions policy of the local authority. A place in the nursery class does not provide any guarantee of a place in the school reception class.

Nursery places

Reception and later years

Oxfordshire Country Council administers the allocation of places for children from Reception to Year 6. Kingham Primary School is a popular school. It may be the first preference for many parents in the area and there may be more applications than there are places available. It is not always necessary for children to live within the designated area or catchment of the school but distance from the school is one of the criteria used to allocate places.

Places occasionally become available for older children in classes further up the school. Please contact the school office in the first instance for details of any current availability. Formal applications are administered through the local authority. Further information here.

Admission criteria

Where there are not enough places for everyone that applies to the school, the local authority will determine the admission arrangements according to strict criteria and the designated area of the school. Children that are looked after by the local authority or have particular needs will be given priority. Places are then allocated in order of priority to children living within the designated area with a brother or sister at the school, to other children living within the designated area, children living outside this area with a brother or sister at the school, and then other children living outside the designated area. For each category, if there are more applicants than available places these will be allocated according to distance from the school. The detailed policy that is followed is available from the Oxfordshire County Council web site.

Designated area

A map showing the designated area or catchment for Kingham Primary School is available from the Oxfordshire County Council web site.

Kingham Primary School designated area

Applications

Applications for places from Reception to Year 6 are coordinated and administered by Oxfordshire County Council, which is the admissions authority for all mainstream state funded primary, infant, junior and secondary schools in Oxfordshire. Parents can apply online or using a paper copy of the Common Application Form. The deadline for applications to the Reception class is generally in January for admission the following September.

Appealing for a school place

You may appeal for a school place if you have not been successful in your application.

Appeals information

Further information

More information about the process and deadlines for application and the relevant school admissions rules and policies are available from the Oxfordshire County Council web site.

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk

Performance

Kingham Primary School is recognised by Ofsted as ‘Outstanding’. Ofsted is the national inspection and regulation authority for services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.

The latest inspection reports can be viewed on the Ofsted web site.

Kingham Primary School – Ofsted report

2023 Results

End of Key Stage 2

Kingham pupils meeting expected standard or above
(National results 2023)
Kingham pupils exceeding expected standard
(National results 2023)
Progress score from KS1*
Reading 90% (73%) 67% (29%) +6.1
Writing
(teacher- assessed)
73% (71%) 43% (13%) +2.9
Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar 93% (72%) 63% (30%) n/a
Maths 93% (73%) 63% (24%) +3.4
Reading, Writing & Maths 73% (59%) 27% (8%) n/a

* A positive progress score indicates good progress made since Key Stage 1; a negative score indicates low average progress.

Key Stage 1 Assessment Summary (end of Year 2)

Teacher-assessed
cohort of 29 pupils
Expected standard: School Expected standard: National Exceeding standard: School (2022) Exceeding standard: National (2022)
Reading 79% 68% 5% 18%
Writing 59% 60% 0% 8%
Maths 79% 70% 0% 15%

Year 2 Phonics Screening Check

Pupils meeting expected standard:
School
Pupils meeting expected standard:
National
97% 89%

Year 1 Phonics Screening Check

Pupils meeting expected standard:
School
Pupils meeting expected standard:
National
83% 79%

End of Early Years Foundation Stage

Area of Learning Pupils meeting expected standard: School Pupils meeting expected standard: National (2022)
Communication & Language 87% 80%
Physical Development 93% 85%
Personal, Social & Emotional Development 97% 83%
Literacy 83% 68%
Mathematics 87% 76%
Understanding of the World 90% 80%
Expressive Arts & Design 97% 85%
Prime Areas 86% 74%
Good Level of Development 83% 65%
Expected level across all ELGs 83% 63%
Average number of ELGs at expected per child 15.6 14.1

Statistics

Further comparative school performance tables and statistical data about the school (2022) are available on the Government school performance web site.

Kingham Primary School – Performance report

Curriculum

On a tour of Kingham you will discover a happy, thriving school alive with learning. Students are given an excellent grounding in core skills interwoven into an exciting, thematic curriculum. Learning is at the centre of all that we do.

Curriculum Vision

Our vision is of a truly exceptional education for our next generation. We aim to provide our children with an inspirational, engaging, ambitious and relevant curriculum that equips them for today and tomorrow. 

We try to ensure that our school is at the heart of the community, where all stakeholders feel good when they walk through the door and where everything is done in the best interests of every individual child.

At Kingham, we endeavour to provide magical experiences, friendships and lifelong memories. We believe that teaching and learning should be exceptional with teachers knowing their students well and challenging all students, whatever their starting point.

Our thematic curriculum utilises cross-curricular links wherever possible under a broad theme to ensure that the learning is exciting, has a clear context and embodies what we know about cognition and memory. Our curriculum rigorously focuses on the essential skills of English, Maths and Digital Literacy, while aiming to develop a love of learning and nurture any, and all talents, including music, sport and the arts. A wide range of cultural experiences (including, music performances, theatre, museum and gallery visits, places of worship and the Houses of Parliament) are woven into our curriculum to enrich and enhance learning experiences and to help ‘engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement’.

Through our curriculum we seek to teach how and why (as well as what) and through our Kingham Learning Skills and our Values-based approach, students develop a range of thinking and life skills as well as a strong moral compass, and an appreciation of diversity. Our intention is to cultivate great communicators and critical thinkers who can independently question and analyse information they receive, articulate their thoughts confidently and provide a school where students are responsible and confident with a desire to make a difference globally and locally. A school which develops collaborative, enterprising learners who are creative and well-placed to enjoy future success in education, the workplace and life.

Blessed with beautiful grounds and an extensive forest our active, outdoor curriculum develops an interest in the great outdoors and a respect for and appreciation of the natural world.

Curriculum Overview

Our curriculum overviews (see below) show the learning units undertaken each term from Early Years through to Year 6.  The units are specifically designed to ensure there is a clear progression in knowledge, content and skills learning across the school, based on the National Curriculum.

Overviews:

Early Years Curriculum

Year 1 Curriculum

Year 2 Curriculum

Year 3 Curriculum

Year 4 Curriculum

Year 5 Curriculum

Year 6 Curriculum

English Coverage and Core Texts

Our learning environment and our curriculum outcomes provide an opportunity for children to showcase their learning with parents and other groups.

Our Personal Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) aims to provide students with the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values they need to lead confident, healthy and independent lives. It helps them to understand how they are developing personally and socially and addresses some of the issues that are part of growing up. Through PSHCE, we teach students about how to have healthy and successful relationships with friends and family and how to look after themselves and others.

All schools are required to teach Religious Education. The school follows the Oxfordshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and children learn about and from the six major world religions for an hour each week.

The school offers specialist Music tuition each week from external specialist teachers as a part of the normal school timetable.

Schools are also required to promote Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development. This includes promoting the British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Subject Areas

For more information on our vision for each subject and the progression of skills within each subject, please click on the links below:

Values-Based Education

Kingham provides a Values-based curriculum. This means that we promote and teach a set of values to our pupils that will ensure they develop the skills to be good citizens in the future. We support our curriculum with a set of principles (values) that are woven into teaching and learning in order to develop improved social and emotional skills that will positively affect behaviour.

