Lake Farm Park Academy

Inspection of a good school: Lake Farm Park Academy Botwell Common Road, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 1JA

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2023

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Outcome

Lake Farm Park Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. At lunchtimes, school staff encourage them to join in with a range of activities. These include football matches, skipping games and basketball competitions. Many pupils said they love lunchtimes because they have lots of things to do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy helping each other. For example, pupil lunch monitors help others clear away their plates and cutlery quickly after eating. This is so that pupils have more time to play. Monitors typically said, ‘We’re here to help and happy to help.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff nurture trusting professional relationships with pupils. Pupils felt confident to speak to a member of staff if they are worried about anything. Leaders follow up pupils’ concerns appropriately. This includes resolving concerns about bullying. Pupils are safe and feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave respectfully. They are considerate of each other’s feelings and views. In class, pupils politely thank each other for their opinions, even if they disagree.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils’ achievement. This includes pupils with special needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders work well with teaching staff and external experts to ensure that pupils receive appropriate support.

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

Reading is given high priority here. Pupils have many opportunities to read in school and at home. All teaching staff are trained to teach phonics. Leaders regularly check that phonics is taught effectively to pupils at the early stages of learning to read. Teaching provides many opportunities for children to repeat and recall letters and sounds. Leaders check the sounds that pupils know. Pupils receive extra phonics teaching if they fall behind. This is to help them gain confidence to use their knowledge of sounds to read unfamiliar words. 22 and 23 February 2023

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Pupils with SEND receive effective help and support. Leaders have the knowledge and expertise to identify pupils with SEND quickly. Leaders have strong working relationships with a range of external professionals. This includes psychologists and therapists. Leaders and experts provide regular training for teachers and teaching assistants. As a result, teachers adapt teaching effectively for pupils with SEND. This includes those who attend the additionally resourced provision. Leaders meet with parents to discuss pupils’ learning and share ways they can support home.

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The school curriculum is ambitious and in line with the national curriculum. Leaders think carefully about what they want pupils to achieve at different stages from the early years onwards. Typically, leaders have identified the important knowledge that pupils need to know to reach these ambitious outcomes. Leaders sequence appropriately the order in which key content is taught. For example in mathematics, leaders and teachers ensure that pupils have secure knowledge of fractions in Year 4. In Year 6, pupils use this knowledge to solve problems confidently involving percentages.

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Generally, leaders and teachers check that pupils know and can recall important knowledge. They use this assessment information to decide on the next steps in pupils’ learning. Sometimes, leaders do not place enough emphasis on making sure pupils understand and have memorised essential knowledge to reach the ambitious outcomes. At times, leaders and teachers are too focused on what pupils do in class rather than on what they need to know and remember. As a result, pupils’ knowledge is not as secure as it could be in some areas.

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Leaders help pupils to understand the behaviour that is expected of them from the early years onwards. Pupils behave well in and out of lessons. Learning is not interrupted by any low-level disruption.

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Leaders provide pupils with many wider curriculum opportunities. Pupils attend a range of extra-curricular clubs, such as art, baking and chess. They enjoy taking part in competitions and events with other schools, including sports tournaments with other schools in the trust for pupils with SEND. Leaders organise educational visits that develop pupils’ subject learning further. Each year group visits a different place of worship as part of their learning about faiths and beliefs. Pupils in Year 4 said that they enjoyed a recent visit to a Buddhist temple. Pupils are taught about the importance of healthy, age- appropriate relationships and the significance of consent. They are taught to recognise different types of bullying. This includes racist, sexist and homophobic bullying.

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Leaders of the trust work with school leaders effectively. They provide appropriate support and challenge. Leaders of the trust and school leaders monitor staff workload to ensure it is manageable. Typically, staff value the ways leaders check on their well-being. 22 and 23 February 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out appropriate checks on staff before they join the school. Leaders work effectively with local safeguarding partners. They provide training for school staff so they are aware of the risks posed within the local area. Staff know the signs that may indicate that a pupil needs help and support. Leaders follow up concerns swiftly and effectively.

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Safeguarding

Leaders arrange visiting speakers to provide information for pupils about safety. Pupils take part in workshops on road safety and online safety. They are taught what to do if they are concerned about anything online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, leaders and teachers do not place enough emphasis on making sure that pupils know and remember essential knowledge. On occasion, leaders’ curriculum thinking places focus more on what pupils do instead of what pupils need to know and remember. As a result, pupils’ knowledge is not as secure as it could be in some areas. Leaders should make sure teaching ensures that pupils know and remember important knowledge.

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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 May 2017.

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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. 22 and 23 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. 22 and 23 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10226891 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 and 18 May 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There is a specially resourced provision at the school for up to 12 pupils with autism spectrum disorder.  The school does not make use of 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the principal, other senior leaders, representatives of the board of trustees and representatives of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum 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.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects. 22 and 23 February 2023

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 Inspectors looked carefully at the provision for pupils with SEND. Inspectors reviewed support plans, visited lessons and spoke with pupils. This was to check whether adaptations to teaching are appropriate and to examine how well learning plans are implemented.  Inspectors spoke with leaders, staff and pupils about safeguarding. Inspectors examined ways that leaders follow up concerns to ensure pupils get appropriate help and support.  Inspectors visited the playground and lunchtime to look at behaviour outside of lessons.  Inspectors reviewed staff, pupil and parent responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicholas Cornell Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 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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