Long Mountain CofE Primary School

Inspection of Long Mountain Church of England Primary School Worthen, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 9HT

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 January 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 18 and 19 January 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school where pupils enjoy learning. When asked what they like about school, they reply ‘everything’. Adults teach pupils the school’s values, which are taken from the Bible. This starts in Nursery. These include kindness, gentleness and self-control. As a result, the relationships between adults and pupils are respectful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in class and around the school is very good. If pupils are unkind to each other, adults sort it out quickly. Pupils feel safe at school and learn how to be responsible and considerate.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a broad curriculum. Leaders have high aspirations for what pupils can achieve across all subjects. However, in some subjects, such as mathematics, pupils are not supported to do their best. This means that they do not achieve as well as they might.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school helps to prepare pupils to become active citizens. For example, they have taken part in litter-picking in the local area. They have raised money for charity. Year 6 pupils are learning how to become play leaders. These experiences prepare pupils well for the next stage in their education.

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better?

All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), follow a broad curriculum.

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better?

Leaders have reviewed the curriculum to make sure that schemes of work are well planned and sequenced. In history, for example, the new scheme shows how pupils will build on what they know year on year. This helps pupils to know and remember more. However, the use of this new scheme has only just started. In some subjects, such as modern foreign languages and computing, the new schemes are yet to begin. In addition, teachers are new to their roles as subject leaders, so routines for checking on how well pupils are learning are at an early stage. However, developments are moving in the right direction.

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better?

Children in Nursery get off to a good start. Adults have a good understanding of how to meet their needs. For example, their checks found that some two-year-old children need extra help to develop their language. These children have support from a speech and language therapist. Staff have also had additional training. Across the school, pupils are supported to speak with confidence.

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better?

The curriculum in early years is well planned and ambitious for all. Leaders have thought about how the early curriculum prepares children for key stage 1. In forest school, for example, children learn the names of different trees. This helps them with later learning about common wild and garden plants in Year 1 science lessons. 18 and 19 January 2022

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In early years, adults use resources well to support children’s learning in mathematics. As a result, children develop a good early understanding of number. This focus on number continues into key stages 1 and 2. However, there is not a consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics across the school. Pupils do not cover all aspects of mathematics in enough depth, and can find it hard to explain how they have worked out their answers.

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Reading is a priority at this school. Leaders promote a love of reading through, for example, taking part in World Book Day. A ‘star readers’ display in the hall celebrates pupils’ achievements. There is a reading programme in place and adults expect pupils to read every day. This begins in Nursery, when adults introduce children to the sounds that letters represent, and continues into Reception and key stage 1. As a result, most younger pupils, including those with SEND, make good progress. However, in key stage 2, the focus on reading is not as strong. Some pupils begin to lose interest in reading as they get older. Some are not able to read fluently. This means that they are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they could be.

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Leaders promote pupils’ personal development well. For example, collective worship helps pupils to learn about whom they can trust. Pupils know that they should treat everyone with equal respect.

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Leaders consider staff workload and well-being. For example, the headteacher makes sure that staff meetings are focused and purposeful. Staff value leaders’ supportive approach.

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Governors are committed to ensuring that the school continues to improve and that pupils achieve well. For example, they asked for training from the local authority on how to hold leaders to account. Records from governing body meetings show that governors question leaders about whether their actions are improving the school and pupils’ progress.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school. The school has a strong culture of safeguarding. The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) has extensive knowledge and expertise in how to keep pupils safe. The school works well with external agencies. This means families get the help they need when they need it. Parents and carers value this support.

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Safeguarding

All staff have up-to-date training. The school completes the appropriate checks on all adults who work at, or visit, the school.

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Safeguarding

Through the curriculum, pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. This includes online safety. 18 and 19 January 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers are new to the role of subject leaders. Currently, their role in checking the quality of learning in their subject areas is underdeveloped. Leaders should support teachers in the development of their role as subject leaders to ensure that they have the appropriate skills and knowledge to be able to successfully monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their subject areas.  The school’s attention to promoting and developing pupils’ reading slips in key stage 2. This means some pupils’ fluency and/or interest in reading stalls or declines. Leaders should ensure that pupils sustain an enjoyment in reading. They also need to make sure that the reading programme at key stage 2 is rigorous enough to ensure that pupils’ reading continues to improve.  The school’s approach to teaching mathematics varies from one class to the next. This mixed approach has led to pupils not learning all that they should. Leaders

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

should established a more consistent approach. They should support this with more oversight, guidance and training for staff.

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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.

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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.

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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. 18 and 19 January 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.longmountain.shropshire.sch.uk

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Date of previous inspection

8 and 9 November 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Long Mountain Church of England (CofE) Primary School opened in August 2017. Pupils from the predecessor school and federated schools that closed, Westbury Primary School and Hope CofE Primary School, are educated at Long Mountain CofE Primary School.  A new headteacher joined the school in January 2021.  A diocesan inspection to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school as a CofE school took place in December 2021. The next inspection is due in five years.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school provides wraparound childcare.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 18 and 19 January 2022

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

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher, staff, pupils, members of the governing body (including the chair), and a representative of the local authority. The lead inspector also spoke on the telephone to a representative of the diocese.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors 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 work. An inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors talked to pupils at different times during the day.  An inspector talked to parents at the end of the school day.  Inspectors evaluated a range of school documents and looked at information on the school’s website.  The lead inspector checked the single central record and the procedures for the recruitment of staff. She also met with the school’s DSL.

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 Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and considered the responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Lesley Yates, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 January 2022

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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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