“Why do we behave the way we do? What is it that drives us to give to charity or to help children to develop as happy, stable people? It is our values that determine our thinking and our behaviour. They are the principles, standards or life stances that act as guides to our behaviour. They are our beliefs about what is worthwhile, the ideals for which we strive. They are the standards by which particular beliefs and actions are judged to be good or desirable. They help us make decisions and evaluate the actions of others.”  

(Dr Neil Hawkes)

There are 11 Values that we teach. Each month we lead a special values assembly, teachers also explicitly teach the ‘Value of the Month’ in PSHE lessons. Wherever possible the value of the month is taught in other areas of the curriculum. Most importantly, adults in the school ensure that we are role-models for each of the values.

Teaching children values improves pupils’ self-esteem, improves their behaviour and raises standards of learning even higher.

Kingham Learning Skills

Kingham Learning Skills are ways of thinking and learning that are associated with advanced cognitive performance. Learning to think in advanced ways is critical to future success in an uncertain world. Teaching our children Learning Skills enables them to make sense of information, create new thoughts and know how to approach complex ideas.

There are 5 Learning Skills that are taught at appropriate ages within the Kingham Curriculum.

Physical Education

Physical Education (PE) helps pupils stay physically active, develop interests in different types of physical activity, build teamwork and other social skills, and improve focus and academic performance.

  • In Year 1 upwards, pupils participate in high-quality PE lessons twice a week covering two different sports and skills per term.
  • Through our partnership with CNPS(Chipping Norton Sports Partnership), we are supported to deliver high quality PE lessons to all KS1 and KS2 classes.
  • We also have a high quality sports provision during playtimes and lunchtimes.
  • Pupils are taught a wide range of different sports, skills and activities including hockey, basketball, dance, volleyball and football. All lessons centre on encouraging children to recognise and achieve their personal best.
  • Pupils are taught positive School Games values, such as respect, teamwork, honesty, passion, self-belief and determination.
  • Children participate in a wide range of competitions and festivals both inside and outside of school through our house system and our link with the Chipping Norton Sports Partnership.
  • Older classes participate in the Golden Mile on a daily basis to help pupils keep active throughout the school day and meet the 30 minutes of physical activity recommended by the DfE.
  • Through our links with the local community, we aim to enrich the curriculum further through after-school clubs and sign-posting local sports clubs and activities in our weekly bulletin
  • Swimming is an important subject to us, and we aim for all our children to be able to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively and perform a safe self-rescue in different water-based situations by the time they leave us in Year 6. Last year 83% of our pupils were able to achieve this.

Remote education

We will provide remote education if groups of children, classes or the whole school are required to remain at home. This is consistent with national expectations set by the Department for Education.

We will send information to parents and carers about the first few days of remote education. We will also clearly state when our full remote education offer will be available and will endeavour to move to our full offer as quickly as possible.

Coverage

Our full remote education offer includes daily activities in English and Mathematics, with other subjects being offered on a timetabled approach. We aim to cover the same subjects during the week that would be taught in class but there might be some limitations due to the nature of learning at home. Not all subjects are taught every week in school and the remote education will reflect this. For instance, History and Geography are sometimes taught in different half terms depending on the topic.

We will deliver a range of other activities including assemblies and other school events. We will also hold feedback and catch-up sessions with older students and offer sign-ups for phone calls for younger children and their parents.

Examples of our remote education approaches include:

  • Live or recorded online lessons from school teachers
  • Recorded teaching, such as White Rose or Oak National Academy
  • Google Classroom chat where students can message teachers to ask questions or clarify concepts
  • Textbooks and reading books that students have at home 
  • Other web sites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences.

Timetable

For children in Reception we will provide an outline of activities for the following day. This will include a daily phonics lesson and a range of other activities to be undertaken throughout the day.

A weekly outline of activities will be shared with children in Years 1-6. This will include daily Maths and English lessons and another session for other subjects.

We try to ensure there are live lessons with the class teacher at least once a day, although this will be more frequent with the older classes. There will also be independent activities and tasks for children to complete.

We expect children of statutory school age to engage with remote education every day. Including remote teaching and independent work this will take children in Key Stage 1 about 3 hours a day and about 4 hours a day for those in Key Stage 2. These figures are an average across these groups, and we recognise that individual children will complete activities at different rates.

Access

We use SeeSaw for Nursery and Reception years and Google Classroom for Years 1-6. Information about how to access these sites has been either provided to students or parents. If you or your child cannot find login details, please contact us immediately.

Our children in Years 1-6 should be familiar with Google Classroom from lessons within school. Assignments can be submitted through Google Classroom. We also make use of a wide number of other online platforms to support individual subjects. Links to these will be placed on Google Classroom.

Support

If there are difficulties accessing online learning, parents and carers should contact the school office or arrange to discuss this with the class teacher. We will work with parents to support access to remote learning, including providing equipment if possible. If students are still unable to access online learning, the parent may request printed materials and the school will discuss alternative methods of submitting work.

If children require support from their teacher, they may post questions onto Google Classroom and teachers will be available from 9.00am – 3.00pm to answer them. Parents can also email the teacher during the same hours if they require any support.

We recognise that organising home learning can be challenging. We have designed our offer so that it can be flexibly organised around the needs of each individual home.

We ask that:

  • Parents set out a clear timetable for children and that they aim to keep the start time as close as possible to the usual start of learning in school (about 9.15am)
  • Children are dressed smartly (preferably in school uniform)
  • Children use their real names and keep their camera on for all sessions so that teachers can communicate effectively with them
  • Children and parents do not video or photograph lessons that are taking place.

Monitoring

We will closely monitor the engagement of all students and will contact parents if work is regularly not completed so that we can support parents with any difficulties. Teachers will also keep a daily register of engagement. If a child has not engaged for a number of days, the school will follow its safeguarding procedures.

The school expects teachers to record all lessons for safeguarding reasons. Recordings are held confidentially and not shared outside of school.

Feedback

Regular feedback is given either in writing or verbally during lessons.  Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. We will use a mix of different approaches to giving feedback including some marked assignments in Years 1-6, some group or class feedback, and sometimes verbal feedback.

Telephone calls are available if required for parents to discuss learning with members of staff.

Particular needs

We recognise that some students, for example those with special educational needs and disabilities, may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home.

Our teachers and SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator) will work with individual families to support their child’s learning at home. In such cases, remote education may be personalised according to need, including differentiated work, physical resources, regular phone calls with a member of staff, or sessions with a Teaching Assistant. Children may be encouraged to study in school if restrictions allow.

The SENDCo works closely with external agencies, such as the ASD Outreach Service and the Speech and Language team, to identify if it is appropriate to offer remote therapy and support.

Individual cases

We will also provide support for remote education where individual children need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school. In this case, activities will closely relate to what the rest of the class are studying at school. This may include occasionally streaming a class lesson so that a self-isolating child can join in with their classmates. The teacher will communicate with the child or the family regularly to ensure they are safe and well, that they are accessing the remote education, that tasks are being completed and to offer regular feedback.

Further information

Specific details of teaching and learning activities and objectives are provided to parents and carers each term and are available on request.

Full information about the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework and the National Curriculum is available from the Government web site.

www.gov.uk

We Love Reading!

