Llangrove CE Academy

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

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Mr Peter Box Executive headteacher Llangrove CE Academy Llangrove Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire HR9 6EZ

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Short inspection of Llangrove CE Academy

Following my visit to the school on 10 January 2019, 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 October 2014.

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Short inspection of Llangrove CE Academy

You and your senior leadership team have continued to maintain the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Llangrove CE Academy

Over several years, pupils at the end of Year 6 have achieved high standards and made very good progress. Standards are improving strongly in Reception and key stage 1 as well. These have been achieved by exposing pupils to a rich curriculum and extensive vocabulary from the very start, which they build on throughout their time in school. Pupils have access to a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, including sport, which supports their learning.

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Short inspection of Llangrove CE Academy

Pupils are enthusiastic about their work and almost all behave to a very high standard. They enjoy coming to school regularly. The ethos of the school ensures that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are involved in all aspects of the curriculum and school life.

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Short inspection of Llangrove CE Academy

Parents, staff and pupils, responding to their respective surveys, were overwhelmingly positive about all aspects of the school, including leadership. All of the parents who responded to Parent View said that they would recommend the school to another parent. Parental engagement is a significant strength of the school, and so too is governor involvement, which includes joint work scrutinies with leaders and helping run the ‘pebbles club’ for younger children.

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Short inspection of Llangrove CE Academy

The last inspection report recommended that work for most-able pupils is sufficiently challenging in all lessons. Based on the proportion working at greater depth or at a high standard in reading, writing and mathematics, most-able pupils are doing well in school. Work seen in books and lesson observations indicate that teachers plan lessons that not only stretch and challenge these pupils but engage their inquiring minds to find out more. The previous inspection report also noted that standards in writing were not as high as in other subjects. Following concerted efforts by leaders, writing standards and rates of progress are now consistently very high compared to national standards and rates. Pupils write extensively and often in depth across a range of subjects, including science, religious education (RE) and history.

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Short inspection of Llangrove CE Academy

Leaders are very thorough in ensuring that staff are vigilant and alert to any signs of concern. Although there have been very few safeguarding incidents in recent years, staff know what to do should an incident arise. Leaders are well trained for their specialist roles and keep up to date with the very latest guidance and requirements. In turn, staff are well informed and are clear about procedures for reporting and recording incidents. Leaders hold information securely and are prompt in following up issues with other agencies or seeking advice where necessary. Governors, too, are well trained and knowledgeable. As a result, they are well able to hold leaders to account for meeting their statutory responsibilities. Pupils reported overwhelmingly that they feel safe in school because of the staff, including supervisors, and their friends. They are well prepared for keeping themselves safe out of school, whether on the roads wearing high visibility clothing at night, at the

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Short inspection of Llangrove CE Academy

computer, or recognising stranger danger. All of the parents who responded to Parent View said that their children feel safe in school.

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Inspection findings

 Over the last three years, the outcomes of tests and assessments at the end of key stage 2 have been consistently very high in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils have made very good progress and have achieved high standards. Standards in Reception have risen significantly over the last three years. In key stage 1, where there was some previous variability due to very small numbers of pupils, outcomes for current pupils are improving strongly. Throughout the school, pupils are exposed to a range of subjects and a wide vocabulary in order to raise their standards in reading and writing. In key stage 1, for example, pupils in design and technology have planned, designed and evaluated their own inventions using sophisticated curriculum-based vocabulary, such as ‘transparent’ and ‘opaque’. In key stage 2, pupils are comfortable using advanced terms in physics to describe their experiments on forces and balances.

