Lovelace Primary School

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

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Mr Rob Meakin Headteacher Lovelace Primary School Mansfield Road Chessington Surrey KT9 2RN

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Short inspection of Lovelace Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 25 April 2019 with Kanwaljit Singh, Ofsted Inspector, 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 April 2015.

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Short inspection of Lovelace Primary School

Leaders have maintained a good quality of education since the previous inspection. Leaders know the school community well and use this information effectively. They work tirelessly to ensure that all pupils receive memorable learning opportunities. Pupils develop their knowledge across the curriculum successfully and are engaged in learning.

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Short inspection of Lovelace Primary School

The parents and pupils are very proud of their school and are excited by the opportunities available to them. They clearly value the work that the staff do and recognise its impact on their lives. The staff, pupils and parents are very positive about the school.

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Short inspection of Lovelace Primary School

Leaders, including governors, robustly review the education provided and its impact on standards and outcomes for pupils. Self-evaluation is accurate and based on clear evidence, informing future planning for improvement well. Middle leaders are being developed effectively to ensure they monitor the impact of their work.

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Short inspection of Lovelace Primary School

Leaders have made sure that safeguarding procedures are thorough and are understood by staff. Leaders understand the importance of keeping pupils safe, consider local issues, and provide regular training to ensure that all staff are kept up to date with key guidance and advice.

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Short inspection of Lovelace Primary School

Parents and pupils report that the school is a safe environment. Leaders diligently ensure that the support for families is provided where needed and make effective use of a range of services. Staff are vigilant and make sure that pupils are safe, referring issues swiftly if they arise.

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Short inspection of Lovelace Primary School

Leaders have implemented a culture of safeguarding that protects all members of the school community. Policies and procedures are understood and followed effectively. Risk assessments are systematically implemented so that pupils’ safety is effectively managed.

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Inspection findings

 The first key line of enquiry was to review the quality of teaching in subjects other than English and mathematics to ensure that it is of an equal standard. This was linked to a recommendation from the previous inspection report regarding the presentation of work in non-core subjects. The work in pupils’ books evidences typically good progress and the focus on the presentation of pupils’ work has led to improvement. However, opportunities to extend pupils’ knowledge and deeper understanding of the themes threading through subjects are more limited.  Children are provided with a range of opportunities to apply their reading and writing skills into meaningful contexts across the curriculum. An example was in Year 3 when children were writing messages in a bottle. This linked effectively to a home learning project about pirates.  Pupils are typically well engaged in their learning across non-core subjects, and

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Inspection findings

teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge. However, in some cases teachers do not always make full use of the assessment of pupils to inform the teaching, so some opportunities for deeper learning are lost.  The curriculum is well planned to meet the needs of the pupils. The key focus on subject-specific vocabulary provides a strong basis for discussions regarding a range of topics across the curriculum. Pupils talk confidently about their learning opportunities in all subjects. They demonstrate pride in what is on offer at the school.  We looked at how well leaders are working together to address the second recommendation from the previous inspection. This was to increase opportunities for language development and number skills in the early years. Leaders report that this has been a key focus for improvement. Children are confident to ask and answer questions, often in full sentences. There are many opportunities to

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Inspection findings

develop both number skills and early writing in all areas of learning. The strong emphasis on phonics teaching enables children to use these skills to read and write. During the inspection, meaningful reading opportunities were observed with the older children in early years, preparing them well for Year 1.  The youngest children are well nurtured and supported by the older children in the early years setting, through engagement in talk about their learning. The daily ‘family lunch’ system encourages children to participate in meaningful conversation, with both staff and their peers, and to develop their spoken language. Similarly, the focus on the outdoor learning area has led to a range of stimulating activities to engage pupils. For example, a group experimenting with water to move a ball down a drainpipe showed delight and fascination and were able to sustain their concentration while learning.

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Inspection findings

 Another line of enquiry was to review how leaders ensure that pupils with high prior attainment make strong progress in key stage two, especially in reading. Progress from key stage one to key stage two is typically broadly in line with the national average in reading. However, in 2018, reading results for this group were lower than when compared to previous years.  Leaders have revised the systems for teaching reading in key stage 2 effectively, enabling teachers to focus on specific skills with all pupils in each lesson. Systems for reviewing pupils’ reading are well established and pupils are confident when selecting a range of texts to read independently. You have made sure that pupils make regular visits to both the school and public libraries and are encouraged to regularly read at home. Pupils talk confidently about their reading opportunities, reporting that staff help them with recommendations and that books are clearly categorised so that they

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Inspection findings

can self-select a text pitched at the correct level.  Finally, we considered the actions that leaders are taking to raise attainment in reading at key stage one. Phonics is taught well and pupils are able to apply their phonics knowledge to reading tasks. All staff are regularly involved in discussions regarding the progress and attainment of different pupil groups. As a result, teachers are well focused on the progress of individual pupils, and implement additional support according to their needs. These interventions are carefully monitored to ensure they improve outcomes.  Workshops for parents provide meaningful opportunities for pupils to share their learning with a family member. Pupils keep diaries to evidence their reading, which provides an effective dialogue between home and school.

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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

 assessment during lessons in non-core subjects is used more effectively to support learning  teachers further develop the opportunities for pupils, especially the most able, to deepen their knowledge of key concepts in non-core subjects.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body and the director of education for the local authority of Kingston. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, my colleague and I held meetings with you and other members of the senior leadership team. I met with governors and spoke to a representative from the local authority. We had informal conversations with some parents when they were dropping their children at school at the start of the day. I also reviewed over 140 responses on Parent View. We appraised the safeguarding procedures with the designated safeguarding lead. We met with middle leaders and reviewed pupils’ work. Senior leaders accompanied us on visits to classrooms. I talked to pupils about their learning. I reviewed feedback from the staff survey. I also evaluated school documents such as the school improvement plan and your school self-evaluation.

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