Instilling a love of reading is a priority at our school. We are passionate about developing a love of reading and an enjoyment of writing. We believe that reading is fundamental and ensure that as well as developing a love of reading, achieve great results through a rigorous approach to teaching phonics and word recognition, extending vocabulary and providing reading opportunities across the entire curriculum.

Our passion for reading is further enriched through our involvement in the Chipping Norton Literary Festival, the Oxfordshire Annual Book Awards, frequent author visits to the school, trips to the Story Museum and our very own book week!

Books are a focus throughout our curriculum, providing an opportunity to not only broaden pupils’ knowledge and understanding, but also the opportunity to escape to another world. From Nursery through to Year 6, we use carefully selected, high-quality texts that link with our termly topics ensuring that Kingham pupils experience reading a broad range of genres, authors and poetry to inspire students to develop language skills, write creatively and enjoy all that books have to offer to us. Our lunchtime book club, allows an opportunity for pupils to further demonstrate their love of reading with like-minded pupils, reading, discussing, and reviewing texts.

Book Recommendations

Nursery recommended reads

Reception recommended reads

Year 1 recommended reads

Year 2 recommended reads

Year 3 recommended reads

Year 4 recommended reads

Year 5 recommended reads

Year 6 recommended reads

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, or SEND, refers to a child or young person with a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision to be made for them. This may mean they have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age or have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age. These pages set out information about our provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This information is updated annually.

About our school

Kingham Primary School provides for children and young people with a wide range of special educational needs including those with:

  • – this includes children who have speech language and communication difficulties including autistic spectrum conditions.
  • this includes children who have learning difficulties and specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia.
  • this includes children who have visual or hearing needs, or a physical disability that affects their learning.

Our Special Educational Needs co-ordinator (SENDCo) is: Miss Emma Jenkinson. Our SENDCo can be contacted initially through the school office by telephone or mail using the contact details on the school website.

Our school governor with responsibility for SEND is: Mr David Salter. The SEND governor regularly meets with the SENDCo and reports back to the full governing body.

How do we identify and give extra help to children and young people with SEND?

The school uses Oxfordshire County Council’s guidance Identifying and supporting Special Educational Needs in Oxfordshire schools and settings’.

The guidance sets out:

How we review progress and agree outcomes and involve parents and children in this.

How do we work with parents and children/young people?

We will always contact parents if we have a concern that a child or young person may have a special educational need.

We work closely with children and young people with SEND, and their parents, to agree outcomes and how we will all work towards these, and then to review progress.

All pupils on our SEND register will have a personalised ‘My Plan’ outlining the school’s intended strategies and interventions to achieve the necessary learning outcomes.

Adapting the curriculum

We offer a broad and balanced curriculum for all children and young people including those with SEND.  Details are published on the school website. The way we adapt this for children with SEND is set out in the School Accessibility Plan which outlines: how we increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum; how we improve the physical environment to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of the education and facilities we provide; how we improve the availability of accessible information to disabled pupils.

The support available will vary depending on the needs of the child, but could include:

  • use of individual, pair and small group activities to teach specific skills
  • access to suitable individual or small group intervention programmes
  • models, images and multisensory resources to promote understanding
  • any adaptations needed to the physical environment to help with access to learning.

What expertise can we offer?

Our SENDCo has several years’ experience as a teacher and school leader. She has been trained in many aspects of SEND and is currently training for the SENDCo qualification.

All staff receive regular SEND training.

We also have access to a range of specialist support services including:

  • Educational Psychology
  • SENSS, who support children with communication and language, sensory needs and physical needs
  • Behaviour Support
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
  • Oxfordshire School Inclusion Team
  • Therapy services
  • Early Intervention
  • Children’s Social Care

Information about these services and what they offer can be found on the Oxfordshire County Council SEN web pages.

We always discuss the involvement of specialist SEN services with parents first.

We also work with other services and organisations that are involved with a family, with the family’s permission.

How do we know if SEND provision is effective?

We evaluate the effectiveness of provision for pupils with SEND by:

  • Reviewing pupils’ individual progress towards their goals each term
  • Reviewing the impact of interventions each term
  • Using pupil questionnaires
  • Monitoring by the SENDCo
  • Holding annual reviews for pupils with EHC plans

How are children and young people with SEND helped to access activities outside of the classroom?

All of our extra-curricular activities and school visits are available to all our pupils, including our before-and after-school clubs.

All pupils are encouraged to go on our residential trips

All pupils are encouraged to take part in Sports Days, House tournaments, assemblies, productions and enrichment workshops.

No pupil is ever excluded from taking part in these activities because of their SEN or disability and we talk to parents and children when planning activities and trips so that everyone is clear about what will happen. 

There is information about activities and events for disabled children and those with SEN in Oxfordshire in the Family Information Directory.

Oxfordshire’s accessibility strategy can be found on this link.

What do we do to support the well-being of children/young people with SEND?

All children have the opportunity to share their views through their school council representatives and pupil questionnaires

We listen to the views of children/young people with SEN by holding termly meetings prior to setting targets in their ‘My Plan’

We take bullying very seriously.  We help to prevent bullying of children/young people with SEND by proactive education about bullying and rigorous sanctions if it occurs. 

Joining the school and moving on

We encourage all new children to visit the school before starting.  For children with SEND we recommend a pre-visit to the school before their admission date.

Who to contact

Any concerns about a child should be discussed in the first instance with their class teacher. If issues remain unresolved, then the matter should be referred to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCo). The SENDCo at Kingham Primary School is Miss Emma Jenkinson. The SENDCo can be contacted initially through the school office by telephone or mail using the contact details on the school web site.

The school governor with responsibility for SEND is Mr David Salter. The SEND governor regularly meets with the SENDCo and reports back to the full governing body.

If a parent would like impartial advice and support from Oxfordshire’s SENDIAS (SEND information advice and support service) then please click on this link  

If you’d like to know more about opportunities for children and young people with SEND and their families, support groups or information about SEND, these are listed in the Family Information Directory:

Oxfordshire’s Local SEND Offer also contains lots of information for parents.

If you have a complaint about SEND provision in our school this should be addressed initially with the child’s classteacher or if necessary the SENDCo and then the Headteacher. If you are still not happy with the response you can make a formal complaint. Please see our Complaints Policy for further details.

 

Safeguarding

Kingham Primary School aims to provide a safe learning environment for the children in its care and asks for the assistance of parents and carers in supporting this.

Policy

Kingham Primary School follows the Oxfordshire County Council policy on Child Protection and Safeguarding:

Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment

We have a zero tolerance approach to harassment of any kind – it is never accepted.

Staff agree to:

• teach children about values and relationships

• challenge inappropriate behaviour  (even if it appears minor)

• make clear that sexual violence and sexual harassment is not acceptable

• not tolerate or dismiss sexual violence or sexual harassment as “banter”, “part of growing   

    up”, “just having a laugh” or “boys being boys”

Advice for parents from Kidscape

NSPCC Helpline

The NSPCC Helpline provides support to pupils who have experienced abuse at school and parents and teachers who are concerned about sexual abuse in education settings.

For advice and support, contact their dedicated helpline. It is free, and you do not have to say who you are.

