Lyndhurst Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Lyndhurst Primary School Grove Lane, London SE5 8SN

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Outcome

Lyndhurst Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Lyndhurst Primary. Pupils understand and embody the school’s key principles, such as advocacy. They aim to do this through the caring and kind relationships they have with others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kept safe and feel safe here. Behaviour in lessons is calm and orderly, which allows pupils to focus on their learning. At breaktimes, behaviour is also well managed. Pupils engage well with their friends in the playground and appreciate the activities that are provided for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to succeed. The curriculum is generally designed and implemented to realise this ambition. Where this is not the case, leaders have appropriate plans in place to further develop what pupils learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the different enrichment activities that they take part in. These include drama, chess, art, gardening and dance. Pupils are also starting to take on the responsibility of choosing and setting up their own clubs, and are proud to do so. Pupils are supported to contribute well to the wider life of the school. The elected school council are currently working on re-designing the playground. Pupils also enjoy participating in the school radio station through interviews and making other recordings.

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

Pupils study the full breadth and ambition of the national curriculum. In most subjects, leaders have identified what pupils should learn and remember. This is well sequenced, so that pupils return to, and deepen their knowledge of, important concepts. For example, in mathematics, children in early years focus on developing their understanding of number through practising counting often. This secure foundation helps older pupils to multiply and divide numbers fluently. Similarly, in history, pupils learn about cause and effect. Older pupils draw on this knowledge effectively and can explain the causes of increasingly complex events, such as the First World War. 25 and 26 April 2023

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However, the curriculum in a small number of other subjects is at an earlier stage of development. In these areas, the explicit knowledge that pupils should learn and remember is not as clearly identified. Leaders recognise this. They have plans in place to address this and make suitable improvements.

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Teachers check pupils’ understanding. Misconceptions are identified and addressed swiftly. Teaching focuses on developing subject-related vocabulary to help pupils to understand the most important content in the curriculum. However, this is less consistent in those wider curriculum subjects where leaders’ aims and expectations for a subject are in the earlier stages of development. In these subjects, teaching does not consistently emphasise the important ideas or check that pupils have understood them. As a result, pupils’ knowledge in these subjects can be less secure.

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Reading is prioritised from the start of early years. Leaders have ensured that all staff are well trained to deliver the agreed phonics programme with precision. Pupils are provided with books which match the sounds that they know. This helps them to develop fluency in their reading. Appropriate and timely extra sessions are provided to pupils who need to catch up. This helps to ensure that pupils develop as strong readers over time. Pupils are encouraged to read regularly for pleasure through a range of activities, such as the school ‘readathon’.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately identified. Their specific needs and support strategies are shared with staff. This means that tasks and activities are typically well adapted to meet the needs of these pupils. This is particularly the case in English and mathematics. As a result, pupils access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils behave well in lessons. This is because teachers have established clear routines and expectations. Pupils across the school work hard and focus on their learning. Pupils’ wider experiences are well considered. A range of visits enhance the curriculum. For example, pupils visited the Imperial War Museum as part of their learning in history. They also visited the fire station to help them learn to be safe and responsible citizens. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. They were excited to take part in the recent Eid meal for the local community.

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Teachers feel well supported by leaders. They feel that their workload and well-being are considered. The trust provides helpful capacity and support for the school. Leaders and those responsible for governance have a clear and accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that staff receive appropriate training. This means that adults know how to identify and report any concerns that they might have. Leaders respond to 25 and 26 April 2023

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concerns in a timely way, including working closely with external agencies when necessary.

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The personal, social, and health education curriculum, along with a specific well-being curriculum, has been designed to ensure that pupils learn how to keep safe. This includes staying safe when working online and how to maintain good mental health.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the knowledge that pupils need to secure is not clearly defined. In these instances, teachers do not sufficiently emphasise or check that pupils have secured these concepts. Leaders should ensure that the important ideas pupils need to learn and remember are identified. This will better support teachers to emphasise core ideas in a subject, and check that pupils, including those with SEND, understand these ideas and develop a deep body of knowledge across the curriculum.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Lyndhurst Primary School, to be good in November 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. 25 and 26 April 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. 25 and 26 April 2023

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School details

Website https://lyndhurstprimaryschool.com/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school became part of the Charter Schools Educational Trust in April 2021.  The current headteacher joined the school in September 2022.  The school makes use of one unregistered alternative provider, operated by the local authority.

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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 that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteachers and members of staff.  Discussions were also held with the chief executive officer of the Charter Schools Educational Trust, and a range of governors and trustees, including the chair of the local governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders to discuss the 25 and 26 April 2023

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curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  The inspector also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation and priorities for improvement.  The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising records and through discussions with leaders, staff and pupils.  The inspector spoke with the deputy headteacher at the alternative provision used.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered and considered through discussions and Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Sophie Healey-Welch, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 25 and 26 April 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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