Mountfields Lodge School

Inspection of a good school: Mountfields Lodge School Epinal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3GE

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Outcome

Mountfields Lodge School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school because it is welcoming, and everyone looks after each other. They like the outdoor spaces and being with their friends. Pupils commented how their teachers and friends were ‘kind and helpful’. The new school fence helps to keep them safe. Pupils said bullying is rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers are pleased with what the school has to offer. One parent, with a comment that was typical of many, said, ‘This is a fantastic school, [which is] supportive of children and families.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their lessons. They can concentrate well because the school has a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Well-established routines help pupils to settle down quickly and be ready to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that adults help them to talk about their emotions and how to manage them. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) become increasingly independent because adults know them well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The trips that the school provides support pupils’ learning well. Leaders ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, can participate in visits and extracurricular clubs. However, in some subjects, leaders do not make checks to ensure that all pupils are knowing and remembering more of the school’s curriculum.

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

The school’s curriculum has a focus on developing pupils’ personal, social and emotional well-being. Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. They have identified the important knowledge they want pupils to remember. Teachers break down the key knowledge into smaller manageable steps to support pupils with SEND. 23 and 24 March 2022

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In subjects such as mathematics and physical education, the curriculum is well organised and sequenced. Curriculum leaders support teachers to develop their understanding of how to teach the subject. Teachers say that subject leaders’ enthusiasm is ‘infectious’.

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Some subject leaders make regular checks to ensure that pupils know and remember more of a curriculum area. However, this is not consistent. In some subjects, leaders are developing teachers’ expertise.

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All staff ensure that reading in school is given high importance. They have ensured that pupils read a range of literature during their time at school. This includes poetry, classic children’s literature and contemporary authors. Children start to learn to read as soon as they start school. However, adults do not always use effective methods to ensure that pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read remember the sounds they are taught. Sometimes pupils do not remember how to sound out and rejoin words they read. Leaders are making checks to ensure that there are sufficient reading books in school that match pupils’ reading ability.

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Leaders in the early years ensure that children develop their communication and language skills well. There is a focus on developing pupils’ independence and problem-solving skills. Children are encouraged to use sentences and accurate vocabulary to explain their understanding. For example, children used words such as ‘spotty, wavy and curved’ to describe the lines they had created in dough.

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Pupils confidently talk about British values. They understand how everyone is different. Pupils understand that everyone needs to be treated with respect. Older pupils enjoy debating and discussing topical issues to help them understand different viewpoints.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They say that leaders are considerate of their well- being. They welcome the initiatives leaders have introduced to reduce workload. Trustees make checks to ensure that staff workload is manageable.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspectors agreed that further developments in early reading and the implementation of the school’s curriculum 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

All staff, including those new to school, are confident in the school’s systems for reporting and recording safeguarding concerns. Leaders respond quickly to any concerns raised. Governors make regular checks to ensure that the systems to help keep pupils safe are working.

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Safeguarding

Teachers ensure that pupils learn how to stay safe online. Leaders have helped pupils to understand the consequences of their words and actions online. Pupils know who to go to if anything worries them. Pupils know their concerns and worries will be taken seriously by all staff. 23 and 24 March 2022

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The right checks are in place before adults start working with children. This includes checks on adults who work with pupils who are not in the school all the time.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There school’s approach to the teaching of reading is not consistent. Reading books for some readers are not always well matched to their knowledge of sounds. This means that pupils at the earliest stages of reading do not remember the sounds they have learned. They are unable to decode and blend words quickly and efficiently. Leaders should make sure that the teaching of phonics helps all pupils to learn to read quickly and efficiently. They should check that reading books are well matched to pupils’ knowledge.  Leaders have outlined what they want pupils to learn and when. However, there are some inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum. This stops pupils from recalling and remembering the key knowledge from the school’s curriculum. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the school’s curriculum so that pupils know and remember more over time.

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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 school to be good in July 2016.

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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 . 23 and 24 March 2022

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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. 23 and 24 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10199907 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.mountfieldslodge.leics.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 July 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, a new chair of trustees, a deputy headteacher, an assistant headteacher and a special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator have been appointed.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school 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.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders and members of the board of trustees.  Inspectors conducted deep dives in reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with the subject leader, visited lessons, spoke to staff and pupils from the lessons visited and reviewed pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read. Discussions with the history leaders and lesson visits were also undertaken. 23 and 24 March 2022

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 Information on attendance, behaviour logs and safeguarding records were scrutinised. This included the school’s single central record. Meetings with leaders to discuss the safeguarding of pupils were also conducted.  An analysis of the school’s extra-curricular activities was considered.  Pupils’ behaviour was considered at various times of day, including in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime. The school’s records on behaviour were also considered.  The views of staff were considered through the Ofsted surveys. View of parents were sought during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Shaheen Hussain, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Christine Watkins Her Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 March 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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