0800 136 663

help@nspcc.org.uk

Relationships

Relationships and sex education

‘The aim of RSE is to give young people the information they need to help them to develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds, not just intimate relationships. It should enable them to know what a healthy relationship looks like and what makes a good friend, a good colleague and a successful marriage or other type of committed relationship.’   (DfE Guidance, p. 25)

Our RSE curriculum is part of our Personal, Social and Health Education. It equips children and young people with the information, skills and values they need to have safe, respectful and enjoyable relationships and empowers them to take responsibility for their health and well-being.

This policy was produced in consultation with our staff, board of governors, pupils and parents.

RSE Policy

PSHE Curriculum Map

Behaviour

Statement of Behaviour Principles

Introduction

A statement of behaviour principles, written by Governors, is required by all maintained schools. These principles guide our Behaviour Policy and procedures at Kingham.  Practical applications of these principles are the responsibility of the Headteacher. 

At Kingham Primary school we seek to create an inspirational, ambitious and kind ethos where children feel safe and where good behaviour is encouraged and rewarded.

The school behaviour policy applies at all times in school hours. Our policy may also apply when students are outside of school e.g. when in uniform, just before and after the school day or incidences of cyberbullying. 

We aim to:

  • Create an environment which encourages and reinforces good behaviour as much as possible
  • Ensure that all pupils, staff and visitors are free from any form of discrimination and policies reflect the duties of the Equality Act 2010
  • Establish clear guidelines and rules, based on respect, common sense and safety, by which the school will operate
  • Establish a clear and consistent system of rewards and sanctions to promote good behaviour, and when necessary, dealing with poor behaviour choices.
  • Ensure that the school’s expectations and strategies are widely known and understood
  • Ensure that every child understands they all have the right to feel safe, valued and respected, and learn, free from the disruption of others.

We believe that:

  • All children, staff and visitors have the right to feel safe in our school and that procedures should consider the requirements of the Education Act 2002 in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children  
  • A positive partnership with parents and carers is crucial to building trust and developing a shared goal of high behavioural expectations. Parents/carers are encouraged to come and discuss any worries with the class teacher or relevant staff at an early stage 
  • The atmosphere and ethos in our school is key. The way that adults speak to pupils (and about pupils), and the way that adults allow pupils to speak to each other, directly impacts on the self-esteem, confidence and motivation that a pupil has, which in turn impacts on a pupil’s behaviour 
  • Proactively dealing with behaviour issues before they occur e.g. by planning high-quality, motivating lessons, by consistent use of praise around the school and by establishing a high quality learning environment ensures that incidences of poor conduct are minimised  
  • The decision to use physical intervention and/or reasonable force will be based on individual circumstances and the professional judgement of staff. 
  • Abusive or threatening behaviour will not be tolerated in any circumstances. 
  • Suspension and expulsion are last resort measures and only used in the case of a serious breach or persistent breaches of our Behaviour Policy

Reviewed May 2023

Equality

Kingham Primary School publishes information to demonstrate how it is complying with legal equality requirements as a public sector equality duty.

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination on the basis of ‘protected characteristics’ and introduced the public sector equality duty, which requires schools to publish information to demonstrate how they are complying with the public sector equality duty and to publish equality objectives.

The headteacher monitors the school population profile with respect to certain characteristics, including gender, ethnic background, first languages, religions and beliefs, and special educational needs and disabilities. The Equality Act defines disability as when a person has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities. The school maintains confidential records for attendance, behaviour, accidents, welfare, safeguarding and any prejudice related incidents. The school also monitors the educational progress and attainment of children. This information is analysed and reported on to governors to avoid discrimination, ensure equality of opportunity and foster good relations across all groups.

The governors regularly review school policies, procedures and practices to ensure that they comply with the requirements of relevant legislation. Further information is provided in the relevant school policies.

Published information is reviewed annually and equality objectives are reviewed at least once every four years.

Equality duties

The school has a duty to have due regard to:

  • eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other prohibited conduct
  • advance equality of opportunity for people with one or more protected characteristics
  • foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and others

These objectives apply to all aspects of the school and members of the school community, including developing policies, making decisions, delivering services and employing people.

Children

While relatively few children at the school currently come from minority ethnic backgrounds, their needs are taken into account and they are offered every equality of opportunity irrespective of race, religion or belief. School leaders and staff are also aware of the need for an active approach to multicultural teaching and learning with consideration for many different cultures and beliefs.

Children are encouraged to participate fully in all school activities and have equality of opportunities irrespective of gender or identity. The school also actively seeks to avoid sex or gender stereotypes, promotes a culture of acceptance and will not tolerate bullying, harassment or marginalisation.

The school has policies covering special educational needs and disability, as well as children with socially disadvantaged backgrounds, and looked after children. The school works closely with parents and carers to ensure that children with particular needs and vulnerable children are suitably supported in their teaching and learning at school and at home.

Parents, carers and visitors

The school extends its principles of equality to all those using the school facilities and aims to accommodate their particular needs. People with protected characteristics are particularly encouraged to participate in the work of the school. The school building is considered accessible and accessibility requirements are considered in all aspects of policy and planning. The school web site is designed to be accessible to assistive technologies. While the school seeks to use online services where possible, information is also available and can be provided in paper form on request.

Employees and governors

Like all employers, the school is legally obliged to provide equality of opportunity to all current and prospective employees. This also extends to school governors. The school ensures that its policies, procedures and practices do not discriminate against any people with protected characteristics, including age, disability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy and maternity. Best practice processes are applied to the recruitment and advancement of staff to ensure equality of opportunity.

Equality information

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics. Every person has several of the protected characteristics, so the Act protects everyone against unfair treatment. In order to ensure that all pupils are protected from discrimination, the school collects information on protected characteristics and other information.

It may be possible to identify individuals from the information provided when the number of pupils with a particular characteristic is low and the information is sensitive personal information. In these cases we have indicated this by an asterisk*.

2022 2023
Number of pupils on roll at school 236 244
Age of pupils 3 to 11 3 to11
Gender of pupils
Male
Female
54.2%
45.8%
52.1%
47.9%
Pupils eligible of Free School Meals (FSM) 5.5% 8.3%
Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium 5.0% 8.3%
Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) 7.5% 7.5%
Looked after Children * *
Pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) 3.4% 4.9%
Ethnicity of pupils:
White British
Any Other Asian Background         
Any Other Mixed Background        
White and Black African                                                           
White and Asian                                 
Any Other White Background               
Black – African                                                   
Not specified / Refused
90.7%
0.4%
2.1%
2.1%
0.9%
1.7%
0.9%
1.3%
90.2%
0%
2.5%
2.1%
1.3%
2.9%
0.5%
0.5%

Equality objectives

  • To promote cultural development and understanding through a rich range of experiences both in and beyond the school, with particular reference to issues of equality and diversity.
  • To keep children safe from prejudiced based bullying in relation to the protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act 2010.
  • To review levels of parental and pupil engagement in learning and school life, across all activities to ensure equity and fairness in access and engagement.
  • To monitor and analyse pupil progress and attainment by race, gender and disability and act upon any trends or patterns in data that require additional support for pupils.

