Long Furlong Primary School

Long Furlong Primary School Boulter Drive, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1XP

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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.  Pupils’ achievement is good and has improved markedly since the last inspection. Pupils now leave the school with standards of English and mathematics that are significantly higher than average.  Teaching is good, with some that is outstanding.  The leadership, management and governance of the school are good. The headteacher’s clear vision and his single-mindedness have been central to the continuing improvement in pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They feel safe at school and contribute to others’ safety by behaving responsibly in and around the school.  Parents’ and carers’ confidence in the school has notably grown since the last inspection. Almost all of them are prepared to recommend the school to other parents and carers.  The headteacher has successfully built up the school’s checking systems and teachers’ professional skills. As a result, the school’s

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

capacity to improve further is now good.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not always make rapid and sustained progress, particularly in the development of their oral skills and reading.  In some lessons, teachers spend too long giving instructions and do not help pupils enough to understand how to improve.  Checks made by senior leaders on teaching do not always focus on the progress different groups make.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons or parts of lessons, three of which were jointly observed with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with a randomly selected group of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, and senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current and recent progress, planning and monitoring files, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements.  The 80 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire were taken into account, together with the responses to the survey of parents’ and carers’ views conducted by the governing body.  Inspectors considered 20 questionnaires returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Krishan Sharma, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jan Edwards Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is slightly smaller than an average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British. A small minority come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, including Other White backgrounds and Asian pupils with Indian and Chinese backgrounds. A few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action almost equals the national average. The proportion of those at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families, is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school hosts breakfast and after-school clubs, which are not managed by the governing body and are subject to a separate inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching from good to outstanding so that all pupils make rapid and sustained progress by ensuring that:  teachers reduce the time spent giving instructions and explanations during lessons to allow enough time for pupils to work independently  teachers check and discuss pupils’ progress in lessons so that they understand what they have done well and what they have to do to improve their work  senior leaders focus on the progress of different groups of pupils during their observations of teaching, and that the outstanding practice that already exists in the school is shared.  Improve pupils’ oral skills and reading by:  giving pupils meaningful opportunities to discuss their ideas and opinions during lessons  making sure that in guided reading sessions all groups of pupils are challenged to improve their understanding of the text, respond thoughtfully and read fluently.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in Nursery and Reception make a good start and develop their reading, writing and mathematics skills well. On entry to Nursery, their skills and knowledge are usually at the levels expected for their age; levels are lower than this in some year groups, especially in literacy and numeracy.  Their good progress continues as pupils move through the school. They reach standards in English and mathematics that are significantly above average, particularly at the end of Year 6. Pupils do better in writing and mathematics than in reading, speaking and listening.  Pupils’ knowledge of phonics (learning about the sounds that letters make) is good across the school because its teaching is regular and systematic. Although most pupils are confident readers, in some undemanding guided-reading sessions, pupils make slow progress in acquiring the skills they need to read, understand and respond to texts. Some also display a lack of

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The achievement of pupils is good

fluency in their reading.  Pupils’ progress in writing is good across the school. The written work seen during the inspection showed the good range of purposes for which pupils write. Pupils demonstrate growing confidence and control in their writing.  Pupils are keen to talk and unhesitatingly communicate with their peers. However, their responses in lessons do not always indicate that they can express themselves fully and fluently.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics is good and has been over time. Boys and girls engage equally well with mathematics during lessons. They confidently use their calculation skills in solving practical mathematical problems and are able to see the relevance of mathematics to their daily lives.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve as well as their peers. The extra help they get is carefully aimed at meeting their varied and individual needs in English

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The achievement of pupils is good

and mathematics.  The few pupils from minority ethnic groups achieve well. Those who speak English as an additional language make rapid progress as their command of English grows. Pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding are not a sizeable enough group for meaningful comparison and analysis.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and some of it is outstanding. The improved quality of teaching is at the heart of the notable gains the school has made in improving standards. During most lessons, teachers engage all groups of pupils and they promote pupils’ social skills in and out of classrooms.  In the Nursery and Reception classes adults successfully promote children’s independence through a wide range of activities, both in the classroom and outdoors. Staff observe and assess children closely to plan the next steps in their learning.  Teachers expect high standards of behaviour and commitment from pupils. Activities planned are suitably challenging for different groups. Teachers are good at asking searching questions that maintain pupils’ interest and demand thoughtful response.  In the very best lessons, teachers succeed in exciting pupils’ curiosity and give them opportunities to work independently and to take the initiative in their learning. Teachers discuss

