Longford CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Longford CofE Primary School Main Street, Longford, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 3DR

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Outcome

Longford CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘Longford school is more than a school, it feels like a true community’, is how one parent captured the sentiments of many. The school radiates a welcoming, friendly and inclusive ethos. Everyone upholds the school’s motto of ‘time to learn, time to care and time to have fun’. Pupils are proud of their school. Expectations are high. Pupils respond well to these. They are enthusiastic about learning. Classrooms are busy and purposeful. Pupils attend and achieve well. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to learn about the world around them. Themes such as diversity and heritage are woven across a range of different subjects. Staff develop pupils’ cultural and spiritual understanding during visits to different places of worship. Pupils enjoy discussing moral and social issues, including the Windrush generation, among others. The school’s pupil leadership team challenged gender stereotyping by canvassing views on changing the colour of the bathrooms.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They say that bullying is not a feature of their school. They know they are well cared for by staff. Pupils embrace the school’s values of ‘resilience, cooperation, kindness, respect and empathy’. Pupils enjoy taking on leadership roles, including anti- bullying and playground leaders.

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

Strong leadership has further strengthened the school’s provision for all pupils and staff. Leaders and staff know, and are ambitious for, every pupil.

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

Leaders have created a curriculum that is broad and ambitious. In most subjects, including English, mathematics and science, leaders have identified the important knowledge they want pupils to learn and build over time. However, in a small number of subjects, it is not always explicitly clear what specific knowledge leaders intend pupils to learn. This means that pupils might not achieve as highly as they could in these subjects. 14 March 2023

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The promotion of reading is strong. Pupils enjoy reading a wide range of high-quality texts. Pupils are willing to discuss their reading. Staff read to pupils with enthusiasm during story time. Pupils enjoy anticipating and predicting what might come next in the story.

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Leaders have introduced a well-considered approach to ‘guided reading’ sessions in Years 2 to 6. During this time, pupils deepen their skills in using higher level vocabulary, prediction and making inferences from texts linked to different subjects. In turn, pupils strengthen their writing skills. In the Year 5 and 6 class, for example, pupils produce high- quality written pieces about Shackleton’s journey to the Antarctic.

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Staff are passionate about helping pupils learn to read, right from the start of Reception. Leaders have ensured that books match the sounds pupils are learning. Pupils use their phonics knowledge to decode and blend unfamiliar words. Staff check pupils’ reading skills often. Pupils who need extra help receive it without delay. Pupils show determination to succeed when they encounter tricky words.

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Staff use their strong subject knowledge to plan learning activities that are purposeful and interesting. They routinely check what pupils know and can do. Misconceptions are generally picked up quickly and remedied. Staff are considerate of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They ensure that everyone equally experiences the same curriculum. Additional adults provide close support for pupils with SEND.

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Children in the early years make a positive start to school. Routines for these children are well established. Expectations are high from day one. Children are well prepared for key stage 1. Children focus on their learning well, for example in learning specific vocabulary in science, such as flora and fauna. They benefit from a stimulating learning environment.

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Leaders give high priority to pupils’ personal development. Pupils have a good understanding of positive relationships and how to stay healthy. They have a strong sense of what is right and wrong. Pupils embrace both Christian and British values, celebrating what makes people unique. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They know the importance of treating people fairly and with respect, including those of different faith, heritage or lifestyle.

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Most pupils take part in the school’s extra-curricular offering. They enjoy the variety of sports activities, including dodgeball and tennis. Leaders ensure that all pupils have equal opportunity to join in.

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The school is well supported by the trust. Governance is strong. Governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and improvement priorities. They and the trust leaders provide the school’s leaders with appropriate support and challenge. Staff morale is high. As one member of staff said, ‘Being at Longford is like being part of a family’. Leaders are considerate of staff well-being and workload. 14 March 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

A strong culture of care and vigilance permeates all aspects of school life. Pupils say they feel safe. They know they can talk to staff about any worries they may have. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Leaders have introduced a specific curriculum for safety, including talks by guest speakers on issues, such as online safety, fire and water safety and meeting the ‘Worry Wizard’.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained. They know how to spot the signs that a pupil might be at risk of harm. Leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils, and their families, receive swift and appropriate help. Safeguarding records are comprehensive.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In most subjects, leaders have identified the subject-specific knowledge that they want pupils to learn and when. In a smaller number of subjects, this is less explicit. This means that sometimes teachers may not know what knowledge they should be checking to ensure that pupils successfully build their knowledge over time and achieve well. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum in these subjects clearly identifies the key knowledge they expect pupils to learn over time, to ensure that pupils gain a secure understanding across all subjects.

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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 predecessor school, Longford CofE Primary School, to be good in November 2011. 14 March 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. 14 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10281524 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 November 2016, under Section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Embark Federation in August 2019.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes. Children in the early years are taught in a mixed class that includes Year 1 and Year 2 pupils.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.  The school provides an on-site breakfast club.

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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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior teacher and other members of staff, including the coordinator for pupils with SEND.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, the lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and scrutinised the school’s 14 March 2023

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safeguarding documentation and records, including the single central record for the recruitment of staff.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of school documents, including improvement plans and policies relating to safeguarding, pupils with SEND and behaviour.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the board of trustees and the chair and vice chair of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in three subjects: phonics and early reading, English and humanities. For each deep dive, they met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also reviewed curriculum documentation for a range of other subjects, including science, computing, art and design technology.  The lead inspector listened to a small number of pupils from key stage 1 and Year 3

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read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site during playtime. A visit was made to the school’s morning breakfast club.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online parental survey, Parent View. Inspectors also spoke with parents at the school gate and two groups of staff.

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Inspection team

Chris Stevens, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Ben Waldram Ofsted Inspector 14 March 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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