Stanbridge Lower School

Inspection of Stanbridge Lower School Tilsworth Road, Stanbridge, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 9HY

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 September 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 28 and 29 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils at Stanbridge Lower School are valued and respected. Pupils know staff care about them and want them to do their best. They learn in a positive environment with staff who understand their individual needs. Pupils value the support teachers give them in lessons. They say that they have ‘helpful teachers’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy, polite and enjoy their learning. They show high levels of respect towards each other and make friends easily. Pupils feel safe at school and have trusted adults that they can talk to. They behave well and follow the clear routines and expectations. Pupils say that bullying is rare and if it did happen, they know staff would deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They like being ‘Stanbridge Stars’ and achieving personal targets to earn the ‘Pegasus Award’. They also have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of clubs and extra-curricular activities. Pupils enjoy learning outdoors in the school’s woodland area and spacious grounds.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are welcomed into school. Staff know pupils and their families well. Parents greatly appreciate the support from all staff and refer to the school as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the local community.

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better?

Leaders have put in place a well-thought-out curriculum that builds pupils’ knowledge over time. Teachers are clear about what pupils, including children in early years, need to know and when they need to learn it. Subject leaders ensure teachers have the necessary subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teachers use this knowledge well to support pupils’ learning. Staff adapt their teaching to support all pupils, ensuring they meet pupils’ needs. As a result, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are able to recall what they have learned and use it to learn more. For example, in geography, pupils in Year 3 learning about counties in the UK could recall prior knowledge on countries and continents learned in Year 2.

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better?

Leaders have recently reviewed a small number of subjects and refined the steps of progression that pupils need to make. While leaders have ably supported teachers to implement the reviewed curriculum, this is in its infancy. Leaders have not had sufficient time to fully evaluate the impact of this newer curriculum approach on pupils’ achievement.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. This starts from pre-school. Teachers use a systematic and consistent approach to support pupils to learn to read. Pupils have books matched to their phonics knowledge. As a result, they can read fluently and understand what they have read. 28 and 29 September 2022

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Staff regularly assess pupils’ reading. Pupils who struggle with reading are given effective support to catch up. Pupils speak positively about books they have read. Leaders ensure books and texts are chosen with rich vocabulary and link to topics pupils learn about. This supports pupils to deepen their subject knowledge

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Children in early years, including in the pre-school, benefit from a rich range of learning opportunities. This supports them to develop a wide range of vocabulary which relates to their personal experiences. Leaders have considered what the younger children need to learn in all curriculum areas. Children leave early years with a secure foundation of reading knowledge and are well prepared for Year 1.

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Behaviour at Stanbridge Lower School is good. This is because leaders spend time building positive relationships with pupils and their families. Pupils understand the high expectations staff have for them. They are keen to ensure they follow the rules. Consequently, there is very little learning time wasted. Leaders work determinedly and have secure systems in place to support families to ensure pupils attend school regularly.

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Leaders are unwavering in their commitment to ensure all pupils are included. The curriculum content, including assemblies, teaches pupils about life in modern Britain, world religions and cultures. Pupils understand democracy, for example through elections to the school council. Consequently, they recognise the importance of treating everyone equally. As one pupil said, ‘We protect everybody here’.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive to fulfil their roles. They feel looked after and report high levels of well-being.

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Governors know the school and community well. They fulfil their statutory duties and are continually improving their work to hold leaders to account effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure staff and governors have up-to-date safeguarding training. They regularly check staff’s understanding of safeguarding arrangements. All staff know how to report a concern, including about other adults.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are quick to seek help and advice from other agencies if needed. They know the local safeguarding risks and have effective measures in place to respond to any safeguarding concerns raised. Leaders complete all necessary checks on visitors to the school and when recruiting new staff.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum content ensures that pupils know how to stay safe. Pupils understand risk and are able to knowledgably explain how to use the internet safely. 28 and 29 September 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While most of the curriculum is well developed, a few curriculum areas have recently been reviewed. Changes to the curriculum are still in their early stages. Leaders need to ensure that all teachers receive the appropriate training and support to be able deliver and evaluate all aspects of the curriculum equally well, so as to continue to improve pupils’ achievement.

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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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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. 28 and 29 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241321 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority Local governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 March 2017 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Stanbridge Lower School is a smaller than average school, catering for pupils aged from 3 to 9.  There is a pre-school on site owned and managed by the governing body.  The school provides and runs a breakfast and after-school club.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior teacher and special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, teachers and support staff. 28 and 29 September 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, geography and art. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke to curriculum leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, looked at pupils’ workbooks and spoke with teachers.  Inspectors met representatives from the governing body, including the chair of governors. Inspectors also spoke to the local authority school improvement adviser and another external adviser used by the school.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes of meetings of the governing body and monitoring notes.  Inspectors looked at the arrangements for safeguarding, including the single central record of recruitment checks. Inspectors spoke with leaders about the systems and processes to support safeguarding, and the safeguarding ethos in the school.  Inspectors spoke to a range of parents at the gate and who were in school during

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the inspection.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the 28 free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the 14 staff survey responses and the 15 pupil survey responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Winwood Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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