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The quality of teaching is good

with pupils their learning and progress in depth, which equips pupils to understand what they have done well and what they need to do to do better.  In some lessons, teachers’ initial introductions and their instructions take too long, leaving limited time for pupils to work on their own, which slows their progress. This also restricts the opportunities for teachers to check and discuss pupils’ work with them.  In most lessons teachers provide opportunities for pupils to practise their speaking and listening skills; pupils frequently talk to their ‘talk partners’. However, pupils are not always able to discuss their ideas and opinions sufficiently to help those who need to improve their skills in developing ideas and expressing their views.  The teaching of writing is conscientious and effective. Pupils are given clear guidance on the planning of their writing and are made aware of its purpose. Most marking guides pupils well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Well-focused activities and extra support ensure that most disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. The support given to pupils who speak English as an additional language is effective in ensuring that they do not lag behind other groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons, and in and around the school. Their attitudes to learning are positive. Occasionally, some pupils lose concentration, especially when teaching does not hold their interest, but it rarely leads to disruption.  The school has high expectations of all pupils and ensures that the guidelines for behaviour management are consistently applied. Older pupils play their part by overseeing the behaviour of younger pupils and intervening, when necessary.  Most pupils, their parents and carers, and governors rightly believe that behaviour at school is good, although a few members of staff and pupils expressed some concerns.  Relationships are harmonious and all groups, irrespective of their backgrounds, feel part of the school. The regular teaching of personal, social and health education is making a difference.  Pupils say that bullying is rare and that adults sort it out if it occurs. They have a good

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

awareness of different types of bullying, including that which is prejudice-based and that which relates to the misuse of the internet. Pupils feel they are safe at school and almost all the parents and carers who responded to the Parent View survey agree with them.  Attendance is above average. The school continues to pursue with vigour the small number of persistent absentees and those with unacceptably low levels of attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has remained doggedly focused on raising standards and improving the quality of teaching. As a result, the school has secured significant improvements on both fronts. The school now has a good capacity to improve, which the key leaders are determined to use in securing further improvement in reading and the quality of teaching. Senior leaders recognise that the effective features of existing practice could be adopted more widely.  Pupils’ progress is rigorously analysed and information is used well to ensure that all groups within the school achieve their best. The analysis is used to provide extra help for pupils who have special educational needs and those who are supported by pupil premium funds. Equally importantly, the school makes sure that all groups are treated fairly and that no pupil or group is left behind.  Checks made on teaching by the headteacher and other leaders have been instrumental in

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The leadership and management are good

improving the quality of teaching from satisfactory to good. Occasionally, these checks do not focus enough on the progress different groups make in lessons and miss weaknesses.  Performance management is effective because it clearly links pupils’ achievement to teachers’ progression through their salary scales. Continuing staff training is substantially informed by performance objectives set for each teacher.  The range of subjects and activities provided is successful in developing pupils’ basic skills. Pupils’ learning is regularly enriched by educational visits, participation in a range of competitions, visitors to school, sport, art, music and the celebration of various cultural events. These experiences promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  The school’s links with parents and carers are much stronger now than they were at the time of the last inspection. The annual survey conducted by the governing body and the considerable

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The leadership and management are good

response to Parent View indicate that the school enjoys the confidence of parents and carers.  The local authority has provided light-touch support for this school which has continued to perform well in national tests in the last three years. The support for the headteacher in moderating his judgements of teaching has been worthwhile.  The governance of the school:  The governing body understands the school well, including the quality of its teaching. Governors make visits to keep in touch with the school. They examine the school’s data and understand how well the school is doing in relation to other schools. They are aware of how the small amount of additional funding received through the pupil premium is being spent and what difference it is making. The governing body understands the need to establish links between teachers’ performance in the classroom and their progression through the salary

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The leadership and management are good

scales. It manages the budget well and ensures that the school’s safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. Governors bring a range of skills, which helps them to support senior leaders. They are confident enough to hold senior leaders to account for the school’s performance.

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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 123085 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 402130

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 244 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Bradley Headteacher Zaheer Ahmed Date of previous school inspection 27–28 April 2010 Telephone number 01235 532358 Email address office.2602@long-furlong.ocnmail.net 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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