Reviewed by governing body – May 2023

Governance

The governors have a key role and responsibility in ensuring the success of the school and that children have the opportunity to achieve their full potential at Kingham Primary School.

As volunteers who have been elected or appointed by the governing body on the basis of the contribution they can make to the effective governance of the school, the governors collectively represent the parents, staff, community and the local authority.

The constitution of the governing body and terms of office are determined by an official instrument of government.

The governing board at Kingham Primary School comprises two parent governors, one local authority governor, one staff governor, one head teacher and four co-opted governors. Additional non-voting associate members may also be appointed as required.

The governors meet regularly with the Headteacher to review priorities, policies and performance.

The three core functions of the governing body are: to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; to hold the Headteacher to account for educational performance; and to oversee the financial performance of the school.

Some functions may be delegated to committees that meet separately: Performance and Standards; Premises; Pay; and Finance. The terms of reference for each committee are agreed by the governing body. The governors may also establish working parties to achieve particular objectives.

Information about the current members of the governing body and its committees, including appointment dates and terms of office, are published on the school web site.

Any governance roles in other educational institutions, relevant business and financial interests, or material interests arising from relationships between governors or school staff are declared and published under the declaration of interests.

Governors are expected to attend all formal meetings and a register of attendance is maintained, including the previous academic year.

All formal meetings are minuted and these records, redacted where necessary for reasons of confidentiality, are published on the school web site.

Our Committees work behind the scenes to ensure that money is well spent and regularly benchmark ourselves against other schools. Information about how our school allocates resources compared to other schools can be found here: Gov.uk – Schools Financial Benchmarking.

The Annual Report provides information about the role of the governors, their responsibilities and strategic priorities.

Governing body

Mr Chris Davies

Chair of Governors, Parent Governor
Committees: Resources

Mr Jeremy Joiner

Local Authority Governor
Committees: Headteacher Performance; Pay; Resources
Jones M

Mrs Melanie Jones

Chair of P&S Comittee, Co-opted Governor
Committees: Performance & Standards
Mr Nicholas Prockter

Mr N Prockter

Headteacher
Committees: Pay; Performance & Standards; Resources

Miss J Ralf

Staff Governor, Teacher
Committees: Performance & Standards

Rev David Salter

Co-opted Governor
Committees: Complaints; Headteacher Performance; Pay; Performance & Standards

Mrs Ellie Walker

Parent Governor
Committees: Resources

Mrs Lisa Warne

Co-opted Governor, Vice Chair of Governors
Committees: Performance & Standards

Mr Christopher Wheeler

Chair of Resources Committee, Co-opted Governor
Committees: Resources

Pupil/PE Premium

Pupil premium

The pupil premium, which was introduced in 2011, gives schools extra funding to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils from reception to year 11 and close any gap between them and their peers.

Schools receive additional funding each year for each primary-aged child registered as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

Pupil premium funding and spending

PE and sport premium

The school receives additional funding to improve the provision of physical education and sport in primary schools. Schools must use this to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of physical education and sport that they they offer. This means they should use this funding to develop or add to the physical education and sport activities offered or to build capacity to ensure improvements will benefit children joining the school in future years.

PE and sport premium funding and spending

Covid-19 recovery premium

The school has received funding (including the Covid-19 Recovery Premium) as part of the government’s package to support education recovery. The Recovery Premium provides additional funding for state-funded schools. Building on the pupil premium, this funding will help schools to deliver support for disadvantaged pupils.

Covid-19 recovery premium

Charging

Kingham Primary School believes that all our children should have an equal opportunity to benefit from school activities and visits (curricular and extra curricular) independent of their parents’ financial means. This charging and remissions policy describes how we will do our best to ensure a good range of visits and activities is offered and try to minimise the financial barriers which may prevent some children from taking full advantage of the opportunities.

The 1996 Education Act requires all schools to have a policy on charging and remissions for school activities, which will be kept under regular review.

The policy identifies activities for which:

  • voluntary contributions may be requested
  • charges will not be made
  • charges may be made
  • charges may be waived

Voluntary contributions

Separately from the matter of charging, schools may always seek voluntary contributions in order to offer a wide variety of experiences to children. All requests for voluntary contributions will emphasise their voluntary nature and the fact that pupils of parents who do not make such contributions will be treated no differently from those who have.

The law says:

  • If the activity cannot be funded without voluntary contributions the parents will be notified of this from the outset.
  • No child will be excluded from an activity because parents are unable to pay.
  • If insufficient contributions are raised, the trip or activity may have to be cancelled.
  • If a parent is unwilling or unable to pay their child will be given an equal chance to go on the visit.

Non chargeable items

  • An admission application to any maintained school
  • Education provided during school hours (including the supply of any materials, books, instruments or other equipment)
  • Education provided outside school hours if it is part of the National Curriculum, or part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at the school, or part of the school’s basic curriculum for religious education
  • Tuition for pupils learning to play musical instruments (or singing) if the tuition is required as part of the National Curriculum, or part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at the school
  • Entry for a prescribed public examination, if the pupil has been prepared for it at the school *
  • Examination re-sit(s)* if the pupil is being prepared for the re-sit(s) at the school
  • Education provided on any trip that takes place during school hours
  • Education provided on any trip that takes place outside school hours
    • If it is part of the National Curriculum, or
    • Part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at school, or
    • Is part of the school’s basis curriculum for religious education
  •  
  • Supply teachers to cover for those teachers who are absent from school accompanying pupils on a residential trip
  • Transport provided in connection with an educational visit.

*If a pupil fails, without good reason, to meet any examination requirement for a syllabus a charge may / will be made.

Chargeable items

It is the policy of Kingham Primary School that charges will (or may) be made as indicated below. Parental agreement will be obtained before a charge is made.

Activities outside school hours

Non-residential activities other than those listed above which take place outside school hours but only if the majority of the time spent on that activity takes place outside school hours (time spent on travel counts in this calculation if the travel itself occurs during school hours).

Residential activities

When any visit is arranged, parents will be notified of the policy for allocating places. Charges will be made for the board and lodging component of residential trips deemed to take place during school time. The charge will not exceed the actual cost. However pupils whose parents are in receipt of certain benefits (see Remissions below) will be exempt from paying the cost of board and lodging.

If the number of school sessions on a residential trip is equal to or greater than 50% of the number of half days spent on the trip it is deemed to have taken place during school hours (even if some activities take place late in the evening). Whatever the starting and finishing times of the school day, regulations require that the school day is divided into 2 sessions. A ‘half day’ means any period of 12 hours ending with noon or midnight on any day.

Music tuition

Music tuition for individuals or groups of up to four pupils to play a musical instrument or to sing and which is not an essential part of either the National Curriculum or a public examination syllabus for all pupils.

Charges will be made to cover the cost, or a proportion of the costs, for teaching staff employed to provide tuition in playing a musical instrument or singing, where the tuition is an optional extra for an individual pupil or groups of up to four pupils.

Trips

When any trip is arranged parents will be notified of the policy for allocating places. This should recognize that parents may not be able to pay quickly and may have to budget for the trip over a reasonable period of time.

Optional Extras

Charges may be made for optional activities that are known as ‘Optional Extras’. Any charges made will not exceed the actual cost (per pupil) of provision.

