Langstone Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Langstone Infant School Stride Avenue, Copnor, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO3 6HL

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Inspection dates: 30 November and 1 December 2021

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Outcome

Langstone Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Langstone Infant School. Leaders consider every child unique. They are ambitious that all pupils will ‘be excellent everywhere’. Pupils rise to these expectations in their eagerness to learn, behaviour in lessons, and friendships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour across the school is exemplary. Everyone understands the school’s rules and sticks to them. The ‘swan values’, such as ‘gentle’ and ‘honest’, guide pupils to be active and responsible citizens. A recent kindness week has helped pupils understand how their actions can impact others. Pupils are keen to show kindness to everyone. Pupils listen to their teachers and each other, showing great respect. Time is not lost in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff listen to pupils too. Pupils know that they can talk to trusted adults, saying, ‘If you have ‘worrying thoughts, tell a teacher.’ Older pupils understand what bullying is. Leaders investigate any concerns and sort them out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told the inspector they felt safe and cared for. Parents’ responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey backed this up. As one parent wrote about staff, ‘I trust them completely with the welfare of my child’.

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

Leaders and teachers know the gaps in learning and experiences that pupils have because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have rewritten English and mathematics curriculum plans. This is to ensure that pupils are secure in the knowledge needed for future learning. Teachers use assessment, including questioning, well to guide learning and plan pupils’ next steps. For example, teachers adapt lessons and groupings swiftly, depending on pupils’ answers.

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

Leaders make sure that pupils become fluent readers. There is a consistent approach to teaching phonics and reading. Pupils learn the sounds that letters make quickly and read books that match the sounds they know. Teachers check on pupils’ progress regularly. This means they know which pupils need some extra help to keep up. This support is well 30 November and 1 December 2021

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planned and carefully taught. Story time is an important daily event at Langstone Infants. Children in Reception love joining in with known parts of stories. They have learned to explain how characters are feeling in well-known stories.

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Mathematics is also taught well. Leaders ensure that teachers revisit key concepts. This means that pupils practise what they have learned. Pupils use mathematical language with confidence to explain their thinking. For example, in Reception, pupils were able to use words such as ‘more’, ‘fewer’ and ‘equal’ when describing Gruffalo picnic equipment.

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Subject leaders have played an important part in starting to develop precise curriculum plans beyond English and mathematics. Teachers prepare children in Reception well for the subjects that they will study in key stage 1.

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What pupils will learn in art, for example, is coherently planned and sequenced. Teachers teach art with skill. Their subject knowledge is secure. Pupils remember what they have learned. Pupils from Year 2 understand colour mixing well. They confidently talk about using similar techniques to Picasso in their abstract self-portraits.

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However, the sharp focus on making sure pupils catch up has slowed some curriculum development. A few foundation subjects are not yet fully sequenced in line with leaders’ aspirations. Consequently, teachers cannot build precisely on what pupils already know. It is not yet clear how some knowledge and skills, such as how to work scientifically, build over key stage 1.

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Leaders ensure that the identification of any pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well thought out. They consider many areas of need, such as communication and sensory needs. Leaders pinpoint exact barriers and plan precise support. Pupils with SEND learn well and are fully included in all aspects of school life.

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Staff help pupils, including children in early years, to be able to name and recognise their feelings. Pupils have learned strategies to cope with different feelings. As one pupil told the inspector, ‘If you feel frustrated or wiggly, you can have a drink of water, take deep breaths or count to three’. This help pupils to feel better.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the teamwork approach to school improvement that leaders have instilled. Leaders and trustees make sure that their actions support teachers’ workload and well-being. Staff say that leaders will listen and respond swiftly to any needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff are well trained in a wide range of safeguarding risks. Staff know the pupils well. They look out for signs that a pupil may be upset or worried about something. Staff refer any concerns swiftly to leaders. Leaders get the right help for pupils and their families. Sometimes, some aspects of record-keeping are not quite 30 November and 1 December 2021

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systematic enough. This includes making sure that all information about a pupil is in one place.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. A recent visit from the fire service helped pupils to understand the danger of matches.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A few subjects within the curriculum have not been reviewed and developed sufficiently. Leaders have not made sure yet that all plans set out the precise knowledge and skills that pupils should learn. This means that teachers cannot build on what pupils already know and pupils do not learn as well as they could in these subjects. It is clear from leaders’ plans and actions that they are in the process of refining curriculum planning. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

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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, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Langstone Infant School, to be good in December 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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.

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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 . 30 November and 1 December 2021

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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. 30 November and 1 December 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10203148 Type of school Infant

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The predecessor school, Langstone Infant School, converted to become the current academy in October 2017 when it joined the University of Chichester Multi-Academy Trust.  The deputy headteacher was new to her role in September 2021.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation.  The inspector held a wide range of meetings with the headteacher and other leaders in the school. She met with three representatives from the trust and the ex-chair of the local governing body who had stepped down from his post two weeks prior to the inspection. 30 November and 1 December 2021

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and art. Deep dives included visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work and talking to leaders, teachers and pupils. The inspector heard pupils read to an adult from the school.  The inspector also examined curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  The school’s safeguarding arrangements were reviewed. This included safer recruitment checks and record-keeping of concerns, as well as speaking to pupils and staff.  The inspector also gathered evidence to explore the impact of pupils’ behaviour on learning, the school’s wider curriculum offer and how well leaders support staff with their workload.  Responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey and free-text comments were considered by the inspector. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Lea Hannam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 30 November and 1 December 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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