The Leasingham St Andrew's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: The Leasingham St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School Lincoln Road, Leasingham, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 8JS

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2023

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Outcome

The Leasingham St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This a school where the ambition for every child to succeed is a priority. The school’s vision of ‘Everything we do, everything we say, everything we are about must ultimately be for the children’ is a golden thread that runs through the school’s work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy the enrichment opportunities on offer, especially reading to Fudge, the reading dog. This is an inclusive school that prepares pupils for life in modern Britain. Parents, carers, staff and pupils strongly feel that this school is like a family where everyone is welcome. As one pupil said: ‘We are kind of like a family and get to share all our news.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour across the school is exemplary. Low-level disruption is rare. Pupils are courteous. They hold doors for adults and each other. Pupils enjoy the range of ‘jobs’ on offer, such as the mini police, house captains, subject ambassadors and representatives on the school council. The pupils are chosen for these roles democratically.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Playtimes are social occasions where Year 6 ‘buddies’ support younger children and enjoy being role models. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that when it does happen, it is sorted quickly by adults from ‘our school family’. Pupils say that they feel safe.

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

Reading is a high priority in this school. The phonics programme is well established and all staff have received training. Teachers support pupils to become confident and fluent readers. Books are mostly well matched to pupils’ abilities. Leaders provide a range of interventions if pupils fall behind. The three strands of learning to read, reading for purpose and reading for pleasure are threaded into the curriculum. Pupils experience 25 and 26 January 2023

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different books to increase their confidence and reading fluency. They also read books to develop their understanding of cultural capital and to celebrate equality.

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The curriculum is well sequenced and key knowledge is revisited to help pupils understand what they have been taught. In some subjects, leaders are continuing to refine the curriculum even further. Leaders have ensured that revisiting prior learning forms a key part of most lessons. Teachers quickly address pupils’ misconceptions when they appear. Curriculum thinking sets out ambitious vocabulary to ensure that pupils experience a wide range of words. Pupils find it helpful to practise their calculations in mathematics lessons. As one pupil said: ‘Going over the calculations helps me nail it into my brain so that it becomes comfortable.’ In a small number of lessons, however, this is not always the case. Teachers do not always check what pupils know and remember about their learning.

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Children in the early years begin with a strong start. The curriculum is well planned and carefully sequenced. The learning environment is rich and inviting. Leaders ensure that there is a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities across indoor and outdoor areas. Leaders prioritise phonics and number learning. Pupils learn about different festivals, such as Chinese New Year, so that they find out about the world around them.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Plans are shared with all the relevant staff and agencies and carefully evaluated. Leaders are ambitious that the school’s provision for pupils with SEND is always developing. Leaders have rightly recognised that some pupils’ plans are not precise or reviewed regularly enough. Leaders are refining their systems for gathering pupils’ and parents’ views in the plans.

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The service children and families benefit from a personalised offer, including the involvement of the Little Troopers charity to support mindfulness when parents are on detachment.

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Pupils’ knowledge of different faiths and beliefs is strong. They understand the importance of celebrating differences. Pupils know the school’s values and model them throughout the school day. Pupils know and understand the British values. One pupil said: ‘They are values that we have in Britain that make everyone equal.’

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Parents are extremely supportive of the school’s work. They recognise that pupils ‘are known and everything that the school does is for the children’. Every parent who completed the online survey said that they would recommend the school to others. One parent stated: ‘This is a fantastic school with great and approachable leaders. It has a real sense of family.’ Many parents highlighted the approachable staff when sharing their views.

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Governors have an accurate and comprehensive view of the school. They use their skills to share roles and responsibilities. Governors understand the importance of safeguarding and their statutory duty to the Equality Act 2010. Governors hold leaders to account and share the same high ambition for every pupil. Staff feel proud to work at this school. They value the leaders, and the shared sense of teamwork. 25 and 26 January 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff and governors understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Leaders ensure that all staff have comprehensive and up-to-date training. They are knowledgeable about how to spot any signs that pupils might need help. Records are detailed and show swift actions when needed. Leaders complete all the required checks on the suitability of staff to work in the school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe and know where to go if they have a concern. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. The curriculum ensures that pupils learn how to stay safe online, in the community and when swimming or cycling.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of lessons, teachers do not carry out precise checks on what pupils already know and can do. Sometimes, pupils spend too long on work that they can already do. This means that some pupils are not progressing as quickly as they might through the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that approaches to assessment consistently assist teachers in determining clear next steps for pupils without causing unnecessary burdens for staff and pupils.  Leaders are rightly prioritising the development of SEND provision and making the plans more precise. Some pupils need to know their targets more clearly so that they know how to improve. Leaders must build on the work they have already begun and ensure that pupils’ targets are evaluated regularly with all stakeholders.

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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 April 2012. 25 and 26 January 2023

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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. 25 and 26 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10227853 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses no alternative provision.  The school is part of the Diocese of Lincoln. The most recent section 48 inspection of The Leasingham St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place on 29 June 2017.

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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 acting assistant headteacher, the early years leader, the key stage 1 leader, the pastoral and attendance leader, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). He also met with a range of other staff.  The inspector carried out deep dives in three subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to pupils read. He also looked at 25 and 26 January 2023

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curriculum documentation for personal, social, health and economic education and various school policies.  The inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair, and reviewed minutes of some governor meetings. He also spoke with a representative from the local authority on the phone.  The inspector visited collective worship and observed pupils during breaktime and lunchtime. He also spoke to parents as they arrived at school.  The inspector met with safeguarding leaders and reviewed the single central record. He also reviewed school documents concerning safeguarding and safer recruitment, and behaviour and attendance records.  The inspector reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including the free-text comments and letters and emails that were sent into school from parents and carers. He also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil

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Inspection team

Jon Brown, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 January 2023

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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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