Lady Bay Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Lady Bay Primary School Trent Boulevard, West Bridgford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG2 5BD

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Outcome

Lady Bay Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where everyone gets on. As one pupil said: ‘Everyone is kind here. We enjoy spending time together.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a consistent expectation that pupils will ‘grow together’, caring for themselves, each other and the environment. Pupils do their best to live up to this expectation. They understand the school’s values. They know how respect, enjoyment, determination, collaboration, curiosity and reflection help to prepare them for life beyond Lady Bay.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are motivated by the many rewards on offer, including verbal praise, ‘dragon’s gold’ and regular awards in assembly. Pupils know what bullying is and the different forms that it can take. They understand the sanctions that are used in the event of poor behaviour. They say that these are used rarely.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make good use of the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer. The ‘20 wonderful things to do before leaving Lady Bay’ helps pupils to develop confidence, pride and resilience. Pupils are proud of their charity work. They talk with pride about the funds that they have raised to help train guide dogs and support pupils in an overseas school.

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

The school has recently introduced a new phonics programme. It is comprehensively planned. Staff have been trained to teach the programme. They teach it well. Pupils remember the sounds that they have learned. They use these to decode new and increasingly difficult words.

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

Pupils develop a love of reading. They read often and widely. They are familiar with a wide range of authors, texts and genres. They say that the rewards on offer, including certificates and book vouchers, motivate them to read. They say the school’s patron of reading helps them to understand why reading is important. 8 and 9 November 2022

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The majority of the school’s curriculum is well planned and sequenced. It sets out what pupils will learn at each stage of their education. Content is taught in a logical order. It builds incrementally over time. However, a small number of subjects are at an early stage of development. These are not yet fully sequenced. Additionally, in some subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the most important things that pupils are expected to know and remember.

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Children enjoy their time in the early years. Relationships are positive between adults and children. The early years curriculum systematically builds on what children know and can do, across each of the areas of learning. Adults know what children should be able to do at each stage of the Reception Year. Anyone who begins to fall behind gets help to catch up. The limited outdoor space is used well to promote children’s learning and development.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the help they need to learn the curriculum. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) knows these pupils well. Plans set out the small steps that pupils are expected to achieve each term. These targets are well tailored. However, they do not always consistently set out the support that will be put in place to achieve them.

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The school’s personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn to be respectful and inclusive. One pupil told the inspector: ‘We accept everyone here. No matter where they are from or what they believe.’ The curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of enrichment activities, including a programme of residential experiences, educational trips, visits and receiving visitors.

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Senior leaders know their school well. They have ensured that their vision for the school is not just displayed. but is evident in the day-to-day operation of the school. They have secured improvements in the curriculum, teaching and middle leadership. They know what is working well and quickly address any emerging weaknesses. The majority of staff are proud to work at the school. They say that leaders are considerate of their well-being and workload.

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The majority of parents speak highly of the school. They praise the community feel, the progress that pupils make and the quality of leadership. However, a small number of parents raised concerns about the distance that pupils have to walk to access the school field. They are concerned that this limits its use. Leaders and governors are working to address this.

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Governors know the school well. They use a wide range of information to hold leaders to account. They communicate regularly and effectively with a wide range of stakeholders. They have a secure understanding of the curriculum and their safeguarding responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 8 and 9 November 2022

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The school’s safeguarding procedures are consistently understood and applied. Staff know the indicators that might suggest that pupils need help. They know how to escalate concerns. Leaders’ checks on who works in the school are rigorous.

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Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They understand the risks that they might face online and in the community. They know who to talk to if they have a worry or concern. The school provides a wide range of help and support to vulnerable pupils and their families.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Overall, the school’s curriculum is well planned. However, a small number of subjects are not yet fully sequenced. This means that leaders cannot be sure that content is being taught in the best order. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum, across all subjects, is fully planned and sequenced.  In a few subjects, the curriculum does not make crystal clear the most important things that pupils need to know and remember at each stage of their education. This means that leaders are unable to check if pupils learn and remember the most important content. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum, in all subjects, makes clear the most important things that pupils need to know and remember.  Pupils with SEND get the help they need to learn the curriculum. Plans set out the small steps that pupils are expected to achieve each term. However, they do not consistently set out the support that will be put in place to achieve these. This means

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

that leaders cannot check closely enough on how well the support is working. Leaders should ensure that written plans consistently set out the support that will be put in place to help pupils with SEND to achieve their targets.

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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 school to be good in June 2017. 8 and 9 November 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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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. 8 and 9 November 2022

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, a new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed.  The school does not make use of 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 his evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the early years leader and the SENCo.  The inspector carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. The inspector listened to pupils read. He also looked at curriculum documentation for computing, music, art and PSHE. 8 and 9 November 2022

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 The inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair. He took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspector met with safeguarding leaders. He reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and governance.  The inspector visited an assembly and the playground during breaktimes and spoke informally to parents outside the school.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 November 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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