Charges will/may be made for any materials, books, instruments, or equipment, where a parent wishes their child to own them, such as a charge to cover the cost of the clay for a clay model.

Remissions

In order to remove financial barriers from disadvantaged pupils, the governing body has agreed that some activities and visits where charges can legally be made will be offered at no charge or a reduced charge to parents in particular circumstances. This remissions policy sets out the circumstances in which charges will be waived.

Families qualifying for remission or help with charges

If remission or help is available in relation to a particular charge it is indicated in the right hand column of the table above. Children entitled to Free School Meals will qualify for remission.

Additional considerations

The governing body recognises its responsibility to ensure that the offer of activities and educational visits does not place an unnecessary burden on family finances. To this end we will try to adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Where possible we shall publish a list of visits (and their approximate cost) at the beginning of the school year so that parents can plan ahead
  • We have established a system for parents to pay in instalments
  • When an opportunity for a trip arises at short notice it will be possible to arrange to pay by instalments beyond the date of the trip
  • We acknowledge that offering opportunities on a ‘first pay, first served’ basis discriminates against pupils from families on lower incomes and we will avoid that method of selection.

Feedback

Kingham Primary School encourages feedback from parents and carers. We are always learning to be our best. The headteacher welcomes opinions from parents and is generally available on the playground at the start and end of the school day, or otherwise by appointment through the school office.

An annual survey also provides an opportunity to provide formal feedback, together with comments on strengths of the school and any areas for possible improvement. A summary of the responses is shared with staff and governors. Any areas that require further investigation are acted on and these are reported over the following year. Actions and responses to specific comments are included below.

Survey results

November 2022

Previous year’s figures in brackets

79 responses
(44 responses)
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree
My child enjoys coming to school 53.2% (52.3%) 39.2% (38.6%) 6.3% (6.8%) 0
(0)
1.3%
(2.3%)
My child is safe at school 60.8% (56.8%) 39.2% 40.9%) 0
(2.3%)
0
(0)
0
(0)
The school understands and responds to my child’s needs 38%
(29.5%)
51.9% (65.9%) 10.1% (4.5%) 0
(0)
0
(0)
My child is taught well at school 41.8%(47.7%) 53.2% (45.5%) 5.1% (6.8%) 0
(0)
0
(0)
My child is making good progress 40.5%(36.4%) 48.1% (47.7%) 11.4% (15.9%) 0
(0)
0
(0)
My child is encouraged to work hard and do their best 46.8%(38.6%) 50.6% (59.1%) 2.5% (2.3%) 0
(0)
0
(0)
My child receives an appropriate amount of homework for their age 30.4%
(25%)
45.6% (45.5%) 17.7% (20.5%) 5.1% (9.1%) 1.3%
(0)
My child enjoys the range of extra-curricular activities that school provides 24.1% (23.3%) 53.2% (30.2%) 15.2% (34.9%) 7.6% (11.6%) 0
(0)
The school communicates with me effectively about my child’s progress 24.1%
(25%)
49.4% (31.8%) 17.7% (36.4%) 8.9% (6.8%) 0
(0)
The school communicates with me effectively about how to support my child’s learning 20.3% (25%) 57% (38.6%) 17.7% (29.5%) 5.1% (6.8%) 0
(0)
The school communicates with me effectively about school events and activities 45.6% (43.2%) 49.4% (52.3%) 3.8% (4.5%) 0
(0)
1.3%
(0)
The school seeks my views and listens to my concerns 24.1% (22.7%) 46.8% (52.3%) 26.6% (22.7%) 2.5% (2.3%) 0
(0)
There is a good standard of behaviour at Kingham Primary school 45.6% (34.1%) 43% (63.6%) 11.4%
(0)
0
(2.3%)
0
(0)
The school deals with any incidents of bullying effectively 20.3%
(14%)
48.1% (20.9%) 30.4% (62.8%) 1.3% (2.3%) 0
(0)
The school is welcoming and there are opportunities to get involved 48.1% (36.4%) 46.8% (61.4%) 5.1% (2.3%) 0
(0)
0
(0)
I think the school is well led and managed 51.9% (41.9%) 41.8% (41.9%) 6.3% (16.3%) 0
(0)
0
(0)
School encourages my child to lead a healthy lifestyle 26.6% (29.5%) 50.6% (61.4%) 16.5% (6.8%) 5.4% (2.3%) 1.3%
(0)
School encourages my child to respect children from other backgrounds 39.2% (34.1%) 53.2% (59.1%) 7.6% (6.8%) 0
(0)
0
(0)
My child is encouraged to positively contribute to the wider community 32.9%
(25%)
41.8% (43.2%) 24.1% (31.8%) 1.3%
(0)
0
(0)
I would recommend Kingham Primary School to another family 98.7% Yes (100% Yes) 1.3% No (0% No)
My child is sufficiently stretched and challenged in their school work 27.8% (15.9%) 45.6% (52.3%) 20.3% (27.3%) 6.3% (4.5%) 0
(0)
The school has high expectations for my child 34.2% (22.7%) 45.6% (59.1%) 19% (18.2%) 1.3%
(0)
0
(0)
There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school 36.7% (31.8%) 51.9% (50%) 10.1% (18.2%) 1.3%
(0)
0
(0)
My child is taught about values and how to be a good citizen 40.5% (36.4%) 53.2% (54.4%) 6.3% (9.1%) 0
(0)
0
(0)
This school is a friendly and pleasant place to visit 57% (47.7%) 40.5% (47.7%) 2.5% (4.5%) 0
(0)
0
(0)
My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed (7 responses) 71.4%
(75%)
14.3% (25%) 14.3%
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)

