Kedington Primary Academy has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Lively, Happy School
Kedington Primary Academy is a 1 form entry primary school with 213 pupils on roll and 6.7% eligible for Pupil Premium. The school is part of a Multi-Academy Trust ‘Unity’ and has been part of this academy since 2017. The percentage of children with SEND and those with EHCPs is relatively low compared to national.
The school serves the families of the village of Kedington and the surrounding catchment. Most of the children live in the village, but more recently children have come from the local town of Haverhill. The majority of the children are English speaking and the number of children with EAL is relatively low. The school has 30 members of staff, 2 contracted sports coaches and a local Governing Body comprising of 8 members. The complex needs of any children with SEND are addressed so they make good progress. The attainment of disadvantaged children is mixed, with several achieving ‘greater depth’ at the end of KS2. Nearly all disadvantaged pupils make good progress.
Outcomes at Kedington are strong and exceed national data for reading, writing and maths. End of KS2 outcomes are particularly high with 83% EXS+ combined with positive progress measures in all subjects. Reading is a strength of the school and KS1 phonics results are well above national averages. In the EYFS, 77% achieved GLD in 2022 and do well from their starting points.
Kedington Primary Academy is a lively, happy school where children enjoy their experiences and show great respect for each other. The school has a calm, purposeful environment where everyone knows what is expected of them.
All staff have high expectations of children and offer a caring, supportive and encouraging environment where positive relationships are crucial to the progress of all the children. There is a strong emphasis on kindness and good manners and this was evident whenever the children were asked a question or when they moved around the school. They regularly open doors for adults and greet them with a smile. Children mirror this in their relationships with adults and peers alike.
Stable Staff
The school has a stable staff and is well led by the Headteacher who has moved the school forward in all its aspects over the last 5 years. The strong leadership of the Headteacher, her accessibility and her commitment to inclusion and improving the opportunities for all children, and the leadership of the IQM lead in ensuring that the IQM process is articulated by everyone are strengths of the school. Everyone spoke about the change in attitudes and direction since the Headteacher has been at the school.
National attainment and progress data has risen tremendously across both key stages, but more importantly the behaviour and attitudes of the children towards their education have changed significantly for the better. Zones of Regulation are understood by the children and are displayed prominently around the school. Children are given time to reflect on how they feel and staff understand that some children need more time than others to do this.
Committed to Raising Standards
The school uses the Trauma Informed Schools’ approach which was a major shift in ideas for the staff surrounding support for the whole child and understanding their needs. The SLT is committed to raising standards and providing staff and pupils with the best possible environment and opportunities.
The Trust also provides a great deal of support for the school in terms of professional development, data tracking and providing an ambitious curriculum which the school uses well to offer children a fully inclusive, coherent and progressive way forward in their education. The curriculum aims are clearly set out within the CUSP (the Curriculum with Unity Schools Partnership). The aims are that the curriculum is connected, cumulative and coherent and that specific skills are discreetly taught and transferable.
Specific vocabulary modules are linked to the curriculum programme of work. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is closely connected to all the work and an excellent programme of enrichment runs alongside the formal programme. There is a wide range of enrichment activities, including school trips, enrichment days, lunchtime activities and after school clubs. The school prides itself on its strong communication with parents where concerns are shared and addressed together and success jointly celebrated.
Displays have a consistency and high quality around the school reflecting the care and attention shown by all the staff. In the corridors, displays focus on the KS2 literacy spine, the Zones of Regulation, Our Values-Be kind, Work hard, Be safe and The Kedington Way. In classrooms there are maths, science, literacy working walls, washing lines of collaborative work, Times Tables Rockstars, vocabulary lists, the book that the class are reading, our spelling rules and Zones of Regulation interactive displays. All these show a consistency and reflect the curriculum that is delivered across the school.
Outdoor Learning Environment
The outdoor learning environment includes opportunities for children to develop aspects of sport and learning through play. The well set out EYFS outdoor environment encourages free flow and teacher directed and child initiated activities, whilst the playground and field have a range of apparatus to encourage children to play creatively. There is climbing apparatus and well marked out surfaces. The playground and field are spacious and there are shaded areas provided by trees for the summer and ample space for children to use their creative instincts. A space into a wooded area is well used to access the Forest School environment which has been developed over the past months giving access to more children across the school. 
Observations during lunchtime demonstrated that the children used the spaces effectively and enjoyed the time they had to use apparatus that was provided for them. The quiet seated areas in an outdoor classroom offered Year 6 children the opportunity for a quiet chat to ensure all aspects of outdoor play are addressed. The welcoming outdoor environment gives parents and visitors a good first impression of the school and the office staff present a friendly reassuring face to parents and visitors.
Excellent work is carried out with families, pupils and the community generally to ensure that children are cared for and valued. There are good communication systems which give parents and carers confidence in the school and in its support for their child’s needs.
Email, texting, newsletters and parent consultations as well as one-to-one conversations keep parents regularly informed about their child’s education and needs. Dojo is widely used by the school as a means of communication by parents needing to find out more about their child’s progress at school.
The Self Evaluation Report reflects the high quality of evaluation that exists in the school. It is comprehensive and reflects the school as seen by the assessor. Kedington Primary Academy is an example of a school committed to meet the needs of its children and in its implementation of inclusive practice. It is a happy, caring environment for pupils where high expectations have a huge impact on attainment, progress and wellbeing.
Find out more about the IQM Inclusive School Award
If your school is interested in obtaining the IQM Inclusive School Award or you wish to talk to a member of the IQM team please telephone:
028 7127 7857 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
or email: [email protected] for further details.
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