Land of Learning Primary School

Land of Learning Primary School 5-11 Evington Drive, Leicester, Leicestershire LE5 5PF

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Adequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Teaching is not consistently effective. Teachers do not use their knowledge about pupils’ abilities to plan appropriate tasks in science, the humanities and technology subjects.  Pupils make less progress in their creative curriculum subjects than they do in English and mathematics. Teaching does not allow them to develop their skills in sufficient depth.  Assessment is not well embedded across all subjects. Pupils do not always know how to improve their work in subjects other than mathematics and English.  Teachers do not consistently develop pupils’ speaking skills. At times they accept answers from pupils that are limited and do not require them to show their understanding.  The early years requires improvement. Teaching does not ensure that children, especially the most able, make consistently good progress. The proportion who achieved a good level of development at the end of 2016 was well below the national average.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The schools’ senior leaders are committed, determined and knowledgeable. They have worked very effectively together to bring about many improvements to the school.  Leaders and governors are ambitious for the school’s further success. They set high expectations for staff and pupils alike.  Pupils make good progress in English and mathematics. At the end of 2016, the proportion who achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was above the national average.  Pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare are good. Pupils have a strong moral code, and understand what the values of the school mean for how they should treat each other.  The school’s promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is effective. Links with local schools, community groups and charities ensure that pupils have good opportunities to put their values into practice. They are well prepared for life in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – activities in science and humanities build on pupils’ knowledge and skills and enable them to make the same good progress in these subjects that they make in English and mathematics – teachers use assessment consistently well in all subjects to enable pupils to know how to improve their work – teachers across the school develop pupils’ speaking skills consistently well.  Improve the early years by ensuring that: – teachers ask questions of children that challenge them to answer in full sentences and explain their answers – the most able children are given tasks that extend their learning and move them on to more-challenging work more quickly – all adults working with children intervene quickly when children lose focus to get them back on track with their learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders are positive and determined role models. They have worked tirelessly and effectively since the previous inspection to bring about many improvements. They have a good understanding of the independent school standards and have ensured that these are met.  Leaders are committed to ensuring that all staff, including support staff, are supported to develop and improve their practice. They carry out regular monitoring of teaching and other work, and use this information to set appropriate targets for staff development. Staff morale is high. As one teacher commented, ‘I look forward to coming to work every day.’  The school has recently appointed phase leaders for the early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2. These new leaders bring much enthusiasm to their roles, but it is too soon to judge the impact of their work.  The introduction of a new assessment system has allowed leaders to have an accurate

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

overview of pupils’ progress in English and mathematics and to identify and address any underachievement. The system is not as well embedded in other subjects, and leaders do not yet have a clear view of the progress that pupils make across the curriculum.  Links with other schools are used to good effect. The headteacher is the chair of the local network of Muslim schools. This is a useful vehicle to share information and best practice.  Leaders ensure that the promotion of British values is at the heart of the school’s work. Pupils understand the importance of democracy, tolerance and respect, and can talk confidently about why it is important to respect those who are disabled, for example. The recent focus on the work of the suffragettes led one Year 4 pupil to comment, ‘Men and women can do the same jobs now, because they are equal.’  Leaders make the most of opportunities to develop pupils’ understanding of British

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

institutions. For example, the recent visit to the school by members of the Armed Forces was a good opportunity for pupils to learn about the army’s peacekeeping missions in different countries, as well as the contribution made by Muslim soldiers in the first world war.  Pupils enjoy the many opportunities to learn about other faiths and cultures, for example through the ‘International Week’. Visits to and links with other local schools, faith and community groups ensure that pupils have good opportunities to put their values into practice.  The curriculum makes adequate provision for pupils’ different areas of learning. It is enhanced with a programme of visits, trips, and extra-curricular clubs. Pupils talked eagerly of their recent visit to Newark Museum, and of their enjoyment of activities such as sugar craft and robotics. The school’s annual residential trip for Year 6 pupils continues to be a resounding success.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders’ work to engage parents is having a positive impact. The workshops and other activities that leaders have arranged for parents have been well received. Parents who spoke with inspectors and who responded to the free-text service were overwhelmingly positive about the school and its leadership. One wrote, ‘They provide much more than education, they give our children the opportunity to experience different cultures and faiths, learn about the wider community and become well-rounded, mature individuals.’

