Langtoft Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Langtoft Primary School Manor Close, Langtoft, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE6 9NB

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Outcome

Langtoft Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Respect, resilience, cooperation, consideration, ambition, independence and confidence are the seven core values at this school. Pupils, parents and staff all played a part in setting these values for their community school. Pupils know them and do their very best to show them at all times in their work and their play. They are kind and have empathy. Pupils know that sometimes others have a bad day and need help to get it right. The result is that this is a warm, welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel safe and attend well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Play and creativity are important at Langtoft Primary. Younger pupils like how Year 6 play leaders and peer mediators help them to play positively together. In art, teachers give pupils freedom to apply their skills in the way they choose. This promotes confidence and independence. In class assemblies, pupils think hard and discuss serious matters like the United Nations’ rights of the child.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ effort and learning. Pupils work hard and achieve well. They are proud when their effort earns them a place in ‘the golden book of greatness’. The curriculum is new and leaders are working to continue to develop it so that pupils can achieve even more.

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

Leaders, staff and governors are united in their determination to ensure that all pupils thrive at this school. Under the skilful leadership of the recently appointed headteacher, they have worked hard together to review and improve the curriculum. The result is an ambitious curriculum with the school’s values at its heart. Subject leaders have set out what they want pupils to know and learn. They have planned experiences that enrich and inspire pupils’ learning. In classrooms, teachers use maps and timelines to help pupils to understand where their learning fits in time and place. 10 and 11 May 2023

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In most areas of the curriculum, subject leaders have broken down the curriculum so that teachers know exactly what pupils must learn at each stage. Where this is the case, teachers give clear explanations. They make sure that pupils learn and apply the core knowledge successfully. However, in subjects where this is not in place, teachers do not focus sharply enough on the core knowledge. Pupils do not produce work of consistently high quality. Leaders are aware of this and have plans to continue to improve the curriculum.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from high-quality interventions delivered by well-trained staff who know them well. They follow the same curriculum as their peers and make steady progress. In lessons, teachers often make effective adaptations to support pupils’ learning. However, this is not as effective as it could be because they do not always set clear targets that address pupils’ precise needs. Leaders have already identified this and have plans to provide all staff with the training they need.

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Leaders prioritise reading. Children learn phonics from the start of the Reception year. The phonics curriculum is highly effective. Staff have high levels of expertise as a result of the training leaders provide. Pupils can apply the phonics strategies they learn with confidence. Early readers read books that match the sounds they are learning. Throughout the school, pupils read a wide variety of books. Leaders choose texts carefully to be interesting, entertaining and reflect the rich diversity of the world. Pupils enjoy reading. They said it helps their well-being.

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Children and their families get a warm welcome when children start school. The teacher makes sure that there is good communication between home and school. This helps children settle well in the calm, inviting learning environment. They have warm relationships with adults. Staff make sure that play is engaging and supports children’s development needs.

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Leaders make sure that pupils get high-quality social and emotional education. Pupils learn to manage anxiety with breathing exercises. They have trusted adults they can talk to about any worries. Specialist staff work effectively with pupils who need a little extra help to learn to manage their emotions. Pupils also benefit from a wide range of experiences and opportunities to discover and develop their talents and interests.

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Staff feel valued and supported by leaders. They value the training that leaders provide because it helps them to improve how they work with pupils. Governors are committed and make sure they know the school well. They provide the right balance of support and challenge to school leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a culture of care and vigilance. Staff know pupils well. Leaders provide them with comprehensive safeguarding training. Staff use the policies and procedures that leaders have put in place consistently. They keep detailed records of any 10 and 11 May 2023

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concerns they have or actions they take. Leaders work very effectively with safeguarding partners to ensure that pupils and families get the support they need.

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Leaders ensure that pupils learn to keep themselves and others safe. For example, they have made sure that pupils learn to stay safe online through the computing curriculum. This learning is reinforced in assemblies and in personal, social and health education lessons.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have identified that some target setting for pupils with SEND is not precise enough. This means that teachers do not always meet pupils’ needs. Leaders must continue with their plans to ensure all staff understand how to identify small steps of progress for pupils with SEND and adapt their teaching accordingly so that all pupils learn as well as they should.  In some areas of the curriculum, leaders have not identified the precise knowledge that pupils should learn at each stage of learning. Where this is the case, teachers do not always focus on the most important knowledge in lessons. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum is carefully broken down and sequenced in all areas so that teachers know exactly what the core knowledge is and plan their teaching to ensure pupils learn it.

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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 school to be good in September 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. 10 and 11 May 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. 10 and 11 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10241729 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up her post in September 2021.  The school does not make use of any 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the SENDcoordinator and the foundation stage leader.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, art and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited lessons, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke with teachers and pupils. For the reading deep dive, she listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also spoke to a representative of Lincolnshire local authority. 10 and 11 May 2023

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, the inspector reviewed school policies, procedures and a sample of records. She met with the designated safeguarding leads and spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspector spoke with some parents at the school and considered their responses to the Ofsted survey.  The inspector met with a range of staff and pupils and considered their responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Aoife Galletly, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 10 and 11 May 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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