Ladygrove Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Ladygrove Primary School Old Office Road, Dawley, Telford, Shropshire TF4 2LF

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Outcome

Ladygrove Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Ladygrove lives up to its mission statement that ‘every day counts, every minute matters’. Leaders have high expectations. They plan interesting and exciting activities which help pupils develop the skills of the ‘curriculum animals’ – collaborative ants, wise owls, resourceful squirrels and resilient tortoises. As a result, pupils work hard and achieve well. Leaders give reading a high priority. Pupils say they read often because they enjoy it. One pupil summed up similar comments by others, saying ‘I love to get lost in a book.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work and play together happily. They show caring attitudes towards each other. Older pupils like to help younger ones, for example acting as lunchtime buddies. Pupils say they feel safe in school because staff know them well. They know how to stay safe, for example when they use the internet, because they are taught about it in school. Pupils value being members of ‘Team Safeguarding’, providing advice to their classmates on staying safe in school and at home. Pupils say that bullying is rare. They know that if it does happen adults would deal with it quickly. Pupils behave well in class and around school because they follow the school’s ‘SMART’ behaviour code.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The headteacher and deputy headteacher form a strong team. They want every child to achieve well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have drawn up a curriculum which links subjects together. This helps teachers plan the order in which pupils learn and practise their knowledge and skills. As a result, pupils build up their knowledge and remember more. This works well in most subjects. In science, pupils develop their knowledge well. However, they do not have enough opportunities to extend learning further by developing scientific enquiry skills. For example, Year 5 pupils had made models of how the heart works but wanted to know if a child’s heart grows larger as they grow older.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders make sure pupils have experiences that help to develop them as rounded 3–4 December 2019

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individuals, such as the Year 6 residential visit to Arthog. Events such as the ‘hello yellow’ mindfulness day also add to pupils’ enjoyment of school. Pupils raise money for charity, contribute to a local food bank and learn about other faiths and cultures. They show respect to adults and each other. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong. They show positive attitudes to their learning. Staff manage well the behaviour of the small number of pupils who find learning difficult so that it does not disrupt learning.

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Teachers help children to learn phonics as soon as the children start school. This ensures that children gain the understanding of sounds and the words they need to read fluently. Pupils across the school have reading lessons every day. This promotes a love of reading. Adults notice when any pupil falls behind, and they help them to catch up quickly. Pupils enjoy hearing their teachers read aloud to them. Teachers ask careful questions which ensure that pupils develop a love of reading. For example, Reception children were eager to predict who might help the ‘Stickman’ to get home.

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Children in the early years enjoy school because adults plan interesting and exciting learning activities. Adults understand how children learn and help them feel safe and secure. Staff challenge children to find out new things such as exploring what happens to ice in a warm classroom. Staff involve parents very well. Parents value the ‘CHAT’ books which give them weekly information about their child’s learning. Adults focus on developing children’s language skills. Because children read from books that match their knowledge, they grow in confidence as readers .

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Teachers ensure that pupils have a good grasp of basic number skills. Teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge when solving problems. Pupils do this successfully. Pupils are less confident when they are asked to explain their answers because they do not have enough opportunities to practise their reasoning skills.

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Staff meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. The extra help from teachers and teaching assistants ensures that these pupils know and remember more in lessons and over time. School staff devise individual plans and targets for pupils with SEND to work on but do not involve parents sufficiently in the planning process.

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Staff morale is high. Responses to the staff survey show staff are proud to belong to Ladygrove. They value the way leaders ensure that their workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders give pupils’ safety the highest priority. All staff, including those new to the school, have the training and up-to-date information they need to protect pupils from harm. Staff know their responsibilities and how to report any concerns. Leaders act swiftly on all concerns raised by staff about pupils’ welfare. Leaders make all the required checks to make sure that adults are safe to work with children. Pupils know how to stay safe when using computers because they follow advice given by pupils in ‘Team Safeguarding’. Almost all parents who responded to the online survey Parent View said their children feel 3–4 December 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have ensured that the mathematics curriculum is carefully sequenced. Pupils have a good understanding of number and place value. However, they do not have enough opportunities to explore and deepen their mathematical understanding. Leaders need to ensure that the mathematics curriculum develops pupils’ reasoning skills so they can explain and justify their answers.  Leaders have made sure that pupils gain a good grasp of scientific knowledge. Pupils remember what they have learned because the content of the science curriculum is carefully sequenced. However, leaders have not ensured that scientific enquiry skills are as precisely sequenced and taught. Leaders should implement their plans to develop pupils’ scientific enquiry skills in each year group so that pupils can research answers to questions they devise.  Teachers identify the needs of pupils with SEND quickly so they get the extra help they

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

need. However, leaders do not involve parents sufficiently in planning this support. Leaders need to make sure communication improves so that parents can give their views and any concerns are dealt with swiftly.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Ladygrove Primary School to be good on 14–15 January 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 3–4 December 2019

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 3–4 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111765 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://ladygroveprimary.taw.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–15 January 2016

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Information about this school

 The governing body took over the management of the on-site nursery provision in September 2017. This caters for three-year-olds.  The deputy headteacher took up her post in September 2017.  Three teachers joined the school in September 2019.  The inclusion manager took up her post in October 2019.  The school is a member of the Severn Teaching School Alliance.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the early years leader, the leader for pupils with SEND, the inclusion manager and the subject leaders for reading, mathematics and science. I met four members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair. I also met the school’s improvement partner from the Severn Teaching School Alliance.  I looked at a range of information about the school, including the content on the school’s website, improvement plans and curriculum planning. I also analysed published information about the progress and attainment of pupils in national tests and 3–4 December 2019

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assessments.  I considered reading, mathematics and science in depth as part of this inspection. I visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils about pupils’ learning and looked at pupils’ work.  I checked the school’s work to keep pupils safe. I looked at policies, procedures and the school’s central record of employment checks on adults working in the school to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. I talked to pupils and parents. I spoke to staff to check their knowledge and understanding of what steps they would take if they had a safeguarding concern about a pupil.  I spoke to parents informally at the beginning of the day. I also took account of 59 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 41 to the Parent View free-text service. I also considered an email received from a parent.  I considered 17 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil

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Inspection team

Helen Morrison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 3–4 December 2019

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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