Longvernal Primary School

Inspection of Longvernal Primary School Clapton Road, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Somerset BA3 2LP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 2 and 3 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Longvernal Primary School is a special place to learn. Pupils are at the heart of this inclusive school. They enjoy coming here. The school community sees itself as ‘one family’. Pupils appreciate the vast range of opportunities open to them to support their personal development, including the provision for outdoor learning. Leaders say pupils learn with ‘mud on their hands and smiles on their faces’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. Pupils have extremely positive attitudes toward their learning. Pastoral support is exemplary. Pupils and adults forge strong relationships. Pupils are kind and caring towards one another.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are highly respectful of each other and adults. They behave very well in lessons. Low-level disruption is extremely rare. Pupils live up to adults’ high expectations of behaviour. They know what bullying is. Pupils are adamant it does not happen here. They know staff would deal with it quickly if it did.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the education and opportunities the school provides. One parent, expressing the view of many, said, ‘Every child is celebrated for their individuality and their uniqueness. Difference is celebrated, and every child is given every opportunity to succeed.’

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better?

Leaders are extremely ambitious for all pupils, including the most disadvantaged. Staff share this ambition. They have created a culture of teamwork and respect. Leaders are highly effective and structured in their approach to school improvement. They strive for the best for each child. As a result, all achieve well.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. Pupils’ and adults’ love of reading spreads throughout the school from Nursery to Year 6. Leaders ensure pupils have high-quality books to support their enjoyment of reading. A strong culture of reading for pleasure starts in the early years. Children begin to learn phonics in the Nursery Year. Books match the sounds children are learning. Staff carry out regular checks to ensure those at risk of falling behind keep up. Older pupils enjoy reading. They understand why it is important to be able to read. Pupils talk confidently about what they have read. They extend and deepen their thinking through creative use of reading journals.

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better?

Leaders have embedded a systematic approach to the teaching of mathematics. Pupils enthuse about their mathematics learning. Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. Pupils have regular opportunities to practise and problem-solve. Staff utilise assessment rigorously to ensure any misconceptions or misunderstandings are immediately addressed.

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better?

Leaders have designed a wider curriculum that is well sequenced and builds relevant knowledge and skills over time. However, in some subjects, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are not able to connect 2 and 3 February 2023

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current learning to what they already know. For example, in history, pupils struggle to explain concepts such as empire. As a result, they do not deepen their historical understanding. However, leaders have started to put in place a range of assessment strategies to check where pupils and children in the early years have specific gaps.

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Staff understand the needs of pupils extremely well, including those with SEND. Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Additional support is clearly organised with small steps leading to ambitious end points. As a result, pupils with SEND thrive.

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Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. Children in the early years have established routines where they respect, listen and behave well. The school’s FOREST values of family, originality, respect, excellence, self-belief and teamwork are clearly understood and followed by all. Pupils demonstrate good manners and are polite and courteous.

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Leaders want all pupils to have high aspirations of what they can achieve. This ambition sits at the heart of personal development. Leaders provide an abundance of opportunities to develop pupils’ confidence, resilience and self-esteem. Leaders help pupils to ‘be the best that they can be’. Pupils know this. They know staff believe in them. Pupils enjoy the range of responsibilities open to them. These include being digital, community, reading and play leaders. Pupils take these responsibilities seriously. In addition, planned trips and visits support pupils’ understanding of cultures and religions beyond their own community.

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Governors and the trust share the same ambitions as leaders. They are equally determined that each child will succeed. Governors provide a high level of challenge. Staff value the wealth of development and training opportunities they receive. New staff appreciate the open and supportive ethos. Leaders proactively take staff's workload and well-being into account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure there is a strong culture of keeping pupils safe. Staff receive frequent, up-to-date safeguarding training. They are vigilant and fully understand their responsibilities. Staff are confident in reporting concerns. They know leaders take all concerns, however small, seriously.

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Safeguarding

Staff complete the necessary checks on the suitability of adults to ensure they are safe to work with children. Pupils feel safe. They know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. Pupils know who to go to if they have a worry. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum supports pupils’ understanding of risk. 2 and 3 February 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects across the wider curriculum, including in the early years, teaching does not sufficiently enable pupils to deepen their knowledge of important concepts. As a result, pupils do not always make links with their prior knowledge. Teachers need to fully take into account what pupils already know so pupils build their knowledge effectively over time across all subjects.

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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. 2 and 3 February 2023

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School details

Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 April 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Longvernal Primary School is a single-form entry school. It is part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership.  The current headteacher took up her substantive post in September 2019.  The school shares a local governing board with Norton Hill Primary School.  The school does 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 met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding leads, groups of staff, the school improvement partner for primary, the chief education officer of the Midsomer 2 and 3 February 2023

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Norton Schools Partnership, a trustee and members of the local governing board.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited samples of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in religious education with leaders.  Inspectors considered the documentation around safeguarding, including the safeguarding checks made on staff. They discussed how the school protects pupils and keeps them safe with staff, pupils, leaders and governors.  Inspectors considered the 86 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 80 free-text responses, 21 responses to the staff survey and 45

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Inspection team

Heather Barraclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Shirley Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 February 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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