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Governance

 Governors work effectively with leaders to develop the school’s effectiveness.  Through the regular meetings of the school committee, governors ensure that they are kept well informed about the work of the school.  In addition, the chair of the governing body meets with the headteacher on a weekly basis to review achievement data, records of teaching and learning and other aspects of the school’s work.  They ensure that the staff appraisal process is used well to support staff development and reward staff who are working effectively.  Governors work well with leaders to set the strategic direction of the school, and to monitor the school’s progress against its action plan.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders have a good understanding of the relevant legislation and ensure that teachers and other staff are well trained to spot potential concerns. Staff who spoke with inspectors had a very clear understanding of their roles in safeguarding children, including their statutory duties regarding female genital mutilation. Leaders work well with other agencies, taking a proactive approach where they have had concerns and ensuring that relevant information is shared with the appropriate bodies. They ensure that there are adequate opportunities to teach pupils how to stay safe, whether online or in other situations, in the school curriculum.  The school’s safeguarding policy is in keeping with the relevant legislation and is published on the school’s website.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 In subjects other than mathematics and English, teaching does not routinely build on what pupils are able to do. Inspectors saw several examples of pupils of different abilities completing the same work. This limited the progress made by the most and least able pupils.  Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their abilities in science, history, geography and other subjects. Work completed in these subjects is often limited to factual recall, and does not allow pupils to practise and develop other skills in sufficient depth.  Not all teachers provide opportunities for pupils to develop their oral skills. This is especially true in the lower years, where teachers sometimes ask questions that require limited answers from pupils.  Assessment is used effectively to support teaching and learning in mathematics and English. However, it is not well embedded in other subjects and pupils do not always

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

know how to improve their work in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Teachers have good subject knowledge. In English and mathematics, they use this to set high expectations of what pupils should achieve. Pupils are motivated to be successful in these subjects.  In English and mathematics, teachers ensure that work is set at the right level. The use of ‘must/should/could’ means that pupils know what is expected of them and can access their learning effectively. The most able pupils are regularly challenged by their work in these subjects, and respond positively to the opportunity to tackle more difficult work.  Pupils have regular opportunities to read in class. The introduction of phonics teaching in the lower years now means that those children who struggle to decode words get the help they need to develop their reading skills.  Where learning is most effective, it is because teachers do not accept any less than

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

pupils’ best. This was most evident in a Year 6 class, where the teacher corrected pupils’ grammar and insisted that pupils answered in full, well-constructed sentences and could justify their opinions.  Teachers ensure that boys and girls are given equal opportunity to respond in class.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils are helped to become confident, mature young people who are well equipped for life in modern Britain.  Pupils know how to stay safe in a range of situations and trust their teachers to respond to any concerns they have. The use of the ‘share and care’ boxes encourages pupils to feel a sense of responsibility for one another.  Pupils have a good understanding of the different types of bullying and work with leaders to reduce bullying in school, which they say is very rare. The school council is active in helping leaders to promote anti-bullying messages in assembly, for example.  Opportunities to learn about other faiths are enhanced through visits to other schools and faith groups. Such links are well used to develop collaboration and mutual learning. For example, the pupils’ visit to a local Catholic school to deliver a presentation about Islam

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Personal development and welfare

was well received.  Pupils have a keen sense of their responsibilities to the more vulnerable in society. They regularly undertake fundraising for local charities and have developed links with local community groups such as Help the Aged and the Leicester City Sanctuary.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. In class, they focus well and are keen to succeed. They cooperate well when working on group tasks and instances of low-level disruption are rare.  Pupils conduct themselves well at break and lunchtimes. Routines for walking through different parts of the building and lining up are well established. Pupils know what is expected of them and willingly comply with the rules.  In most subjects, pupils take pride in their work and present it well. Work in pupils’ topic books is sometimes less well presented.  Pupils’ attendance in the last academic year was well below average. Leaders’ efforts to discourage parents taking holidays in term time and to challenge unnecessary absence are now paying dividends, and attendance has improved significantly. Leaders ensure that they inform local authority officers in a timely manner when pupils leave the school.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Outcomes require improvement because pupils do not make the same good progress in other subjects as they do in English and mathematics. Their skills in science and humanities are markedly less well developed.  Outcomes in the early years were well below the national average in 2016.  In English and mathematics, pupils’ achievements are generally at least in line with or above the national average. In 2016, the proportion who achieved the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics was above the national average. The proportion who achieved the higher level in these subjects was also above the national average. Where such information is available, this indicates good progress from pupils’ different starting points.  Pupils read with confidence and fluency. A whole-school focus on the teaching of reading has led to improved rates of progress in reading.  The most able pupils make good progress in English and mathematics, because teachers

