Loxwood Primary School

Inspection of Loxwood Primary School Nicholsfield, Loxwood, Billingshurst, West Sussex RH14 0SR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 17 and 18 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to come to school. They work well and learn to build character through the ‘Loxwood learner life list’. This gives them a range of opportunities beyond the classroom. These can include watching a pantomime, learning about nature or raising money for charity. All these contribute to the rounded curriculum that leaders have designed, and pupils enjoy. Leaders ensure that all take part, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that staff have high aspirations for them, and they respond well to challenges such as when problem-solving in the woodland school. Here, they develop the confidence to take risks and try new ideas. Pupils are enthusiastic participants of the wide selection of clubs, both at lunchtime and after school. These include athletics, cricket and singing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils consistently behave well. From Reception, children benefit from the clear structures and routines that help them to interact well with each other. They are polite and courteous to each other and the adults that they meet. Pupils play well together at playtimes, enjoying the beautiful school grounds. Bullying is rare and records show that adults resolve it quickly if it happens. Pupils feel safe at the school.

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better?

Leaders have taken the school on a noticeable improvement journey within the last 18 months, which is having a positive impact on the pupils’ education and their enjoyment of school. Leaders have addressed the areas of development as identified in the previous report.

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better?

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils, including those with SEND. However, there is more work to do in ensuring consistency when implementing individual learning plans. Overall, leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that starts in the early years and progresses up the school. Subject leaders set out clearly the knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and remember. Most teachers have secure subject knowledge, although there are some inconsistencies in the delivery of lessons.

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better?

Most teachers check pupils’ understanding from lesson to lesson. This helps them to know what pupils have learned and remembered. However, this information is not consistently used to help plan and adapt the next learning activities. This is particularly the case in mathematics, where implementation is more variable.

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better?

Children in Reception class start to learn phonics as soon as they are in school. All staff have been trained well and are experts in early reading, delivering phonics lessons consistently well and supporting pupils on an individual basis as needed. Leaders ensure that pupils who struggle with early reading are given the 17 and 18 May 2023

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support to enable them to keep up. This is effective and helps all pupils to become confident and fluent readers. All books are well matched to each pupil’s reading ability. Parents and carers are well informed as to how they can help support their child at home. All this work has helped to create a love of reading that is evident as you walk around the school. Leaders ensure that pupils have access to a diverse range of high-quality texts and are surrounded by stories and books. Pupils relish this and eagerly talk about what they are reading.

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Leaders know pupils with SEND well. There are clear procedures in place to identify pupils with additional needs which start the moment pupils enter the school. Leaders ensure that teachers know the barriers to pupils’ learning. However, there is some variability in the delivery of pupils’ individual learning plans, which means that provision for pupils with SEND is not consistently strong.

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Pupils’ wider development and well-being are given prominence. The school’s very strong commitment to outdoor learning is a principal component in promoting well- being. The pupils gain extensive skills and knowledge, including cooking, making fires, using knives safely and appropriately and the ability to problem-solve. In addition to this, pupils are encouraged to develop their knowledge and understanding beyond the classroom using the school’s character curriculum. Leaders are committed to ensuring that pupils learn about and respect different faiths, feelings and values.

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There are many leadership roles on offer, including sports leaders, house captains, eco councillors and mental health ambassadors. Recently, pupil leaders have been involved in reintroducing the ‘buddy bench’. Despite the strong offer of clubs, not all pupils take on these opportunities.

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The well-being and professional development of staff are priorities for leaders. Staff feel well supported and valued. The governors know what the school does well and what needs further improvement. The governors perform their statutory duties with rigour and enthusiasm.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to recognise the potential risks that pupils face and to record any concerns promptly. Thorough record-keeping helps leaders to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Leaders liaise well with external agencies to keep pupils safe. Appropriate checks are carried out to ensure that the adults in school are safe to work with children.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to stay safe in the local community and when online. They know that adults will help them with any worries. Extra support for mental health is available should pupils need it. 17 and 18 May 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff are not confident at implementing individual learning plans for pupils with SEND. As a result, some pupils with SEND are not making the expected progress. Leaders need to ensure that all staff know how to adapt learning activities to meet the specific needs of all pupils. Leaders should also regularly monitor the delivery of individual learning plans for pupils with SEND to ensure that they are getting the provision that is agreed.  Not all teachers have the knowledge to implement the mathematics scheme as intended. Therefore, there are inconsistencies with outcomes for pupils. Leaders must ensure that they continue to prioritise support and training to ensure consistency across the school when teaching mathematics.

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How can I feed my views back?

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.

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How can I feed my views back?

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. 17 and 18 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 January 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new chair of the governing body has been appointed since the previous inspection  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with members of the local governing committee.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, 17 and 18 May 2023

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spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also listened to pupils read.  Inspectors considered the effectiveness of the safeguarding arrangements in the school by speaking with leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with the safeguarding team to examine their knowledge. During these meetings, the lead inspector scrutinised records and sampled case files to explore how the school identifies and supports pupils at risk of harm.  The views of parents, staff and pupils were considered through Ofsted’s online surveys and conversations during the inspection. An inspector spoke with a small group of parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Michael Eggleton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Liz McIntosh Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 May 2023

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