The Lincoln Manor Leas Junior School

Inspection of a good school: The Lincoln Manor Leas Junior School Hykeham Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 8BE

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 November 2022

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Outcome

The Lincoln Manor Leas Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

One pupil told the inspector: ‘We are all part of Team Manor Leas. Nobody is left out’. This sums up the school well. Pupils get on well and look out for each other. Everyone is valued.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are expected to be respectful, safe and ready to learn. They work hard to live up to this. They know how the school’s values of determination, innovation and ambition help them to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is highly positive. Pupils need few reminders. They are motivated by the rewards on offer, including earning Dojo points, golden tokens and being star of the day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils regularly get to try a wide range of activities in ‘enrichment’ sessions. These include fitness, board games, yoga and creative writing. Leaders ensure that nobody misses out on these activities. At the time of the inspection, there was a buzz of excitement about the pop-up swimming pool that was being prepared for use.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is rare. Pupils know what bullying is and the different forms that it can take. They know who they can talk to should it happen. However, a small number of pupils say that they may not feel confident enough to report it should it occur.

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

Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading. Pupils in Year 3 are taught phonics throughout the autumn term. This helps them to consolidate and apply their phonic knowledge. They quickly become fluent readers. Beyond Year 3, pupils who have not mastered phonics continue to get the help that they need. The phonics programme is well planned and sequenced. It is taught consistently well. 22 and 23 November 2022

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Over time, pupils become competent readers. They develop a love of reading. They read a wide range of texts and genres. The ‘World Cup Book’ event and the use of the school’s book vending machine motivate pupils to read regularly.

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Leaders have designed a curriculum that is bespoke to the pupils of the school. It is well planned and sequenced. It builds incrementally on what pupils know and are able to do. In most subjects, pupils remember what they have learned. They recall prior learning quickly and accurately. However, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the most important knowledge that pupils are expected to learn and remember. In these subjects, pupils’ recall of previous learning is inconsistent.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) knows these pupils well. Detailed plans ensure that all staff know what sort of help they must provide. Pupils’ targets are precise and measurable. Regular reviews ensure that the help these pupils receive is working well. The SENCo has ensured that all staff are ambitious for these pupils.

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Pupils’ personal development is well catered for. Pupils regularly consider issues and topics from around the world. For example, recent work on the World Cup led them to reflect on political views and beliefs in Qatar. They learn about democracy. They know their vote counts. They are proud to be part of the student council. The roles of school Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers are viewed as important by pupils in helping to improve their experiences during the school day.

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Senior leaders know their school well. They are ambitious and have a clear vision for the future. They provide consistent, high-quality leadership. Leaders’ mantra of ‘everyone is a leader’ has helped to secure distributed leadership across the school. This has resulted in a cohesive staff team whose members share a united ambition for pupils.

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The work of the board of trustees is well organised and systematic. It has ensured that the school continues to be well led and managed. The recently appointed chair knows the school well. However, a significant proportion of trustees are new to role and do not yet have the knowledge required to consistently hold leaders to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Regular training and reminders ensure that all staff know how to keep pupils safe. The school’s procedures are consistently understood and applied. The pastoral worker and parent support adviser provide a wide range of help and support for pupils and their families. Records are detailed. Leaders review these regularly to check for any emerging issues.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep safe. They understand the risks that they can face online, in the community and on roads. They say that their regular first-aid training, including how to use the school’s defibrillator, helps them to keep others safe. 22 and 23 November 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of pupils say that they may not feel confident enough to report bullying should it occur. This means that these pupils might not get the help or support that they need quickly. Leaders should ensure that all pupils feel confident to report instances of bullying should they occur.  Overall, the school’s curriculum is well planned and sequenced. However, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the most important knowledge that pupils are expected to learn and remember. As a result, pupils’ recall of curriculum content is inconsistent. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum, across all subjects, makes clear the most important content that pupils are expected to know and remember, at each stage of their education.  A significant proportion of trustees are new to role. They do not yet have the knowledge required to consistently hold leaders to account. The board of trustees

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

should ensure that all members are quickly and comprehensively trained so that they can consistently hold leaders to account for the school’s overall effectiveness.

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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 June 2016.

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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. 22 and 23 November 2022

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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. 22 and 23 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10199889 Type of school Junior

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School details

Headteacher Chelsea Sandbrook (deputising assistant headteacher) Website www.manor-leas-junior.lincs.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 June 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The Lincoln Manor Leas Junior School is a stand-alone academy trust.  The headteacher was absent at the time of the inspection.  The school does not make use of any alternative education providers.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation.  The inspector held meetings with the deputising assistant headteacher, the assistant headteachers, curriculum leaders 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 art, design and technology, physical education, religious education, science, geography, Latin and computing. 22 and 23 November 2022

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 The inspector met with representatives of the board of trustees, including the chair. He took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online, 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 the playground during breaktimes and spoke informally to parents and carers outside the school.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 22 and 23 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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