Lainesmead Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of Lainesmead Primary School and Nursery Southview Avenue, Old Walcot, Swindon, Wiltshire SN3 1EA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 17 and 18 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lainesmead is a welcoming, nurturing and inclusive school and nursery. Leaders and staff work closely with parents to meet the needs of pupils in this culturally diverse community. Staff have high expectations of pupils. The school’s values, ‘Strive, achieve, excel: believe in a limitless future’ are central to the school’s work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The well-planned curriculum helps pupils to develop knowledge and skills in many subjects. However, a few subjects need some further development to ensure that pupils build deeper knowledge, in readiness for the next stages of their education. Children in the early years love to find things out and keenly explore the exciting activities adults provide.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are wonderful ambassadors. They are thoughtful, polite and kind. They concentrate hard because they are keen to learn. Their behaviour, in and out of lessons, is exemplary.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff go above and beyond to support pupils’ well-being. They form kind and caring relationships with pupils. Pupils respect adults and trust them to keep them safe. Pupils say bullying is rare. They are confident that adults sort out any problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school. The impressive opportunities on offer spark pupils’ interest. For example, pupils like to attend the performing arts, gardening and cookery clubs.

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better?

The school is well led by ambitious and enthusiastic leaders. They inspire staff to design and teach an exciting curriculum. Governors are effective in holding leaders to account and have a good understanding of the school.

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better?

Leaders and staff are acutely aware of the impact of the pandemic. They work effectively to help pupils attend regularly and catch up on missed learning. Staff prioritise the development of pupils’ communication and language. This is particularly important for pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). This work is having a positive impact.

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better?

Pastoral support is outstanding. Leaders are adept in identifying issues that affect pupils’ learning. They intervene sensitively to help pupils understand and manage their emotions. This means learning is not disrupted. Pupils appreciate going to the ‘Burrow’ or ‘Tranquillity Garden’ to talk about their feelings. They say that mindfulness helps them to become calm.

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better?

Leaders are knowledgeable about their subjects. In several subjects, particularly reading, writing and mathematics, leaders have designed the curriculum well. This 17 and 18 May 2022

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helps pupils to develop secure knowledge over time. The early years curriculum is effectively organised to develop the children’s essential early knowledge.

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Leaders and teachers regularly assess how well pupils are developing their knowledge. This enables staff to adapt teaching when pupils need to deepen their learning. However, in some subjects such as design technology, computing and history, sequences of learning do not focus sharply enough on the key knowledge all pupils must know. As a result, assessment lacks the precision needed to ensure that pupils know more and remember more of the most important knowledge.

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Adults provide well-targeted support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and for pupils with EAL. This is having a positive impact. Some typical comments from parents include, ‘The school has been amazing’ and ‘The school has really met my child’s needs.’

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There is a strong reading culture at the school. Pupils choose from a wide variety of books, which inspires them read. Pupils get off to a flying start in reading and begin learning to read as soon as they start school. Pupils read regularly, which improves their confidence, fluency and vocabulary. Pupils write regularly. For example, children in the early years use their knowledge of phonics to write about a treasure hunt. The teaching of reading builds and secures pupils’ wider reading skills, such as inference and comprehension. Pupils become absorbed when listening to stories adults read to them, such as ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’.

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Pupils deepen their knowledge and practise their skills consistently well in mathematics. For example, children in the early years recognise and name 2D shapes when making rockets. Year 3 pupils apply what they know to subtract fractions. Year 5 pupils add and subtract decimals.

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Pupils enjoy art. Children in nursery roll marbles in paint to create pictures of planets. Older pupils practise and refine their skills in line drawing. Pupils are proud to see their work displayed in school.

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Pupils’ personal development is supported exceptionally well. Adults thoughtfully plan interesting experiences to enhance the curriculum. For example, pupils can try ballet, sewing and ice hockey. They enjoy singing and are looking forward to the Jubilee celebrations. Pupils learn about democracy when they vote to make decisions. Pupils proudly take on positions of responsibility such as prefects and school parliament members.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture at the school. Leaders prioritise pupils’ safety. Staff are given safeguarding training that helps them to recognise when a pupil might be at risk. Staff act quickly to refer concerns, when required. Leaders seek 17 and 18 May 2022

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help from external agencies when pupils need specialist support. Leaders maintain thorough records and regularly review these.

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The curriculum supports pupils to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils learn about safe relationships and online safety. The fire service visits the school to teach pupils about fire safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not designed well in some foundation subjects. The key building blocks of knowledge pupils must learn and by when have not been identified. Consequently, pupils do not build deep knowledge in all subjects. Leaders must design a curriculum and develop sequences of learning that help pupils to know more and remember more in all subjects.

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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. 17 and 18 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211742 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.lainesmeadprimaryschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 and 10 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The proportion of pupils with EAL is higher than the national average. Thirty-nine different languages are spoken by pupils who attend the school.  The school does not have any provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 consideration in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held several meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher, who is head of inclusion.  Inspectors held separate meetings with the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), the early years leader and the pastoral team. 17 and 18 May 2022

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 An inspector held a meeting with three governors, which included the chair and vice-chair of governors.  An inspector held a meeting with the school improvement partner. She also had a phone call with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history, computing and design technology. 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 some samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also met leaders and reviewed the curriculum and pupils’ work in writing, art and geography.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding records and checked the school’s single central record. They discussed safeguarding arrangements with the headteacher and head of inclusion. Inspectors also spoke to pupils and adults

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about safety.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at various times of the during, including breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors spoke to pupils, staff and parents to gather their views of the school. Inspectors reviewed 44 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, along with 24 additional free-text comments. Inspectors also took account of over 200 responses to the school’s recent questionnaire for parents. The lead inspector reviewed 63 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and 27 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ross Newman Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 May 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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