Langley Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Langley Primary School St Bernard’s Road, Olton, Solihull, West Midlands B92 7DJ

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Outcome

Langley Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and are enthusiastic learners. They feel safe because the staff look after them well. Positive relationships exist between staff and pupils. Typical comments from pupils show that they enjoy being with their friends and learning new things. Pupils also enjoy going on trips to support their learning. They would like to do this more often.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a calm and relaxed atmosphere around the school. Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. In lessons, pupils listen well and focus on their learning. At breaktimes, pupils play cooperatively and enjoy catching up with their friends. They display good manners and rush to hold doors open for staff and visitors. Staff take bullying seriously and deal with any issues when they arise.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, governors and staff want the very best for all pupils. This has led to many improvements in the quality of education and other aspects of school life. However, leaders are not complacent and they are determined to improve the school even further.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers speak positively about the school. They appreciate the approachability of staff and the fact that teachers are willing to go above and beyond.

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

In a wide range of subjects, leaders have considered what pupils will learn and the order in which they will learn it. A child’s learning journey is mapped out from Nursery to the end of Year 6. What pupils learn builds on what they already know and builds towards what they will learn next. In the early years and beyond, the importance of developing pupils’ language is a whole-school priority. In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is very new and in the early stages of being introduced. In these subjects, leaders have not had the opportunity to check how well the curriculum is being delivered. 7 and 8 February 2023

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Teachers have secure subject knowledge. This is due to the programme of training and support that leaders have put in place. Teachers model subject-specific language accurately, which pupils now mirror when they explain their own understanding of a concept. Teachers use questioning skilfully to explore pupils’ understanding and deepen their learning. In most instances, staff check that pupils have understood new learning and adapt their teaching if required.

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Reading has a high priority in the school. It underpins the entire curriculum across early years and the rest of the school. Staff teach phonics consistently well because they are well trained. Ongoing support from leaders helps staff to refine their phonics teaching even further. Pupils read with accuracy and fluency. Systems are in place to provide extra help for any pupils who fall behind with their reading to help them catch up. A love of reading is promoted well through daily story times and the English curriculum, which is built around a range of high-quality texts.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in lessons and all aspects of school life. Teachers know these pupils well. As a result, they identify pupils’ needs accurately. Teachers consider pupils’ needs when they plan learning activities. Additional learning resources are at hand if required and staff step in if a pupil needs extra help.

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Pupils speak enthusiastically about the wide range of after-school clubs on offer. These include football, dance and tennis. Pupils have a good understanding of healthy eating and understand the importance of exercise. They know about the different types of families that exist in their local community, including single-parent families and same-sex couples. However, their knowledge of different faiths and beliefs is limited and at times confused. Despite this, pupils say that everyone, regardless of their background, is welcome in their school. Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities in school. The peer listeners are proud of what they achieve on the playground.

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Leaders know the school well. Supported by governors and staff, they are continually looking for ways to further improve the quality of education and pupils’ wider experiences. For example, recent changes to the phonics curriculum have had a huge impact on how well pupils learn to read.

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Staff work as a team and are proud to wear the Langley badge. Leaders are considerate of teachers’ workload and the well-being of all staff. Teachers say that leaders know them well and care for them. They gave lots of examples of how leaders demonstrate this, such as tailored support for individual members of staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors have made sure that safeguarding is everyone’s top priority. The safeguarding team are knowledgeable and carry out their roles efficiently. Leaders organise regular training for all staff. As a result, staff know how to spot concerns and they know what to do if they are worried about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders work well with 7 and 8 February 2023

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external agencies to secure additional support if required. The curriculum teaches pupils how to stay safe both in school and beyond the school gate. Pupils name a trusted adult who they would go to if they were worried about something.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of subjects, subject leaders have had limited opportunities to make checks on how well the curriculum is being implemented. As a result, subject leaders are unclear how well pupils are achieving. Leaders should provide these subject leaders with the opportunity and support to make checks on how well the curriculum is being delivered.  Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is sufficiently focused on developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different faiths and beliefs. Consequently, pupils’ knowledge of these is limited and at times confused. Leaders need to make sure that the curriculum successfully develops pupils’ knowledge of faiths and beliefs that are different to their own.

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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 July 2014.

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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10257023 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.langleyprimary.solihull.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a nursery, which admits three-year-olds.  The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club on the premises. This provision is operated by an external provider.  The school does not use 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 school leaders and has taken this into account in his evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. He met with governors, including the chair of the governing body. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector held meetings with a range of leaders to discuss safeguarding and provision for pupils with SEND.  As part of the inspection, the inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the 7 and 8 February 2023

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curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector spoke to groups of pupils formally and informally about their learning and experiences at school.  Safeguarding documents were checked, including the checks that leaders make on staff’s suitability to work with children. The inspector checked that staff implement safeguarding policies and procedures effectively across the school.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including the free-text responses received during the inspection.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included the school’s self-evaluation, school development plan, school policies,

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Inspection team

Wayne Simner, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 7 and 8 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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