Lakeview School

Inspection of a good school: Lakeview School School Lane, Off Brooklands Avenue, Wixams, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK42 6BH

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Outcome

Lakeview School continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that one or more areas may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like coming to Lakeview School. They told us that almost everyone is friendly. Pupils feel well cared for. They trust staff to help them with any problems or worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning across the curriculum. They want to do well. Pupils told us that they particularly enjoy reading. Pupils like the new books leaders have bought and are excited about the new school library.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils usually work hard and concentrate during lessons. However, pupils have gaps in what they know and can do in different subjects. Teachers do not routinely identify what these gaps are and plan activities that help pupils to learn what they need to. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils generally behave well. Staff make sure that pupils who need help to manage their behaviour get it. Pupils understand the difference between bullying and unpleasant behaviour. They told us that bullying is rare. They are confident that adults deal with it when it happens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respect others’ differences, views and beliefs. They told us that they really enjoy taking part in charity work, being eco-warriors and the Friday afternoon enrichment activities. Pupils understand why they cannot do some activities currently. They would like more clubs to be available when they restart.

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

Leaders are ambitious for what they want pupils to achieve. The headteacher recognises that in the past, pupils have not achieved as well as they should. She has raised teachers’ expectations of pupils. 25–26 May 2021

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Curriculum leaders have developed plans for each subject. These plans organise knowledge in a sensible order. Plans are at differing stages of implementation. Some plans do not provide effective guidance to teachers about how to break knowledge into smaller chunks to help pupils learn.

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Where children make progress in the curriculum, teachers pick up quickly on misunderstandings and plan activities that build on what pupils know and can do. However, this is not commonplace. Sometimes, teachers plan activities that do not help pupils learn what is intended. This slows pupils’ progress. These variations in teaching are also evident in the early years, where adults’ planning does not support children’s learning consistently well.

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Assessment in subjects other than English and mathematics remains underdeveloped. Teachers do not know what pupils have remembered over time. Leaders do not know if they need to adapt their plans to help pupils learn better across the curriculum. Some parents and carers want to know more about their children’s learning and progress.

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Children in the early years learn about books and stories from the very start. Children in the early years develop their phonics knowledge well, preparing them for Year 1. This continues as pupils move through Year 1 and 2. Pupils who fall behind get the extra help they need quickly. Adults support those pupils who need additional help to catch up effectively. They help pupils to read with greater fluency and understanding.

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Leaders are as ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as they are for other pupils. Where the curriculum is implemented and taught well, pupils with SEND make strong progress in their learning. This is not consistent, however, due to variability in curriculum planning and teaching.

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Typically, pupils are attentive and work hard in lessons. Adults in the early years model how children should speak and behave. Occasionally, when activities are not matched well to what pupils can do, pupils go off task. Pupils told us that bullying is rare and dealt with well. However, some parents do not agree. They do not think that bullying is dealt with effectively or quickly enough. This was also the case at the previous inspection.

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Before the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, pupils enjoyed a range of educational and cultural visits. Many activities have stopped while COVID-19 restrictions are in place. Leaders have credible plans to reintroduce these as restrictions ease. Pupils’ emotional well-being is supported well.

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The headteacher has quickly identified what needs to improve further. Governors are supportive of the actions being taken. Staff understand the need for change. They appreciate how some actions have lightened workload.

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Curriculum leaders appreciate being able to share ideas and work with others. Curriculum leaders have only recently found out where teachers need support with developing their subject knowledge. They do not know how well teaching and planning support pupils’ learning. 25–26 May 2021

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In discussion with the headteacher, we agreed that development of leadership and curriculum plans in subjects such as languages and music may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to stay safe from harm through lessons and assemblies. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe, including when using technology and working online.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff can recognise when a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff are confident to pass on concerns. Leaders act on concerns promptly, involving outside agencies when necessary. Vulnerable pupils get timely safeguarding support and help when they need it.

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Safeguarding

Governors and leaders make sure that safeguarding policies and procedures are up to date. They check that staff understand the latest guidance and any risks particular to the school’s context.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ curriculum and assessment plans in some subjects are underdeveloped, most notably in the foundation subjects. Where this occurs, not enough thought has been given to what pupils need to know, and how activities will support the intended learning. As a result, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not being identified quickly and do not inform teachers’ planning. Leaders should continue to review and develop curriculum and assessment plans to ensure that teachers have sufficient guidance to support pupils to make strong progress across the curriculum.  Curriculum leaders are not routinely monitoring how well their subject plans are being implemented by teachers. As a result, teachers are not teaching the curriculum as leaders intend and pupils are not making the progress in the curriculum of which they are capable. Leaders need to ensure that curriculum leaders develop effective checks on how well their curriculum plans are being implemented and where teachers require

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

further support or development.  A significant minority of parents do not feel that they know enough about what their children will learn or the progress they are making. Some parents still do not feel that the rare incidents of bullying are tackled openly or understand the actions taken. This was an area for improvement from the previous inspection. Leaders should improve these aspects of communication with parents so that parents are confident in leaders’ ability to support pupils and promote anti-bullying in the school. 25–26 May 2021

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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 or outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good 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 the school to be good on 7 and 8 July 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.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school here .

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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. 25–26 May 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10193981 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 and 8 July 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Lakeview School is a larger than average-sized primary school. The large majority of pupils are of White British Heritage. The proportion of pupils with SEND is broadly average.  The school has a nursery that offers places to three-year-old children for either morning or afternoon sessions. The school has two Reception classes for children aged four. The school has grown in size since the previous inspection.  The current headteacher took up the post in January 2021. The responsibilities of senior leaders and several curriculum leaders have changed since the previous inspection. There have also been changes to leadership and membership of the governing body since the previous inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the nursery manager and other staff, including a Reception class teacher and a group of teaching assistants. The lead inspector had an online discussion with members of the governing body and a local authority school improvement adviser. The lead inspector also had a telephone discussion with the vice-chair of governors. 25–26 May 2021

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 To evaluate the quality of education, inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, English, mathematics and geography. In each subject, inspectors visited lessons in all key stages, scrutinised pupils’ work (this included listening to pupils read) and held discussions with curriculum leaders, teachers and pupils. Inspectors also reviewed curriculum plans, reviewed pupils’ learning and held discussions with curriculum leaders in a range of other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including school policies, procedures and records. The lead inspector met with the designated leader for safeguarding, to discuss and review examples of the actions taken to keep pupils safe. Inspectors also checked staff members’ understanding of how to keep pupils safe from harm.  To gather pupils’ views on the school, inspectors spoke to groups of pupils as part of

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the deep dives. The team inspector also met with a group of pupils selected by the school. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documentation and information, including information about pupils’ attendance and behaviour. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors considered the 87 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including 68 free-text responses. The lead inspector also held a telephone discussion with one parent.  Inspectors also considered the 38 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey alongside the views gathered when they met with staff.

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Inspection team

Paul Wilson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jacqueline Bell-Cook Ofsted Inspector 25–26 May 2021

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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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