Langtoft Primary School

Langtoft Primary School Manor Close, Langtoft, Peterborough, PE6 9NB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The determination of the headteacher and governors in their drive for improvement ensures that teaching is now good and that pupils make good progress.  Standards of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 in 2012 were above the national average.  Langtoft is a happy school where attendance is significantly above average, behaviour is good and all pupils achieve well both pastorally and academically, irrespective of their starting points.  Pupils’ good relationships are firmly founded on the 5Cs (Caring; Cooperative; Conscientious; Considerate; Courteous) decided by the school council. These help ensure that their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.  In 2012, pupils with disabilities or with special education needs reached standards in reading, writing and mathematics in advance of the national average for similar pupils. Standards

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

at the end of Year 2 in 2012 were significantly above average.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils’ care and well being are rigorous. Hence pupils feel safe.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The quality of teaching is not yet outstanding because the same task is sometimes set for all pupils in some lessons. Consequently, work is too easy for some or too hard for others.  Teachers sometimes spend too long explaining what pupils are about to do. This prevents pupils from getting down to work quickly and, thus, slows their learning.  Though the school measures pupils’ attainment and progress accurately, leaders at all levels do not check as frequently as they might on the quality of learning taking place in lessons. They, therefore, do not always have enough information to help them to secure more rapid improvements.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 22 part-lessons, some jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, several groups of pupils, some parents, members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and a group of subject leaders. They listened to pupils in Year 2 and Year 4 reading, and examined work in pupils’ books.  The team looked closely at the school’s methods for measuring the rate at which pupils make progress, checking their reliability and accuracy. They considered a range of school documentation, and records of meetings and work with the local authority and with consultants.  Inspectors took account of staff responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire, and to 42 responses to ‘Parent View’, the on-line questionnaire for parents, in reaching their judgements.

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Inspection team

Terry McDermott, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Peter Bailey Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Langtoft is a smaller than average sized primary school.  The school meets the current floor standards which set the government’s minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, special funding given to the school to provide additional support to pupils eligible for free school meals, those who are in local authority care or from families in the armed forces, is well below the national average.  The very large majority of pupils are White British. Almost all speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is well below average. The proportion supported through school action plus, or with statement of special educational needs, is below average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of good and outstanding teaching that enables more pupils to exceed expected progress by:  making sure that work set in lessons is at the right level for individual pupils’ learning needs  spending less time talking about what pupils are going to be doing, and more time letting them get on with their different individual tasks  checking more often on the quality of learning taking place in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils get off to a good start when they join the Reception class. The very large majority are working close to the standards expected nationally for children of their age when they join the school. They settle quickly into a well-resourced and interesting learning environment. They develop good relationships here, and quickly learn about the ‘5Cs’. This provides a solid foundation for their good personal development as they move through the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s easy to understand and accurate tracking system shows that pupils are making good progress overall particularly in English and mathematics, though there are some inconsistencies in learning in lessons which prevents progress from being even better.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing, English and mathematics was above average at the end of Year 6 in 2012. Attainment at the end of Year 2 in 2012 was significantly above average by all measures. The teaching of phonics (how letters and the sounds they make are linked together) is good and underpins enthusiastic reading throughout the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils sustain their concentration well when asked to carry out practical tasks independently. They are curious and always prepared to try something new. Lessons often acquire a ‘buzz’ when pupils are investigating challenging scenarios which demand they find out something new.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Across the school, the pupil premium is used well to provide assistance for eligible pupils to access all the curriculum enrichments that the school has to offer. This ensures that they make similarly good progress to their peers, and that the gap between their achievement and others’ has closed in English and continues to close in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils or those with special educational needs, and the small numbers from minority ethnic backgrounds, all make good progress in English and mathematics because of the skilful and dedicated support they receive.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Those teachers who are consistently effective in their teaching coach or mentor colleagues as often as they can so that best practice can be shared. As a result, the proportion of good teaching has improved since the last inspection.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All lessons are characterised by good relationships between pupils and adults, pupils’ good attitudes to learning, and the level of resource available to motivate and inspire. Pupils are always willing to explain their views because they know they will be listened to.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Examples of outstanding and good teaching were seen throughout the school, but a small amount of teaching requiring improvement was also seen. In these few lessons, pace and challenge were lacking.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the very best lessons, pupils are set challenging tasks which demand that they use their previous learning to work out something new for themselves. This was seen to outstanding effect in a Year 5 mathematics lesson in which pupils had to estimate, then manipulate measures, to work out the areas of regular geometric shapes. Excellent use of language to link ‘centurion’ with ‘century’ to ‘centimetre’ deepened all pupils’ understanding of the inter- changeability of metric measures. Pupils’ sustained intellectual efforts were admirable, prompted quietly, subtly and very effectively by the teacher.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the small number of lessons where teaching requires improvement, the pace of learning slows unnecessarily because teachers occasionally give the same piece of work to the whole class. This results in some pupils finding it too easy and others finding it too hard.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Sometimes, teachers give extended explanations to which pupils are required to listen patiently instead of getting on with what is being explained. The pace of the lessons drops and learning slows.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants understand thoroughly what pupils have to learn and give effective support so that those in their care make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work is usually marked well and gives pupils good guidance on what they need to do next to improve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The very large majority of pupils have highly positive attitudes to learning, and respond very well to the effective systems the school uses to manage behaviour. As a result, behaviour is good in lessons, and at break times, or when pupils are moving about the school. This makes the school a calm and welcoming place in which to learn.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is less good than it might be, when pupils misbehave in a few lessons with slower pace.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attendance is well above the national average. In addition, strong links with parents ensure appropriate punctuality.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe in school and can explain clearly why this is so. They are aware of the dangers that might be around them and know what to do if they have any concerns. They say with certainty that bullying is not an issue in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are aware of the different forms of bullying and the school’s records show very few instances occurring over the long term.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They are well-mannered and polite. They are impressively thoughtful and considerate to each other and to the adults in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils leave school at the end of Year 6 as considerate young citizens, well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has shown calmness and resilience in leading the school on a successful journey from satisfactory to good.