Areas of strength

  • Early years team
  • Teachers, location and size
  • I highly rate Kingham Primary School – from the teaching, all the way through to the ethos of the school
  • I think it is a very inclusive school and has the children’s very best interests at heart
  • Teachers know what my children need in terms of learning and help them to keep improving
  • The school encourages the passion for reading from very young ages
  • The range of things that children can get involved in from sports teams to extracurricular clubs to art competitions, there is something for each child’s interests
  • I am also very happy with the Year 6 teacher. Our journey through school has not been very consistent so I am grateful to the whole team for their support in this final year
  • Friendly, welcoming, structured, informative
  • Friendly, small village school in a good location
  • The school community
  • Great teaching and management
  • Lovely, friendly school. We’re so happy here.
  • Strong leadership, music/sport and curricular performance
  • Friendly, approachable staff. DHT always goes above and beyond
  • Always encouraging, has time to listen to our needs. My kids are always happy to attend school, bullying is not tolerated.
  • Teaching the children confidence not only in themself but also their education.
  • Very welcoming
  • Very good communicators about every little aspect about my child’s needs
  • Excellent early years setting
  • Leadership. Community feel and sport (for a primary school)
  • Encouraging each child to do his/her best academically and yet incredibly friendly with children playing across years in the playground and friendly interaction with teachers across the school.
  • We are very lucky to have the number of support staff that we do have as I know in other schools support staff are shared across different classes and year groups.
  • I think that the teaching style is fantastic and superior to other local schools.
  • Excellent staff, SENDCo is amazing, lovely environment to learn
  • Strong leadership team, excellent facilities and location, strong PTA, a good balance between nurturing and academic values
  • It is a warm, caring place where our children are valued. Excellent leadership team. Excellent communication about dates for the diary etc. and we like ParentMail. There are some excellent teachers who challenge and inspire children. Fantastic system of student leadership in place (Head boy, house captain etc.). Being part of the Chipping Norton Partnership. Love the fact that class assemblies are being introduced. Good variety of school trips. Interesting class topics which our children enjoy and engage with. Star of the week. Fantastic support staff. Welcoming and friendly office team. Good outdoor space and garden area. Forest school. Clear, updated policies. An amazing KPSA
  • Its culture of high academic expectations and standards of behaviour; opportunities for pupils to step up and take on additional responsibilities (and a culture where they really want to); its location and grounds; its highly engaged parent community
  • School community
  • Strong values. Good level of education. Good pastoral care.
  • DHT and class teacher, lovely site, HT
  • The nurturing between the years
  • All the children seem so happy to be there. One of the first things I look out for when visiting a new school. Such a happy and friendly environment. Academically it is winning also.
  • Location. New Head has made major improvements.
  • After school & lunchtime clubs, opportunities outside of the classroom (range of sports offered, forest school, school trips, special ‘themed’ days). Specialist art teaching. SMT are very approachable. Fantastic support staff – very good at listening and very positive in their relationships with the children. Nurturing atmosphere – the children are encouraged to be caring and considerate towards one another. The monthly values, house points & class/star of the week really help the children to work as a team. KPSA work tirelessly to support the children and generate fun for them.
  • Facilities inside and outside, large classrooms, safe environment.
  • Staff: The school has a number of exceptional – truly outstanding – members of teaching staff including TA’s. It has great leadership. The admin staff are helpful.
    Pastoral: There is a high standard of pastoral care and support with an attitude based on openness to learning and improving.
    Physical: The school has lots of outdoor space and the standard of the interior and facilities is being upgraded in small but significant ways.
  • With the recent improvements inside, and the great outdoor space, it’s a lovely learning environment. Achievements of children both in and out of school are really celebrated.
    As they move up the school children are given more responsibility in a safe environment.
    HT and DHT have really brought the school community together, and are very approachable.
  • The teachers and facilities
  • It’s small, nurturing and has an amazing outside space.
  • Welcoming, friendly and good work ethic
  • The presence of the Head and Deputy before and after school on case you have questions/problems. Good communication with parents.
  • I think they have a great educational offer combining arts, sports, music, etc.
  • It’s a friendly school, and the teachers are good at teaching them different subjects.
  • Good teachers who educate children very well
  • Welcome environment, location, some great teachers.
  • Excellent staff members; and approachability.
  • Mostly great staff, lots of extracurricular activities, great dinner offerings
  • It has good leadership and values.
  • Inclusivity, positivity and encouragement
  • Excellent breakfast and after-school clubs making it easier for working parents
  • Friendly, welcoming and caring reception from school staff.
  • Wonderful in so many ways
  • They have a strong community sense and encourage positive behaviour in the kids
  • Every child is supported and praised on their own merit, you can tell the teachers really care about the pupils
  • Every child is praised on their own merit, great and enthusiastic teachers who clearly care about the children
  • The staff
  • Strong leadership and a caring environment.
  • Academic achievement is clearly very important to the school and academic standards are wonderfully high. The whole school community is friendly and close-knit, and there is always much effort to ensure that everyone feels welcomed and involved. It is great that there is a lot going on outside the classroom, with clubs and KPSA-led events.
  • Small, friendly, local and supportive
  • Promoting children’s wellbeing and enthusiasm towards learning
  • DHT, after school care, teaching staff in general,
  • I commend the school leadership’s quick response to concerns/complaints. The school’s pastoral care for families with seriously sick children is excellent. Most staff are approachable, friendly and communicate well with pupils and parents.
  • Welcoming and positive ethos and clear values. Approachable leadership and teachers.
  • Mixing between ages, weaving values into day to day, engaging the children through great staff
  • Creative curriculum. Friendly and welcoming to pupils. Staff get on well with each other.
  • Some great teachers, good head, strong KPSA
  • A happy, well-led setting
  • Friendly and happy environment
  • Values, leadership, welcoming
  • Friendliness, rural location, excellent teaching, community spirit, happy children
  • Happy positive atmosphere
  • Sense of community & values

      Areas for improvement

      • More modern facilities
      • Improve healthy habits with healthier food, less food waste, less consumption of sweets and sugar.
      • More time for art and artistic activities. Further promote the development of children’s creativity.
      • More spaces for breakfast and kids club
      • My average kid is not pushed as much as the bright ones and the ones who are further behind.
      • Consistency of teaching staff
      • School should continue to support its emphasis on well-being and mental health
      • Communication of all kinds.
      • Greater range of healthier lunch options
      • Challenging the higher ability children but not forgetting the quiet middle ability children.
      • More communication with individuals on how to support their learning.
      • Stretch able pupils.
      • More Performing arts. Music and drama through school could be improved  
      • PE
      • PE provision – perhaps external coaches could be employed so that PE is taught to a higher, more consistent standard.
      • Music provision
      • It would be wonderful if more able pupils could be stretched and extended a bit more
      • Some instances of low level, persistent, disruptive behaviour in class which we feel needs addressing as it sometimes affects our child’s ability to concentrate and learn
      • Greater consistency between classes e.g. house points given if they read, how often they are heard read by the teacher in class etc.
      • It would be helpful for our child to have a little more homework to prepare them for secondary school
      • A wider variety of extracurricular activities on offer e.g. sewing club, DT club, creative writing club, football, cooking club
      • We would love for our children to be taught more practical life skills at school (to support what we teach them at home) for example how to handle money and budget
      • More practical science like the visit from Kingham Hill would be amazing, and the link with Kingham Hill is great
      • More outdoor lessons would be wonderful
      • More personalised feedback about the children, their progress & how they can be supported at home.
      • More regular communications and discussions with their teacher
      • A few more after school clubs, more one on one
      • More interaction and feedback from the teachers, something we feel is very important with a child that has SEN.
      • More male teachers.
      • Parent Parking. Please can we get a lollipop lady to aid children to cross the road safely to school.
      • Allow children to play in the forest all year round, it’s one of the main benefits of school grounds
      • More time for foundation subjects – teaching core subjects through foundation ones. More focus on the topic of the term.
      • All the children need to have more ‘down-time’ both inside and outside of the classroom- including more outdoor learning, in KS2 as well as KS1. All the children need to have fun/relaxed time planned into every school day- something to look forward to.
      • Finding ways of making the learning accessible to everyone. For example, a focus on verbal comprehension for emerging readers (rather than written ones).
      • Car parking.
      • The school needs more indoor spaces to support increased opportunity, clubs and activities when wet.
      • Additional play facilities.
      • Increased capacity and quality of wraparound care
      • A high turnover of staff in certain year groups which can be quite disruptive.
      • More PE and sport.
      • It would be good to see the students engaging in more artistic/creative projects, such as a mural or sculpture within school.
      • More swimming for Year 4.
      • Improved playgroup equipment such as footballs, more climbing equipment for the older children
      • Communication with parents about progress and guidance on how to further aid learning at home
      • Teachers speak more to parents and read the diaries.
      • Addressing weaker teachers, looking at the succession of teachers
      • Giving the less obvious children a chance
      • Not leaving learning concerns until the last minute.
      • Not automatically labelling a child as good or bad. Children grow and mature and it isn’t always seen by staff.
      • Not grouping children by ability. Children know when they are in the “special” groups.
      • Incorporate different ways of learning into teaching.
      • New topics should be introduced and more trips planned for the children.
      • Add some swings for the children.
      • More individual attention would always be helpful.
      • A better understanding of the diversity and cultures that are seen around the UK
      • Too much homework. Please do not set homework over half-term and holidays  
      • There appears to be too much reliance on feedback from a small circle of parents
      • Pressuring parents to finance extravagant projects, e.g. Outdoor classroom, electronic library, etc.,  
      • Reassurance that Kingham as a non-religious school has a balanced teaching of non-religious ethics would be welcomed.    Kingham is a secular school. Please do come and see us if you have concerns in this respect.
      • Independent school practices such as Head Boy and Girl
      • Children walking with hands behind backs
      • Focus on drinking water throughout the day and eating healthily at school
      • Need to follow through with commitment of training for teachers with trauma kids – this training was delivered
      • Occasionally creativity can be lacking in favour of more academic subjects.
      • School can be traditional in its approach to children and their learning (e.g. missing break times for unfinished work). More child-led learning where they think for themselves!
      • Improve healthier eating by massively improving the menu/quality of food provided at school and by leading the way in encouraging parents to not hand out sweets every day of the week.
      • Not enough learning about nature.
      • It would be great if the routine of spellings was replicated with times tables. Not in a rote learning way but just to reinforce the basics in maths like you do with spelling.
      • There should be homework set – particularly in light of the catch up needed after COVID.
      • More homework in Key Stage 2 – e.g. independent research, creative projects, regular mental arithmetic tasks and written comprehension tasks being sent home.
      • Renew focused emphasis on maths skills (e.g. weekly maths passports) which was stopped
      • Communication about missed learning so support can be offered at home to help catch up
      • We only get targets now at parents evening and when no regular work is sent home we have no idea what they are working on so we cannot support.
      • Encourage children to read by monitoring what they read each week and praising efforts.
      • Emphasise the joy of reading for pleasure once they have mastered the basics. Encourage comprehension with setting and marking activities in the reading journals.
      • Use the library to lend books.
      • School lunches,
      • Maths teaching in all year groups
      • As a regular user of kid’s/breakfast club I’d like to see a way to book slots needed on an on-going basis
      • More information on test results and how the children are doing other than parents evening. Possible term reports?
      • More inclusive sports rather than same teams being picked each time.

