High Legh Primary School

Inspection of a good school: High Legh Primary School Wrenshot Lane, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6NW

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Outcome

High Legh Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value belonging to this small school community. They are happy and feel safe in school. They learn in calm and orderly classrooms and enjoy active playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know the school rules and follow them well. They respect each other and adults. They care about others. Older pupils look after younger children. They take their leadership roles seriously. Pupils who are reading buddies enjoy helping younger pupils to practise and improve their reading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils trust the adults in school to help them when they need it. This includes dealing quickly and well with any rare incidents of bullying. That said, pupils said that bullying is not an issue. Pupils get on well together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have improved the curriculum to help pupils to know and remember more over time. Pupils make strong connections between different aspects of their learning. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the range of clubs and opportunities available to them. These activities help pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils feel privileged to represent the school in local and national sporting events. They are proud of their recent success in football competitions.

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

Leaders have designed a well-thought-out curriculum. The curriculum builds children’s knowledge from the early years as they progress into key stage 1 and beyond. Leaders have carefully considered how to make this curriculum meaningful to pupils. They make sure that pupils use what they already know to acquire new knowledge. Pupils do this skilfully. For example, they draw on their scientific knowledge of circuits to design and make working torches in design and technology. 19 and 21 July 2022

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Curriculum leaders are knowledgeable about the subjects that they lead. Curriculums in some subjects are well established. Leaders make sure that staff have the expertise to deliver these curriculums well. Teachers check that pupils remember what leaders want them to know before new learning is introduced. Pupils build their learning securely. They achieve well in these subjects.

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In other subjects, the changes that leaders have made to improve their curriculums are more recent. Leaders ensure that teachers have the guidance that they need to deliver their curriculums. However, leaders have had insufficient opportunity to develop staff subject knowledge and to check how well this guidance is being used. This means that in a small number of subjects the curriculum is not delivered as effectively as in others. Pupils’ knowledge is uneven in these subjects as a result.

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Leaders make teaching pupils to read a high priority. Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics curriculum. Staff have been trained to deliver this curriculum well. Children begin to learn to read as soon as they enter the Reception Year. They quickly gain the knowledge that they need to read words and simple sentences. Pupils in key stage 1 build on this positive start. They develop secure reading knowledge and can apply this well to their writing.

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Pupils practise reading using books that closely match the sounds that they know. They read regularly to adults in school and at home. This helps pupils to build their phonics knowledge securely over time. Pupils enjoy listening to the stories that teachers share with them each day. Teachers take a genuine interest in what pupils read. They inspire pupils to read a broad range of books independently. Pupils in Year 6 are well prepared for the reading challenges of the key stage 3 curriculum.

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Leaders make sure that staff know how to identify pupils or children in the early years who may have SEND. Leaders and staff put effective support in place for these pupils. This helps pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as the other pupils in their class. Pupils, including those with SEND, persevere, even if they find learning a challenge. They get on with their learning with minimal distraction.

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Leaders provide high-quality opportunities for pupils’ wider development. Pupils think of others. They consider how their actions and choices affect their environment. Pupils understand what it means to have healthy relationships. They learn about diversity among people and families. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

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Governors are proud to serve the school community. They bring a wide range of skills and expertise and high levels of commitment to their role. Most staff appreciate that leaders are supportive and considerate of their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 19 and 21 July 2022

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Leaders ensure that staff receive regular training so that they know how to keep pupils safe. Staff record and share any concerns that a pupil may be at risk of harm in a timely way. Leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils get the support that they need. They liaise closely with other agencies.

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Leaders make sure that teaching pupils to stay safe is a key component of the curriculum. Pupils, and their parents and carers, are kept up to date about how to stay safe online. Pupils are taught to consider risks carefully. This includes when they are out and about in their local rural community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Subject leaders have not developed staff subject expertise in some subjects. Pupils’ learning is uneven in these subjects as a result. Subject leaders should provide staff with the support that they need to deliver their class curriculums as well as leaders intend. They should also check that teachers are delivering the curriculum equally well in all subjects.

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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 March 2017.

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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 . 19 and 21 July 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. 19 and 21 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10226138 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 14 and 15 March 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that 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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The inspector met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. The inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. She looked at a range of safeguarding documentation and spoke with leaders and staff. The inspector also spoke with pupils about whether they feel safe in school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and design and technology. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject 19 and 21 July 2022

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leaders, visited lessons, looked at samples of pupils’ work, and talked with staff and pupils.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at social times. She spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. The inspector also considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. The inspector also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  The inspector spoke with parents and carers as they dropped their children off at school. She considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. This included free-text responses.  The inspector considered a range of documentation shared by school leaders, including the school development plan, records of meetings of the governing body and leaders’ self-evaluation document.

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Inspection team

Jackie Stillings, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 21 July 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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