Longleaze Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Longleaze Primary School Byron Avenue, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Wiltshire SN4 8BA

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2022

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Outcome

Longleaze Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Longleaze Primary School is a happy and exciting place to learn. The school’s motto, ‘Learning for life’, is threaded through all aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for pupils and are effective role models. Pupils are motivated to be ‘Longleaze learners’ who never give up. They are curious and keen to learn. As a result, they become absorbed in their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are a credit to the school. They are polite and sociable. Their attitudes to learning are exemplary. Pupils say they love school because learning is fun. They enjoy activities to enhance the curriculum, such as netball, choir and pop dance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff form supportive, caring partnerships with pupils. This helps pupils feel valued and safe. Pupils respect staff and understand routines well. As a result, their behaviour is impeccable. Pupils say adults look after them well and confirm that bullying is not tolerated at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some pupils have fallen behind in their learning. However, extra teaching support is having a positive impact.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The vast majority of parents are happy with the school and typically comment, ‘The school has done wonders for my child,’ and ‘I cannot praise them enough.’

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

Leaders have designed a broad and rich curriculum. Well-planned sequences of learning support pupils to build secure knowledge and skills in all subjects. Consequently, they are well prepared for what comes next.

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

Leaders engage positively with staff. They help them to develop their teaching skills and manage their workload. Staff feel well supported and a sense of team spirit is evident. 12 and 13 October 2022

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Interesting experiences inspire pupils to become immersed in their learning. For example, pupils enjoyed a visit to Chedworth Villa during their study of the Romans. Pupils confidently explain that central heating, roads and sewers are some of the legacies left by the Romans.

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Leaders prioritise reading. They are ambitious for pupils to love reading. Children learn to read as soon as they start school. Pupils have regular phonics and reading lessons. This helps them to practise and secure their reading skills. Pupils enjoy choosing books from the library. They enjoy listening to stories that adults read to them, such as ‘Nevermoor’. Teachers provide effective additional support for pupils who struggle with their reading. This helps them to develop the skills required to become confident and fluent readers.

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The curriculum is well designed to help pupils build on what they have already learned. For example, in mathematics, children in the early years count conkers and leaves. They then match them to the corresponding numbers. Children compare the height of toy animals using mathematical language such as ‘taller’ and ‘smaller’. Older pupils use their knowledge of place value to reason and solve problems. Low-level disruption is rare.

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Pupils thoroughly enjoy the learning experiences on offer at the school and are keen to do their best. As a result, they routinely concentrate well and apply themselves to their learning. In early years, children settle in well. Staff communicate clear expectations for how children should behave. They work alongside children to encourage their problem- solving and imaginative play. Staff ask children purposeful questions about their learning. Consequently, children develop their vocabulary and language skills well.

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Staff use assessment consistently well to check how well pupils are doing. They adapt learning when pupils need to revisit key concepts. This helps to secure their understanding. For example, teachers have identified gaps in the knowledge of some younger pupils. Leaders have put in place targeted teaching support, which is having a positive impact. However, it will take more time for pupils to catch up and be ready for the next stage in their learning.

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Leaders work closely with families and external agencies to make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities get the extra help they need. Pupils value this extra support, which helps them to learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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Leaders’ support of pupils’ wider development is effective. For example, coaches from Swindon Town Football in the Community visit the school and help pupils to develop skills such as perseverance, resilience and team-building.

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Pupils understand the importance of being kind to others. During the pandemic, they raised money to buy plants, which they left as gifts on the doorsteps of elderly residents. Pupils are proud to take on positions of responsibility when they become sports leaders and members of the school council. They are pleased to have the chance to learn an instrument, such as the guitar or drums. 12 and 13 October 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make the necessary checks to ensure that all adults are safe to work with children. They provide regular training updates for all staff. Staff know how to refer concerns. Leaders take timely action when they consider a pupil to be at risk. They seek specialist help when necessary. Leaders routinely check the impact of their support.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum supports pupils to stay safe. For example, pupils learn about road safety and fire safety. They also learn about positive relationships and how to stay safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some younger pupils have gaps in their curriculum knowledge. Consequently, they do not have the prior knowledge they need to help them learn new concepts. Leaders must continue to provide precisely targeted support to ensure that these pupils commit new knowledge, skills and vocabulary to their long-term memory, so they catch up quickly.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 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. 12 and 13 October 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. 12 and 13 October 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 and 5 April 2017

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Information about this school

 Three new governors, including the chair of governors, have recently joined the governing body.  Some pupils attend sessions with Riding for the Disabled.

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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.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector held a meeting with a group of governors. They also met with the school improvement partner from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about 12 and 13 October 2022

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their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding records and checked the school’s single central record. They discussed safeguarding arrangements with designated safeguarding leads. The inspector also spoke to pupils and adults about safety.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at various times of the day, including during breaktime and lunchtime.  The inspector spoke to pupils, staff and parents to gather their views. They reviewed 34 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, along with free-text comments. The inspector considered responses to the school’s most recent parent questionnaire. They also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 October 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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