Kingswood school receives fourth outstanding

Pupils 'sad to leave' Kingswood School after a fourth consecutive Outstanding rating

Tom Cramp - Local Democracy Reporter | Wednesday 6th July 2022 8:23am

Pupils at Kingswood School become confident in all aspects of school life and are happy and safe, according to a new Ofsted report. The Shirley independent school, which teaches pupils aged 2-16, recently secured its fourth consecutive Outstanding rating amid glowing praise from the school inspectors. 

Kingswood's latest inspection saw it score outstanding in five out of five of the criteria Ofsted use to assess schools. These include the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and provision for early years learning. 

The independent school holds just 82 pupils at the time of the inspection (April 2022). Ofsted determines that small class sizes and attentive teachers allow pupils to make excellent progress.

“Pupils are safe and happy at Kingswood School,” the report says. “Pupils enjoy being part of a diverse community of people from all over the world. They build positive and respectful relationships with their teachers and peers.

“Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils. Learning is not limited, and every pupil is supported to achieve exceptionally well. Pupils enjoy their learning, and the oldest pupils say they 'would be sad to leave' the school.”

Kingswood requires an annual fee of £9,237 for each pupil. It is one of the few schools in the area to receive consistently high praise from Ofsted, scoring outstanding in each of its last four inspections that took place in 2008, 2014, 2018 and 2022. 

On the curriculum, Ofsted said Kingswood has an 'ambitious, broad and rich curriculum' that enables pupils to achieve highly. It added: “Pupils achieve highly because teachers match the curriculum carefully to their needs. Teachers provide quick feedback to pupils, shaping and adapting tasks if they identify any misconceptions. 

“Pupils receive regular homework that embeds and extends learning. Staff have made increased use of online platforms to share work with parents and carers, as well as celebrate successes in school.” 

More News Headlines