      Additional comments

      • Food waste every day after lunch time
      • Thank you for all that you do
      • We found that our child, because she was quiet, came to school every day & well behaved was somewhat left behind.
      • I have been singing the school’s praises as combining the academic rigour of the most academic schools with the friendly community feel of smaller village schools with cousins etc. in the same school.
      • I feel the school would benefit from a full time PE teacher to lead PE lessons.
      • I’m very happy with the school. Thank you to all staff for the hard work that you put in
      • We feel extreme grateful that our child is at Kingham. What an excellent start to academic life!
      • We are so thankful for all that you do to help our children who are all very happy at school. You have our full support. Huge thanks as always
      • I would unreservedly recommend Kingham to prospective pupils and parents, our children have flourished here, and it is a lovely school community for pupils and parents alike
      • Feedback on any learning difficulties, social interactions, etc. Anything we can work on at home & discuss further with our child
      • Allergens need to be treated better. If a child is so severely allergic to nuts they should be taught not to touch other children’s food. Not allowing Nutella on a sandwich due to nuts but doing Easter egg hunts where chocolates contain nuts is silly
      • I would like all teachers to welcome (or even encourage) children to attend consultation meetings. It’s a valuable opportunity for the teacher to engage with the student on a 1 to 1 level.
      • We are very happy with the school, our children enjoy being at school, and I have recommended the school to others who will be starting school next year.
      • A specialist French teacher rather than asking class teachers
      • No further comments. Just a big “Thank you for your efforts!”
      • This process should be entirely confidential and its outcomes transparent; the move to apparently ‘filter’ results last year felt uncomfortable and identifying children in these emails inevitably results in lower and distorted outputs. This process is entirely confidential, there is no way of identifying pupils, nor do we try – 79 families have responded which is a large proportion of our parents.
      • Thank you for everything everyone does each and every day
      • A more engaging teaching approach.
      • Maths teaching is generally poor
      • Homework is often set for holiday periods yet not explained to the children so I only know about it though our parents WhatsApp group.  Apologies, other than at certain times in Year 6, homework should not be set in holidays.
      • Forest school reintroduced to children in Year 3 and above. The facilities are there and learning outside engages the children in a way a classroom doesn’t.

      Complaints

      If you have a concern or complaint about any aspect of your experience with Kingham Primary School you should arrange to discuss the matter with the relevant member of staff as soon as possible. This will generally be the class teacher. An appointment can be made to discuss any issues that you wish to raise. If you feel that your concern has not been resolved, then you may speak with or write to the headteacher. This also applies to any concerns about the provision of support for children with special educational needs. This informal approach is almost always the quickest and most effective way of addressing your concerns. It is also helpful to identify what actions might resolve an issue.

      Formal complaints

      Our school aims to meet its statutory obligations when responding to complaints from parents of pupils at the school, and others.

      When responding to complaints, we aim to:

      · Be impartial and non-adversarial

      · Facilitate a full and fair investigation by an independent person or panel, where necessary

      · Address all the points at issue and provide an effective and prompt response

      · Respect complainants’ desire for confidentiality

      · Treat complainants with respect and courtesy

      · Make sure that any decisions we make are lawful, rational, reasonable, fair and proportionate, in line with the principles of administrative law

      · Keep complainants informed of the progress of the complaints process

      · Consider how the complaint can feed into school improvement evaluation processes

      We try to resolve concerns or complaints by informal means wherever possible. Where this is not possible, formal procedures will be followed.

      The school will aim to give the complainant the opportunity to complete the complaints procedure in full.

      Throughout the process, we will be sensitive to the needs of all parties involved, and make any reasonable adjustments needed to accommodate individuals.

      If you are not satisfied with the response of the headteacher you should write stating your complaint to the Chair of Governors or the Clerk of the Governing Body at the school address. The governors are responsible for overseeing the management of the school  and for ensuring that appropriate processes are in operation. The Chair of Governors will endeavour to seek a satisfactory resolution of the issue, either through mediation or if necessary a formal complaints panel hearing.

      Further information about how formal complaints will be handled and the complaints panel process is provided in the school Complaints Policy.

      Copies

      Paper copies of any of the information on the Kingham Primary School web site are also available on request for collection from the school office.

      Contact

      For all enquiries

      Mrs Harriet Gallimore
      Office Manager
      contact@kingham.oxon.sch.uk
      Tel: 01608 658366

      Address

      Kingham Primary School
      The Green
      Kingham
      CHIPPING NORTON
      Oxfordshire
      OX7 6YD