Lordship Farm Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Lordship Farm Primary School Fouracres, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 3UF

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Outcome

Lordship Farm Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are being well prepared to be active and influential citizens in modern Britain. They learn about their responsibilities to care for planet earth and the life it sustains, including considering the part they play in this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school, and they are confident about seeking adult support if they need it. They enthusiastically explained how new routines have improved behaviour in the school. They said that bullying incidents are unlikely, but they know adults will listen and help straight away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow a curriculum that is designed to help them succeed so they are prepared for the next stages of their education. There are no limits to what pupils can achieve. They are encouraged to make links between the concepts they are learning about and the wider aspects these connect to.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lordship Farm is a community where pupils develop confidence in their voice, to champion the issues that matter to them. For example, pupils’ determination to influence catering teams to introduce ‘meat-free Mondays’ is having an impact across the region. Pupils are taught to hold a secure belief that they can change the world if they want to. Pupils embody the message displayed in the hall: ‘You are never too small to make a difference.’

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

Leaders have designed a broad curriculum that inspires pupils to learn. They have thought about the important knowledge pupils need, and about the important qualities and attitudes that need to be nurtured along the way.

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

Teachers have secure knowledge in the subjects they teach. This is helping all pupils know and remember more across the curriculum. However, there are occasions when teachers do not effectively ensure that pupils are able to consistently practise and apply 1 and 2 February 2022

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what they have learned. As a result, a small proportion of pupils find it difficult to secure crucial knowledge as quickly as they need to. Leaders have plans in place to mitigate this.

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Daily teaching of phonics is helping pupils to read well. Pupils take home reading books that are well matched to the sounds they have learned and know. This is helping pupils practise and build confidence with new sounds and words they learn. Books in school celebrate the diversity within the school community. Stories are openly cherished by staff. This encourages pupils to enjoy reading for pleasure.

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Children in early years are immersed in their learning and expert staff support them to build a strong understanding across the curriculum. Leaders give high priority to early communication and language development. Adults use rhyme and song to capture the interest of the children. By the time children start Year 1, they are able to draw on a rich and relevant foundation of knowledge that is helping them to be successfully prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Teachers and support staff have the skills to spot where individuals need additional help to keep up. This support is quickly put in place. Further improving provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has been a recent focus of leaders. This is ensuring that pupils are getting the help they need to work effectively alongside their peers. Precise plans and accurate support programmes are in place to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

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After listening to concerns shared by parents, leaders have made sure that systems for recording and following up poor behaviours are followed consistently. This is reducing the proportion of incidents that occur and ensuring that pupils feel safe. Behaviour across the school is calm. This means that pupils can focus on their learning.

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The work adults in the school do to promote pupils’ personal development is well considered. Pupils’ wider development is effective. Lessons and assemblies support pupils to gain a secure understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy, from the moment they join the school. Pupils embrace the idea that everyone is unique. They know it is okay to be ‘who you want to be’, and said that everyone is welcome in their school.

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Pupils relish the opportunity to take on responsibilities. The school council and eco committee take an active and mature role in making change happen. Pupils see the adults they work with as role models who inspire them. Pupils’ knowledge about ecological issues and the environment is used to influence their work.

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Governors and leaders in school have listened to the views of parents, staff and pupils. These have been taken into account to inform some of the actions being taken. Leaders are taking effective steps to bring about a change in the culture of the school.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that early reading and implementation of the curriculum may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection. 1 and 2 February 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, are committed to maintaining an environment that is safe for every child. Staff are trained regularly to ensure that this culture exists everywhere in the school. Staff share any concerns quickly, using the agreed systems in place. Leaders respond swiftly and work with staff to share important information that keeps pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils have been encouraged to be open about what worries them. They know adults care about them and can be trusted. Pupils develop the confidence to say ‘no’ if they feel unsafe, knowing this is their right. The curriculum prepares pupils to know how to stay safe, including when using technology.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, in a few areas of the curriculum, teachers do not present and revisit important knowledge effectively. This means that a small proportion of pupils do not remember and consolidate knowledge in the most efficient way. Leaders should continue with plans to ensure that teaching consistently provides the most effective opportunities for pupils to learn, retrieve and apply the important knowledge being taught throughout the curriculum.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2011. 1 and 2 February 2022

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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 .

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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. 1 and 2 February 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211348 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 24 November 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The governing body has appointed a new headteacher who took up post in September 2021.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision for pupils on roll.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The lead inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator. A meeting was also held with the school improvement partner from the local authority.  The lead inspector met with four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector carried out deep dives in three subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the lead inspector met with subject leaders, looked at 1 and 2 February 2022

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curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and, where relevant, looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leader, the office manager and other staff to discuss safeguarding.  The lead inspector scrutinised a range of documents during the inspection, including curriculum plans, school development plans, remote learning monitoring, and safeguarding and behaviour records.  The lead inspector considered 153 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and 93 free-text comments. The lead inspector also considered the 40 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and 108 responses to the pupil survey.  The lead inspector spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons, to understand what it is like to be a pupil in their school. The lead inspector also observed the behaviour of pupils across the school site.

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Inspection team

Kristian Hewitt, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 February 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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