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Inspection findings

In work on parts of the eye in science, they understand terms such as ‘cornea’, ‘retina’ and ‘muscle’.  Pupils’ knowledge and skills are clearly developed through interlinking planning across subjects. For example, in RE, in addition to learning about Islam, Judaism and Christianity, pupils have developed their poetry writing skills and widened their understanding of languages through studying Arabic and Hebrew scripts.  Pupils with SEND, including current pupils, have made consistently very strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics over time. This is as a result of the impact of specialist training given to teachers, and of the work and support which is carefully tailored to meet pupils’ individual needs. Leaders ensure that all information concerning their evaluation of the impact of additional funding on pupils with SEND is published. They monitor the quality of teaching and additional support for pupils with SEND thoroughly through lesson observations

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Inspection findings

and analysis of outcomes. Governors assiduously hold leaders to account through the use of challenging questioning at governors’ meetings and visits to school, which involve speaking to pupils with SEND about their experiences.  Rates of attendance, including for pupils with SEND, are consistently above the national average. The proportion of persistent absence is also very low compared to national figures. Over recent years, there has been a very small rising trend in absence and persistent absence, but the very small size of the school means that absence rates can be affected significantly by one single pupil’s absence. Leaders are relentless at following up the first day of absence if they have not received a message of explanation from a parent or carer. Pupils themselves are very keen to come to school even when they are feeling under the weather.  Standards of behaviour are very high in lessons and throughout the school. Pupils

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Inspection findings

are eager and enthusiastic to learn. During lesson observations, incidents of low- level disruptive behaviour were very rare. Pupils spoken to confirmed that there are a very small number of pupils who occasionally misbehave, but they are effectively dealt with. They were able to explain the procedures for increasing levels of sanctions, starting with a warning and missing five minutes of playtime. They said that the more serious sanctions are almost never needed. They were enthusiastic about the rewards, including ‘good to green’, which pupils receive if they have been ‘green’ all year. There have been no fixed-term exclusions in the last two years, and recorded behaviour incidents are few. Pupils reported that bullying was exceptionally rare. They were confident that they could report anything, even if they were worried or frightened, to a member of staff, safe in the knowledge that it would be taken seriously and dealt with effectively.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils spoken to reported that they particularly enjoy art, science and physical education (PE). They enjoy French as well, which they described as ‘challenging’. All pupils have access to regular specialist PE teaching every week, which also includes gymnastics and dance. During the summer term, all pupils have a course of swimming lessons. Pupils reported that they enjoy a wide range of sports clubs such as golf, football and, for younger children, ‘pebbles’ (ball games). There are many tournaments and house competitions within and across schools, including in athletics, football, tag rugby, rounders and netball. Pupils said that, coming from a small school, they enjoy the challenge of their mixed-aged teams competing against larger schools that field teams of all Year 6 players, who are older and taller than them. Every child in key stage 2 has participated in at least one inter-school competition.

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Inspection findings

 The school does not publish all the information required by the Department for Education (DfE) for the PE and sport premium. Although its annual report breaks down spending on different activities, it does not account for all of the money, including any funds unspent. According to minutes of the governing body meetings, a large proportion of the PE and sport premium grant for 2017/18 was carried over into the following year. There are no details in the school’s published information on the impact of the funding on pupils’ participation and attainment. The school does not state how it will make sure that improvements are sustainable. It does not publish the required information on those in Year 6 who can swim competently, use a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self- rescue in different water-based situations.

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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

 they publish all the required information for the PE and sport premium as set out in the conditions of grant 2018/19 (academies)  any unspent PE and sport premium money is accounted for.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, the director of education for the Diocese of Hereford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Herefordshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, other senior and middle leaders, and other members of the teaching staff. I also met with the chair of the governing body. I spoke by telephone to an external consultant who has recently carried out a curriculum review of the school. I carried out a joint learning walk with you in all three classes, which included scrutinising pupils’ books and talking to pupils. We also observed part of a PE lesson in the hall. I observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, including in the dining hall at lunchtime. I spoke to a group of pupils from key stages 1 and 2. I took account of the 27 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View free-text. I also reviewed the 31 responses to the Parent View survey, the eight responses to the staff survey and the 25 responses to the pupil survey. I scrutinised the school’s self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, pupil performance information, behaviour information, school policy documents,

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Information about the inspection

safeguarding and child protection records, and minutes of governing body meetings. I also checked the school’s website.

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