Longthorpe Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Longthorpe Primary School Bradwell Road, Longthorpe, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE3 9QW

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Longthorpe Primary School, everyone loves ‘learning to learn’. Pupils develop the personal qualities that are important to the school. For example, they work sensibly in teams to develop resilience and cooperation.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Classrooms are calm and harmonious. Pupils listen carefully to their teachers. They enthusiastically practice the new skills that their teachers show them. They work well independently. However, sometimes the activities they do in class are not well thought through. Too many pupils struggle unnecessarily because their special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have not been well understood or addressed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

During playtime, pupils are engaged and energetic. Pupils enjoy the friendly atmosphere. They include others in their play. Children in the early years share the equipment well. Older pupils are keen to help the youngest children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They can explain what bullying is. They know it is wrong and say it happens rarely. If they have concerns, they are confident that adults will help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to take part in extra activities. The school provides a limited range of sports clubs after school to develop pupils’ sporting skills. There are also opportunities for some pupils to take part in additional tournaments such as Lego League.

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

Leaders listen and act on the advice of external specialists to ensure that pupils with the highest level of SEND get the right help. However, support for pupils with SEND who do not access external support is not sufficiently well developed. Systems to identify pupils who need extra help in school are not clear enough. Targets for these pupils do not set 21 and 22 June 2022

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out exactly what they need to learn next and how this will be achieved. It is not always clear whether the extra help provided is what is needed. Leaders do not have the information they need in order to identify where support is helping pupils to catch up or where it needs to be adjusted.

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Leaders are ambitious to provide a broad, rich curriculum. In some subjects, the learning plans and assessment systems are clearly set out to enable this to happen. For example, in mathematics the sequence of learning is well planned and teachers regularly check what pupils know and can do. This ensures that the learning moves on. Children in the early years quickly start to understand numbers and learn their number bonds. Older pupils then use these skills to develop their calculation skills efficiently. They learn how to apply these skills in problems and reasoning tasks of increasing complexity. In other subjects, plans lack precision. The small steps of learning that will enable pupils to achieve well are not clear. Assessment systems are not in place for these subjects. Leaders have not identified how well the curriculum in these subjects is being implemented. They do not check how well pupils are learning in these subjects.

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Reading is taught with a well-structured programme. Staff have had training to deliver this programme and they teach lessons confidently. Children in the early years quickly start to learn phonics. Books at the right level help most pupils to practise their reading skills. Most pupils rapidly progress from single words and sentences to books.

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Older pupils enjoy books from the library and also read books online. Pupils can talk about authors they enjoy reading independently. They also enjoy stories read by their class teachers. Throughout the school, most pupils build and use a wide vocabulary.

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Consistent routines are in place to enable pupils to focus on their learning. Pupils are attentive in lessons. They move around the school sensibly and safely. Incidents of bullying are rare. Any incidences of unkind behaviour are dealt with swiftly and effectively by adults.

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Leaders have effectively put in place opportunities for pupils to become healthy, safe and responsible citizens. For example, pupils enjoy taking part in regular exercise such as the ‘daily mile’. They know how to make healthy choices with food. They learn how to stay safe online. The school council has worked with pupils and the local community to improve road safety.

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Leaders at every level have an ambitious vision for the school. Governors and trustees are developing systems to support school leaders to deliver this. Many teachers appreciate the concern that leaders show for their well-being. However, leaders have not fully established this positive culture with all staff.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that provision for pupils with SEND and the quality of education in foundation subjects may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection. 21 and 22 June 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have embedded safety in the curriculum. For example, pupils learn how to stay safe online and about road safety. Systems are in place across the school so that pupils can let adults know when they are worried. Staff are well trained and look out for any signs of concern. Adults record their concerns straight away. Leaders work with external services promptly and openly. They secure the right help for vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

While leaders’ actions keep pupils safe, records have not always been kept as accurately as they should be. Governors and trustees are aware of this and have firm plans to strengthen their checks on school safeguarding systems.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Systems to understand and support pupils with SEND within school are not sufficiently well developed. It is not consistently clear how needs are identified or how targets and extra help are planned for pupils requiring in-school support. Leaders cannot therefore evaluate the effectiveness of provision for these pupils. Leaders should review processes to ensure that, across the school, SEND are accurately identified, assessed and met.  In some subjects, plans do not clearly lay out the knowledge that pupils need to learn and the order in which they should learn it. This means that teachers do not focus on crucial content. This also means that assessment systems do not effectively check whether pupils have learned the knowledge they need. Leaders should ensure that plans and assessment systems are sufficiently precise for teachers to focus on key content.

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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, Longthorpe Primary School to be good in December 2013. 21 and 22 June 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. 21 and 22 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10238294 Type of school Primary

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form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Longthorpe Primary School joined Peterborough Keys Academies Trust in April 2018.  The school does not use any providers of alternative education.

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Information about this inspection

 This is the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account.  The inspector held meetings with senior leaders, including the headteacher, governors, and representatives of the trust. The inspector also spoke to other leaders, staff, and pupils.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about 21 and 22 June 2022

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their learning, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. In early reading, the inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  As part of the evaluation of the school’s safeguarding processes, the inspector reviewed the school’s single central record of recruitment and vetting checks and met with the designated safeguarding lead.  The inspector reviewed a range of school documents including the school development plan, curriculum plans, and school policies.  The inspector reviewed the 102 responses that were submitted by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and also considered the 62 free-text responses from parents. The inspector considered the 50 responses to the Ofsted staff survey and the 145 responses to the Ofsted pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Lynne Williams, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 21 and 22 June 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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