Lyneham Primary School

Inspection of Lyneham Primary School Preston Lane, Lyneham, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 4QJ

p.1

Inspection dates: 23 and 24 November 2021

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 23 and 24 November 2021

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ learning. Pupils take pride in their work. They love reading the books carefully chosen by their teachers. Many pupils join the school during the academic year. Pupils complete ‘all about me’ books to help staff get to know them. They settle quickly. Parents and carers and pupils say that they feel as if they belong. When pupils leave school due to their family’s military deployment or at the end of Year 6, they are prepared well for the next stage of their education.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and well behaved. They follow the school’s values. Pupils treat each other and adults with respect. They celebrate difference. Pupils say that it is good to be unique. Staff ensure that pupils know the difference between bullying and falling out. Pupils say that if a pupil was to be unkind, staff would help them sort it out. Pupils feel safe in school.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk positively about the range of extra-curricular opportunities available to them. For example, some pupils train as sports leaders. They support other pupils to play games safely and fairly during breaktimes. Pupils are taught how to be physically and mentally healthy. They become responsible, respectful and active citizens.

p.2

better?

Leaders and staff have crafted a clearly sequenced and coherent curriculum. They have thought carefully about the needs of their school community. They have identified the essential knowledge pupils must know and remember from early years to Year 6. Leaders have broken down this essential knowledge into small, manageable chunks. Staff support pupils skilfully to practise and remember prior knowledge, skills and vocabulary. This helps pupils to build secure knowledge over time. For example, in art and design, pupils can recall with ease the artists they have studied using the correct vocabulary. They know how their art skills have improved over time, such as their use of colour. This is evident in their artwork.

p.2

better?

Nevertheless, there are a few subject curriculums that are not as well developed. Teacher subject knowledge is not as secure in these subjects. This makes it difficult for teachers to plan and check precisely what pupils must know and remember. Leaders have plans to rectify this.

p.2

better?

Leaders have rightly made learning to read a priority. The youngest pupils read books that match the phonics they learn. Teachers and teaching assistants give pupils who need extra help support to practise their phonics and reading. The new phonics programme is supporting staff to deliver phonics consistently.

p.2

better?

Each year, pupils explore six different books. These are selected to ensure that pupils study a range of authors and texts. This begins in the Reception Year. Pupils 23 and 24 November 2021

p.2

3

recognise how reading a range of books helps them to improve their writing, including their spelling.

p.3

3

Staff work closely with external agencies and leaders of special educational needs and/or disabilities to accurately identify pupils’ additional learning needs. Leaders check that appropriate support is in place. Staff adapt resources effectively. This enables pupils to work towards their individual ‘academic aspiration’ target. Where these targets are broken down into small steps, pupils secure the knowledge swiftly. However, some teaching is not based on accurate use of assessment to plan the next steps in pupils’ learning.

p.3

3

Pupils move around the school in a calm and orderly way. Children in Reception are shown how to get along with others. For example, staff show children how to listen to each other and respond appropriately during ‘snack and chat’. Children quickly gain the skills needed to make friends and work together successfully.

p.3

3

The well-being of pupils, parents and staff has a high profile at the school. Staff appreciate leaders’ consideration and support to help manage their workload. In recent years, leaders’ work with families has successfully improved pupils’ attendance. Pupils attend school regularly.

p.3

3

The governing body has robust systems in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of leaders’ actions. Governors have a thorough knowledge of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They welcome advice and actively seek out good practice to continually support and challenge leaders effectively.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Governors regularly check that leaders and staff follow the agreed safeguarding procedures. The appropriate checks are carried out before staff and volunteers begin working at the school. Staff, governors and volunteers receive appropriate safeguarding training and updates. This helps them to understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities well.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders are tenacious in their pursuit of support for the school’s most vulnerable pupils. They are not afraid to escalate concerns should they be unhappy with the response from an external service.

p.3

Safeguarding

Pupils say that they feel safe. They are taught how to keep themselves safe online. 23 and 24 November 2021

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not as well developed in a minority of subjects. Pupils’ knowledge is not as strong in these subjects. Leaders need to support subject leaders to replicate the good practice seen in many subject curriculums across all subject areas.  Teachers’ use of assessment information varies between year groups. Therefore, some pupils’ misconceptions are not identified accurately and rectified swiftly. Leaders need to support teachers to ensure that their expectations for the use of assessment information are applied consistently across the school.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

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 .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 23 and 24 November 2021

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Chair of governing body Daniel Alexander

p.5

Date of previous inspection

25 May 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher were in post at the time of the previous section 5 inspection, in February 2018.  New members of the governing body have been appointed since the previous inspection.  Since the school’s previous section 5 inspection, nine new teachers have been appointed.  The school does not use alternative providers.  The school population has high rates of mobility due to the nature of employment in the local area.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 23 and 24 November 2021

p.5

6

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

p.6

6

 The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and teaching assistants, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, school business manager, assessment leader, staff, pupils, governors (including the chair of the local governing board), and a representative from Wiltshire local authority.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, English, mathematics, geography and art. For each deep dive, an inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding documentation, including records of safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. She

p.6

6

considered how well the designated safeguarding lead acts on concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare. An inspector spoke to pupils, staff, trustees and governors about safeguarding practices.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. She also took into consideration the responses to the survey for staff and pupils.

p.6

Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Helen Springett Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 November 2021

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7