Langney Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Langney Primary Academy Chailey Close, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 7EA

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 September 2022

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Outcome

Langney Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a warm and positive atmosphere at Langney Primary Academy. The curriculum plays an important role in taking pupils beyond their everyday experiences. As a result, pupils demonstrate a strong interest in their learning and enjoy a range of enriching activities. Pupils value the impressive range of clubs available for them to participate in within school and their local community. There is something for everyone, ranging from sports clubs to taking part in an archaeological dig, or the ‘Langney Shed Project’, an intergenerational learning opportunity. Pupils feel individually valued and supported to thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. The ‘Funky Friday’ assembly provides ample opportunity to reward pupils for demonstrating the school’s values. This is one of many approaches within the school that reinforce leaders’ high expectations for behaviour and learning. Pupils respond positively to these high expectations, and behaviour in and around school is calm and productive. The first signs of bullying are quickly addressed by staff, and consequently, pupils have no concerns about unkind behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are very supportive of the school and the nurturing culture that leaders have developed. As one parent said, ‘Langney isn’t just a school, it’s a community and an extension of our family.’

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

Leaders, including those responsible for governance, demonstrate a strong commitment to developing an environment for all pupils to flourish. The curriculum offer is broad, and the content pupils are taught is ambitious. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in lessons and are supported by knowledgeable adults.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the important content to teach pupils. In mathematics, for example, leaders have clearly sequenced the learning to build on what 13 and 14 September 2022

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pupils are taught from the early years foundation stage (EYFS) to Year 6. Where appropriate, staff have found relevant links to the local community to bring the curriculum to life, for example in history. In some areas of the curriculum, subject-specialist teachers have been able to take pupils’ knowledge beyond national curriculum requirements, for example in computing and music. In some foundation subjects, leaders have successfully identified broad skills that they want pupils to develop. However, they have not yet identified the precise knowledge that pupils require to demonstrate some of those skills. Leaders acknowledge the importance of work to more clearly identify pupils’ strengths and specific gaps in knowledge.

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Leaders have organised a clear and consistent approach to reading from the start of the EYFS. Teachers have a secure understanding of how to teach phonics. They use assessment effectively to identify pupils who require additional support to read. Leaders are in the process of implementing plans to closely monitor the progress of pupils requiring additional support.

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In the EYFS, positive interactions between adults and children support all children to develop their communication and language skills and encourage them to take on new challenges. Children demonstrate active listening and respond well to adults’ instructions. As children move through the school, strong behaviour routines ensure that pupils can learn uninterrupted in class. Pupils are kind and considerate to others and share a profound respect for their school community. They delight in being rewarded for meeting the high behaviour expectations set by all adults.

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The personal, social and health education programme has been carefully sequenced to ensure pupils are taught important age-appropriate knowledge, including about internet safety and healthy relationships. Pupils revisit important key themes throughout their time in school and develop increasingly complex understandings of how to stay safe. This helps them to embody the ‘active body, healthy mind’ school motto.

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There is a plethora of opportunities to complement the curriculum and to support pupils in their next steps of education. Examples include opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles, including ‘Well-being Warriors’ and school council representatives. Pupils relish taking on responsibilities in the school and having their voices heard. Parents also value the range of activities on offer and the dedication of staff to providing rich learning experiences.

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Staff are proud members of the school community and appreciate leaders’ commitment to support their manageable workload and well-being. Staff particularly value the advice they receive from knowledgeable leaders to ensure their lessons are suitably accessible and challenging. They also value the well-being initiatives in place during the school week.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 and 14 September 2022

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Staff develop strong and supportive relationships with pupils and their families as soon as they begin school. Pupils confidently discuss a range of ways they can communicate to trusted adults any concerns that they might have. Adults working with pupils take appropriate and necessary action to identify, help and manage any concerns. Leaders know their pupils well and work effectively with external agencies to make sure that pupils have access to specialist support when they need it. Staff exchange information in a timely manner and leaders respond swiftly. A very small number of written records require further clarity. Leaders have been making improvements to the recording of their follow-up actions.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, leaders have not yet identified and agreed the precise knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember to meet their broad and ambitious end-of-year objectives. This means that some assessment approaches to check for pupils’ understanding are not yet providing detail about what pupils can and cannot yet do. Leaders must ensure that where they have identified broad skills for their pupils to develop, they have carefully considered the knowledge that is required to reach those goals.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Langney Primary School, to be good in July 2013.

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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. 13 and 14 September 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. 13 and 14 September 2022

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School details

Headteacher Julie Prentice (Executive Headteacher) Benjamin Bowles (Head of School) Website www.langneyprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Langney Primary Academy converted to become an academy school in September 2018, joining the Swale Academies Trust. When its predecessor school, Langney Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The school’s Nursery provides education for children between the ages of two and four.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 of the school.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation and relevant school policies.  The inspector met with senior leaders and a range of phase leaders and subject leaders. The inspector also held meetings with members of the governing body and a range of trust representatives. 13 and 14 September 2022

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 The inspector did deep dives in early reading, mathematics and music. This involved the inspector talking to subject leaders, class teachers and pupils, visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work and listening to pupils read. The inspector also discussed curriculum documentation with subject leaders in relationships and sex education and health education, computing, geography and history.  The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by looking at relevant documentation, staff’s recruitment checks and training records. The inspector also talked to a range of staff and pupils.  The inspector took account of the views expressed by 54 staff and 98 parents, including 68 free-text comments, through our online surveys.

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Inspection team

Hanna Miller, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 September 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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