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

regularly give them challenging tasks to undertake. This is not the case in other subjects, where there work is often too easy.  The school’s tracking system is used well to highlight and address any underachievement in English and mathematics. Regular meetings between teachers and leaders ensure a systematic focus on pupils’ achievements in these subjects.  At the end of key stage 2, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education in the core skills of English and mathematics.  Leaders have begun a programme of careers education to teach pupils about the opportunities that are open to them. Visits by a local dentist, pharmacist and other professionals have begun to give pupils a flavour of some of the careers they may choose to follow.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 The independent school standards are met in full in the early years. The statutory requirements of the early years are met.  In the last academic year, the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development was well below the national average. Less than half of the children were well prepared for key stage 1.  Teaching in the early years does not always build on what children know and can do. The most able children are not challenged to develop their skills quickly enough.  Teachers’ questioning of children is sometimes limited, and requires little more than one- word answers. Children do not always get the support they need to develop their language skills.  At times, children lose focus and teachers and other staff do not intervene quickly enough to get them back on track with their learning. This limits the progress that children make.  Since the previous inspection, leaders have made improvements to the early years

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Early years provision Requires improvement

provision, including to the outdoor area. Staff make the most of the challenge faced by the design of the early years provision, and ensure that they plan activities well to cover the different areas of children’s learning.  Relationships with staff are positive and nurturing. Children feel safe, settle quickly and relate well to other children and adults.  Children who speak English as an additional language receive good support. When they are able to, staff use both the home language as well as English to promote children’s learning. An example of this was seen when a teacher questioned one boy in English and French to check his understanding.  Leaders have introduced a new tracking system and now have a much clearer understanding of the progress that children are making. This is enabling them to intervene much more quickly when children are not making good progress.  Children’s learning journeys are used well to support their learning. Parents make a good

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Early years provision Requires improvement

contribution to their child’s learning, through the learning journeys, as well as their participation in activities such as the regular ‘stay and play’ sessions.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Email address office@landoflearning.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1–3 October 2013

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Information about this school

 Land of Learning Primary School is a Muslim school located in the Evington area of Leicester. It is owned and run by the Evington Muslim Centre. A school committee, consisting of members of the trustees of the centre, governs the school.  The school opened in 2009 with a Reception class group and moved into newly built premises in the grounds of the mosque in 2012. There are three floors. The ground floor is used for the separately registered Nursery. The first and second floors are used for the school. The school accommodation is used at the end of every school day as a madrassa and also for meetings in the evenings and at weekends.  The school was inspected in October 2013 and was judged to be adequate. A few of the independent school standards were found not to be met. A follow-up progress monitoring in May 2014 found that the school had made good progress in implementing its action plan, and that the independent school standards were now met in full.

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Information about this school

 The school has increased its numbers each year. It now has 239 pupils on roll. The school is registered to admit up to 300 primary-age boys and girls.  Most pupils are of Asian, Arab or African heritage and most speak English as an additional language.  There are very few pupils who have special educational needs/and or disabilities.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2013. She currently oversees leadership of the separate nursery provision as well as the main school.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  Land of Learning Primary School aims to create a happy, safe and secure environment where each child is given the opportunity to learn and live with others. It also seeks to provide firm foundations for children to build on and further develop their knowledge and well-being.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all classes. On some visits to classes, inspectors were accompanied by senior leaders.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and phase leaders. The lead inspector met with four governors, including the chair of the governing body.  A range of documentation was reviewed, including the school’s self-evaluation and development plans, information about pupils’ learning and progress, records of the monitoring of teaching and staff appraisals and minutes of the meetings of the governing body. Inspectors scrutinised a range of school policies and records relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors spoke formally with two groups of pupils and informally with others in class and at breaktimes. They listened to pupils reading, including a group of most able readers.  Inspectors took account of the 15 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online

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Information about this inspection

questionnaire, and the responses to the free-text service. The 30 responses to the staff survey were also taken into account.  A range of evidence relating to the school’s curriculum was considered, including teachers’ long-term and medium-term planning, attendance at extra-curricular activities and a video of the pupils’ residential trip.

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Inspection team

Deirdre Duignan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

Parent View 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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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