Laburnum Primary School

Inspection of Laburnum Primary School Laburnum Road, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 1HQ

p.1

Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires Improvement Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 6 and 7 December 2022

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Laburnum Primary want to do well. However, the opportunities they have to learn and play safely are affected by the disruptive behaviour of a significant minority of pupils. These pupils do not follow the school rules or respect consequences. Therefore, for many pupils, poor behaviour is accepted as the norm.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Although bullying is not common, pupils report frequent physical incidents, swearing and being distracted from learning by others. As a result, pupils say they do not feel safe in school. Pupils are not confident that staff can stop poor behaviour from happening. Parents also express concern about their children’s safety.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

While pupils experience a wide range of subjects, the quality of education they receive is not good. This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to extend their experiences beyond the curriculum. This includes learning to play an instrument, cooking, theatre visits and accessing clubs. They take on responsibilities and are proud to be members of the eco-committee or school council.

p.2

better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. This is intended to ensure pupils, including those in early years, have the opportunity to build their knowledge over time. Leaders are knowledgeable about the subjects they lead. However, leaders and teachers have limited opportunity to focus on the quality of education. Too much of their time is taken up with dealing with poor behaviour. Teachers do not always check thoroughly what pupils know so do not adapt activities carefully to meet pupils’ specific needs. Therefore, some gaps in pupils’ knowledge and misconceptions are not addressed. As a result, pupils are not achieving as well as they could.

p.2

better?

Leaders have ensured pupils are given access to high-quality texts and vocabulary through a well-thought-out reading curriculum. Most pupils have a secure understanding of what they read. They develop reading fluency through regular phonics sessions and having reading books that help them practise the sounds they learn. Pupils who struggle with learning to read receive additional help. This support is not always effective because teachers do not check closely enough that it is appropriate. Therefore, readers with gaps in what they know do not catch up quickly.

p.2

better?

Children in the early years experience a range of learning opportunities, many of which help prepare them for Year 1. In the Nursery class, adults interact well with children when they are playing. This helps them to develop their language and independence. This does not happen as well in the Reception class. However, the 6 and 7 December 2022

p.2

3

curriculum throughout the early years is typically better adapted to children’s needs than it is in the rest of the school.

p.3

3

The behaviour policy is not fit for purpose nor well understood. Leaders have not put in place clear systems that all staff and pupils understand. Adults do not apply consequences for poor behaviour consistently. A significant minority of pupils continue to show poor conduct and disrupt learning, including some pupils with SEND. Leaders’ actions have seen a small reduction in the number of pupils regularly not attending school. However, absence is still too high.

p.3

3

Pupils understand democracy through elections to the school council. They enjoy regular cooking sessions to help them understand healthy lifestyles. Pupils understand that discrimination is wrong. They know learning about other religions helps them to respect different viewpoints. However, some pupils do not use their understanding of respectful relationships when interacting with each other.

p.3

3

Staff feel leaders are supportive of their well-being and workload.

p.3

3

While leaders know what needs to be done to improve the school and have sought external support, there is a lack of rigour and urgency in the actions leaders have taken to date. Governors do not hold leaders sufficiently to account. They are aware of the issues but have not asked appropriate questions to challenge what is being done to improve key aspects of the quality of provision, particularly behaviour.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders do not have effective strategies to ensure pupils are protected from the risk of physical harm from some pupils’ poor behaviour.

p.3

Safeguarding

Safeguarding records about pupils are detailed and securely stored. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and know how to identify and report concerns.

p.3

Safeguarding

Although pupils know who to report concerns about their safety to, they do not have confidence that staff will be able to keep them safe.

p.3

Safeguarding

The curriculum teaches pupils how to keep themselves safe in many different situations.

p.3

Safeguarding

All necessary checks on adults who work in school are carried out. 6 and 7 December 2022

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Approaches taken by leaders to address poor conduct are not well understood or routinely applied. This means that pupils are at continued risk of physical harm and anti-social behaviour from other pupils, which also disrupts pupils’ learning. Pupils do not feel safe. They do not have confidence in staff being able to keep them safe from the behaviour of some pupils. Leaders need to ensure that the behaviour policy is reviewed, so it is fit for purpose, and consistently applied by all, so that the school becomes a calm, safe and orderly environment for everyone.  Leaders and teachers do not check that the strategies they use to support pupils who are struggling to learn to read are appropriate. This means pupils who need additional support with learning to read are not catching up quickly enough. Leaders and teachers need to regularly check the impact of reading interventions to ensure that all pupils become confident and fluent readers.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Too many pupils, including some with SEND, are not supported to access classroom learning successfully. Often the result is that their behaviour deteriorates. Leaders need to ensure staff have the expertise they need to implement curriculum plans effectively and meet the needs of all pupils. This will ensure that pupils, including those with SEND can access the same curriculum as others, and learn strategies to increasingly manage their own behaviours.  Leaders have not been effective in tackling weaknesses in the school. As a result, these weaknesses persist. Leaders need to ensure they rigorously and frequently monitor the impact of their actions to bring about demonstrable improvement in the quality of provision, including for pupils with SEND.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders and those responsible for governance may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 6 and 7 December 2022

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.5

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. 6 and 7 December 2022

p.5

School details

Inspection number 10242092 Type of school Primary

p.6

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.6

School details

Chair of governing body Pauline Duncombe

p.6

School details

Date of previous inspection 5 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.6

Information about this school

 Laburnum Primary School has become a primary school since the last inspection, having previously been a lower school. It now provides education for pupils from Nursery to Year 6.  The school currently uses one unregistered alternative provider.  The school runs its own breakfast club.

p.6

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.6

Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform. 6 and 7 December 2022

p.6

7

 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and design and technology. 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.  An inspector spoke to leaders about the curriculum in personal, social and health education.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, early years leader, three governors and a local authority school improvement adviser.  Inspectors reviewed school documentation, including the minutes of the meetings

p.7

7

of the governing body and monitoring notes from the local authority.  To inspect safeguarding, the lead inspector met with leaders to scrutinise records and review the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. Inspectors also used discussions with pupils, staff and governors to evaluate the culture of safeguarding.  Inspectors considered the responses and free-text comments to Ofsted’s questionnaire for parents, along with the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaires for pupils and staff. Inspectors also spoke with a number of parents in the playground.

p.7

Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.7

Inspection team

Helen Jones Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 December 2022

p.7

8

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.

p.8

8

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

8

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

8

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

8

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8