Langton Primary School

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

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Mrs Rachel Ray Headteacher Langton Primary School Langton Malton North Yorkshire YO17 9QP

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Short inspection of Langton Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 16 July 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 September 2015.

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Short inspection of Langton Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Staff who responded to the questionnaire were highly positive about the school. The number of pupils on roll has increased by 30% in the past year. A number of parents whose children are new to the school spoke to me in glowing terms about the school. One expressed the thoughts of many: ‘The school is like an extended family.’

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Short inspection of Langton Primary School

The previous inspection asked you to raise achievement in mathematics in key stage 2. Changes in leadership in mathematics have meant that improvements have been a little slow to gain traction since the last inspection. However, the very latest results show that pupils are now making at least average progress and some pupils are making good progress. This is as a result of good training that all teachers have received and an improved curriculum that has problem-solving and mathematical reasoning at its heart. In our joint visits to lessons, however, we could see that pupils still have gaps in their understanding of key mathematical facts.

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Short inspection of Langton Primary School

The previous inspection also asked you to improve the quality of teaching in key stage 2. You have improved the teaching of reading. Pupils love reading during the day and make good use of the well-stocked library. Pupils are taught to write well, using a good range of vocabulary and, as they get older, with increasing flair and imagination. They are able to spell words and use punctuation correctly. I was particularly impressed with teachers’ use of questioning in most lessons I visited jointly with you. This questioning ensures that pupils fully explain their answers and challenges their thinking. Pupils are impeccably mannered and polite. They were keen to tell me how much they enjoyed school as a result of the many trips and visits they made and the interesting things they do. One pupil said: ‘The school is very inviting and gives you a warm feeling.’ This enjoyment is reflected in their above-average attendance.

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Short inspection of Langton Primary School

The governing body is a real asset to the school. While they fully acknowledge its many strengths, they do not shy away from talking about how it could be even better. Through their own experiences, governors have valuable expertise to support and challenge school leaders.

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Short inspection of Langton Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of high quality. The quality of training is particularly well tailored for individual staff, depending on their particular responsibilities. For example, you have one member of staff trained specifically in child protection for sports and physical education. Other staff have specialist training in online safety. This ensures that you have fostered a good culture of safeguarding in the school.

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Short inspection of Langton Primary School

The pupils I spoke to had a good understanding of how to stay safe when using the internet. They also told me that bullying was extremely rare, which is verified by your documentation. You have a good curriculum that helps pupils to understand and manage risks well. This also supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which is of high quality. Parents who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View) expressed no concerns about bullying or the safety of their children.

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Inspection findings

 First, I looked at the quality of mathematics teaching across the school. I found that the training teachers have received in how to teach mathematical reasoning is bearing fruit. This is giving pupils a deeper understanding of mathematics and is resulting in an above-average proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard. However, there are still gaps in pupils’ knowledge of key facts, such as times tables. This is sometimes a barrier to pupils being able to solve complex mathematical problems quickly.  Second, I was keen to see if phonics was taught well and systematically. It was clear that you have developed a strong culture of reading. Children in Reception learn to love literature from the moment they join the school and before long, they are confidently reading and writing sentences. Phonics is taught daily. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard is above average. However,

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Inspection findings

for those pupils who find reading difficult, assessment lacks sharpness. This means that the particular phonics they struggle with are not always revisited and practised.  Third, I wanted to see if pupils were gaining valuable knowledge and experience in subjects outside of reading, writing and mathematics. Science is a particular strength in the school. The curriculum has been carefully designed so that pupils gain valuable knowledge in physics, biology and chemistry. Pupils have their own laboratory coats, they use scientific vocabulary well and enjoy the many experiments they do. Many pupils love the music and drama activities. I was struck by pupils’ commitment and their excellent quality singing when I visited a rehearsal of the key stage 2 production of ‘The Tempest’. It is in geography and history where there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Pupils have been taught these subjects regularly within the themed curriculum, but their knowledge lacks depth.

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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

 pupils learn essential mathematics facts, such as their times tables, so they are better able to solve complex problems quickly  assessment in phonics identifies which sounds pupils need to revisit and practise so that pupils who find reading difficult make even more progress  pupils gain deeper knowledge of geography and history.

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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 North Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, several staff, five members of the governing body, including the chair, and a representative from the local authority. I spoke to six pupils from Year 6 over lunchtime and listened to three Year 2 pupils reading. While in classrooms, I observed teaching, spoke to pupils and looked through the work in their books. I watched a rehearsal of your production, ‘The Tempest’, performed by key stage 2 pupils. I met with eight parents in the morning.

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Information about the inspection

I considered a range of documentation, including the 41 responses to Parent View, the 11 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire, the school development plan, curriculum documents, the summary of self-evaluation and safeguarding documents.

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