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The leadership and management are good

 As the improvements to achievement and teaching since the last inspection show, the school’s capacity to secure further improvements is good. School self-evaluation is accurate, because it is tied firmly to the gains pupils make.

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The leadership and management are good

 Several new appointments have been made to leadership positions in recent months. The effectiveness of these new leaders in accelerating the school’s improvement has yet to be proven.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes accurate and regular assessments of what pupils know and can do. Leaders at all levels check regularly, though not often enough, on the quality of learning taking place in lessons. Some teaching still requires improvement. Nonetheless, school leaders make sure that they manage the performance of staff well and set challenging targets for teachers to work towards. They provide good support to improve the quality of teaching. School leaders and governors ensure that any decisions about pay are linked to performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Discussions with staff and scrutiny of the school’s questionnaires reveal that staff are proud to work at Langtoft. Their morale is good, and they are responding well to rigorous procedures for managing their performance which are increasing the number of outstanding lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is well matched to pupils’ needs and is well liked by them. Their above average attendance is testament to this. They spoke enthusiastically about the different subjects they explore through their topics, including art, music and French, and those which stand alone such as physical education and music.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school continuously espouses the 5Cs through all of its work. This is having a marked impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and is instrumental in maintaining a strong group identity amongst the pupils and the adults in school. The fostering of good relationships based upon equality of opportunity for all ensures that there is no discrimination.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school also promotes equality of opportunity well by using the pupil premium funds carefully to support specific groups of pupils and this ensures that there are no significant gaps in the learning of pupils from different backgrounds. The school evaluates how the pupil premium is spent and checks that it is making a difference.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works well with the local authority and its local family of schools. It now requires little support and is in a position to share its strengths with others.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body know their school well. They robustly carry out their duties for rewarding good performance. Governors have individual professional expertise, rigour, and a strong commitment to the community served by the school. These ensure that they use the skills they have developed to consistently challenge the effectiveness of all aspects of the school. The governing body provides effective oversight of how well pupil premium monies are spent in helping to close any gaps in the attainment and progress of the pupils for whom this funding is intended. Governors are knowledgeable about the impact of teaching on progress, and interpret pupil performance data well and ask pertinent questions about how well pupils are doing. They regularly check the progress the school is making against its development plan. Training and development have ensured that governors perform their statutory duties for

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The leadership and management are good

child protection and the recruitment of staff effectively.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 120381 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 405923

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 198 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Hornsby Headteacher James McCullough Date of previous school inspection 25 January 2011 Telephone number 01778 343419 Fax number 01778 346724 Email address enquiries@langtoft.lincs.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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