Limbrick Wood Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Miss Paula Pickthorne Headteacher Limbrick Wood Primary School Bush Close Tile Hill Coventry West Midlands CV4 9QT

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 1 February 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in September 2012.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You became headteacher shortly after the last inspection and, together with your staff, you show a determination to ensure that every pupil gets the best possible start to their school life. You have high expectations for what all staff and pupils can achieve. You aspire to provide pupils with a wide range of experiences and opportunities throughout their time at Limbrick Wood Primary.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

Pupils make at least good progress across the school and the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stages 1 and 2 is above the national average. Outcomes for the many vulnerable pupils in your care, such as those eligible for pupil premium or who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, are also strong.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

All staff who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire are proud to work in the school and believe that the school has improved a lot since the last inspection. They agree that the school is well led and managed and leaders support staff effectively to ensure that all pupils are challenged to make good progress.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

Pupils behave well and they are good ambassadors for the school. They enjoy learning, and the regular curriculum theme days provide them with particularly memorable learning experiences. For example, during the inspection, Year 4 pupils were actively engaged in learning all about different European countries through online research, reviewing interesting facts and experiencing typical food. Pupils also spoke very enthusiastically about the trips and visitors that help to bring the curriculum to life. The school currently provides few opportunities for pupils to take on class or school-wide responsibilities, and more could be done to encourage pupils to be active citizens in school and in wider society.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

The majority of parents and carers spoken to, or who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire, are positive about the work of the school. They commented on the good progress their children make and the high level of support that staff provide. However, views are polarised, and a significant minority of parents expressed concerns that the school does not listen well enough to parents’ views and does not deal with bullying effectively. During the inspection, I did not find evidence that pupils are unhappy, and pupils spoken to are confident that any problems in relation to poor behaviour would be dealt with rapidly. The school’s behaviour policy is clear and understood by staff and pupils. Pupils said that the rewards for good behaviour motivate them to behave well. Records show that senior leaders tackle behaviour issues consistently. Leaders and governors are aware of the need to take further steps to engage parents more in their children’s education.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

You have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Teachers adapt the curriculum to ensure that lessons are well planned and closely matched to meet most pupils’ needs. You regularly monitor the quality of teaching across the school and provide training for all staff to help ensure that teaching is of a consistently high quality. Across the school, pupils develop good subject knowledge and skills but they currently have limited opportunities to work independently and complete tasks without adult direction. This is especially true for the most able pupils.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

Having been in line with the national average for two years, attendance fell below this in 2016 ─ 17. You are aware that further action is required to address this.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

There is an effective culture of safeguarding in the school. You do all that you can to ensure that the school is a safe environment for pupils. All staff have regular and appropriate training to help them understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe from harm. Pupils are well cared for at all times.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

Safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are stored securely. You regularly work with external agencies and you are persistent when there are concerns about a pupil’s welfare. Governors understand their role in overseeing and monitoring the effectiveness of school safeguarding procedures.

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Short inspection of Limbrick Wood Primary School

Pupils spoken to said that they feel safe in school and that they are taught to stay safe, for example, in relation to ‘stranger danger’ or when online. They know that they can raise a concern by speaking to an adult or by writing it down and putting it in the ‘worry box’.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils make strong progress across the school in almost all subjects, and the great majority of pupils achieve the standards expected for their age. You and your staff have achieved this by carefully tracking pupils’ progress, then adapting planning and teaching as required. You are currently focused on increasing the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standards at the end of both key stages 1 and 2.  Since the last inspection, you have introduced a new approach to the teaching of writing across the school. This links to the effective teaching of reading and phonics skills. The approach is highly structured, meeting the needs of your pupils and helping them to develop a clear understanding of what good writing looks like. It leads to pupils achieving success in their writing and helps them to develop self-confidence. There are, however, too few opportunities for pupils, especially those who are most able, to apply their knowledge and skills

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Inspection findings

independently and in new contexts.  In mathematics, pupils who find this subject difficult are well supported. However, in some classes, pupils who are of middle and high ability often complete the same tasks at the same level of difficulty. This can lead to a lack of challenge for some of the most able pupils.  Children make good progress in the early years. On average, children begin school with knowledge and skills that are below those typical for their age, and the majority finish the Reception Year well prepared for Year 1. A nurturing environment helps to ensure that children’s needs are well supported, and there is a particular focus on developing children’s communication and language skills. Teachers provide children with a wide range of experiences covering all areas of the early years curriculum.  Along with other members of staff, you and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) work tirelessly to ensure that there is strong and effective

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Inspection findings

provision in place for the pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Pupils’ needs are identified quickly. Access to effective support, including that from a wide range of external agencies, means that the majority of these pupils make good progress from their starting points. Gaps in attainment between pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and other pupils are closing rapidly.  While many of your pupils have good attendance, there is a significant group of pupils who do not attend school regularly enough. You track the attendance of individual pupils rigorously and you have introduced new approaches to working with parents when attendance drops below an acceptable level. You are now working more closely with external agencies, and there are early indications that this is having a positive impact. The procedures you and your staff follow, including contacting parents on the first day of absence, help to ensure that

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Inspection findings

pupils are safe and not at risk of going missing from education. While you and governors had already identified improving attendance as a key priority for the school, there is more that you could do to raise awareness about the importance of good attendance with both pupils and parents.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 actions are taken to improve attendance  teachers provide more opportunities for pupils, especially those who are most able, to apply their knowledge and skills independently across a range of subjects and contexts  pupils are able to take on responsibilities within their class and across the school to help prepare them for the next stage in their education  there are increased opportunities for parents to be involved in their children’s education.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Coventry. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, the two assistant headteachers, the SENCo, pastoral lead and other members of staff. I met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair of governors. I talked with parents at the start of the day and with pupils, both formally and informally.

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Information about the inspection

Together, we visited all classes where we observed teaching and learning, spoke to pupils and looked at the work in some pupils’ books. I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. I scrutinised several documents including your school self-evaluation, assessment information and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Information about the inspection

I took account of 24 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 13 free-text responses. I also took account of 22 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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