Lunsford Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Lunsford Primary School Swallow Road, Larkfield, Aylesford, Kent ME20 6PY

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Outcome

Lunsford Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school prepares pupils well for the future. Visits from a magistrate and an ex- offender teach pupils about the law and the justice system. A charity visits to help pupils understand how to manage money. Trips to the fire station educate pupils about fire safety. Pupils fulfil leadership roles such as prefect, librarian and house captain. Others are ambassadors for school values, the environment, anti-bullying or online safety. Pupils prepare speeches and lead campaigns in their bids to become head boy and girl. Everyone gets to vote, learning about the democratic process.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy regular ‘inspiration days’, offering enrichment opportunities across the school. Highlights include orienteering, designing board games, Batik printing workshops and geocaching. Well-being is embedded into experiences such as outdoor learning and mindfulness clubs. Pupils’ sporting skills are nurtured through local competitions involving archery, swimming and athletics. Pupils’ musical talents flourish through piano, violin and guitar lessons. Pupils proudly share a summer concert at school and a choir performance in a large arena.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff expectations of pupils are high and met. Relationships are kind and caring. Pupils feel safe, happy and proud of their school. At playtimes, everyone stays active and happy. Younger children are thrilled to enjoy games led by older pupils. Pupils treat each other with kindness and respect.

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

Children make a strong start in early years. Staff aim high, encouraging children to acquire language and number skills swiftly. Tasks are well designed and purposeful. Children show high levels of engagement, throwing beanbags at numbered targets before using excellent doubling skills to write number sentences. Mathematics teaching is impressive across the school. Recall activities are used daily to help pupils rehearse and embed their number skills. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) use resources such as bespoke abacus equipment and visual aids to help them. 13 and 14 June 2023

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By the end of Year 6, work in books is of a high standard. For example, pupils achieve well with algebra, fraction calculations and investigation work.

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Everyone coped well with the challenge of being based in temporary accommodation for a year. When the school returned to its refurbished site, the library was developed as the beating heart of the school. Pupils love the diverse range of books which celebrate all genres, backgrounds and cultures. Reading newsletters and workshops help parents and carers to support reading at home. All staff are trained in the new phonics scheme, which has been implemented successfully since September 2022. Children break down words and practise sounds well from early years onwards. Teachers match books precisely to the sounds being taught. Staff identify gaps quickly with frequent assessments. One-to- one catch-up helps pupils to self-correct with plenty of well-supported practice. Occasionally, the modelling of sounds by some staff is less precise, which prevents some pupils achieving well in reading.

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Classrooms are designed to help pupils with their learning, particularly those with SEND. Wall displays use the same high visibility and language choices across the school. Staff meet regularly to identify if pupils need extra help. Leaders review provision and agree achievable targets for individual pupils. There is a wealth of expertise across the team, including strong support for speech and language, dyslexia and processing needs. Parents are well involved and speak highly of help for issues including anxiety.

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The whole curriculum is planned precisely with well-chosen vocabulary and required knowledge carefully sequenced. In geography, pupils develop impressive technical skills, using Ordnance Survey maps, and designing their own keys. Pupils were inspired by human geography studies involving plastic pollution. Teachers capitalised on this passion and helped pupils to lead eco projects to reduce litter locally.

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Assessment is effective in most subjects. In reading, mathematics and geography, teachers sharply identify what pupils know. They give clear guidance to pupils about how to improve their work. However, this approach is not embedded in every subject. This means that, in some areas of the curriculum, teachers may be less certain about what pupils securely remember.

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Behaviour is positive. Pupils listen, concentrate and collaborate well. Learning is not disrupted, because staff manage minor distractions swiftly and effectively. Everyone understands and follows the well-established rules of ‘be safe, be ready, be respectful’.

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Teachers help pupils to develop morally and spiritually. In religious education, pupils immerse themselves in rich discussions. Nobody shies away from challenging questions. Pupils’ understanding of faiths is enhanced by visits from Islamic and Christian leaders. Pupils care about equality and diversity.

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Staff are dedicated and proud. Leaders manage workload and well-being with care. Governors use expertise and dedication to provide effective support and challenge. There is shared ambition across governors and leaders to give every pupil the best chances in life. 13 and 14 June 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Training is frequently updated to ensure that everybody knows how to identify and follow up concerns about pupils. Leaders and staff show diligence and care. Leaders keep detailed notes of their communication with staff and external agencies. Leaders demonstrate tireless commitment to improving challenging situations for vulnerable pupils. They support pupils with emotional literacy and seek specialist help whenever needed.

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Safeguarding

Recruitment processes and staff records are managed expertly. Governors stay well informed and hold the school to account for safeguarding.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum is designed to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Pupils develop a strong understanding of digital safety and healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff teaching phonics do not model sounds with complete precision. This means that some pupils may not learn to decode accurately to become fluent readers. Leaders should ensure that all staff model sounds with complete accuracy to help all pupils achieve well in reading.  In some areas of the curriculum, assessment is not fully embedded. Teachers may not fully know what pupils have learned and what still needs to be taught. Teachers must ensure that assessment is used effectively in every subject to ensure that pupils know and remember more across the whole 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 school to be good in November 2017. 13 and 14 June 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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Jacky Sharpe and Gary Hodnett (co-chairs)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school offers breakfast and after-school clubs, led by external providers.  In 2021, the school operated in temporary buildings due to extensive refurbishment work at the original school site. Pupils and staff returned to the school building in 2022.  The school currently uses one alternative provider.

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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 his evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, geography and mathematics. For each deep dive, he discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils and looked at pupils’ work.  The inspector also looked at pupils’ work in religious education.  The inspector listened to a range of pupils read, and observed catch-up interventions to learn how staff provide extra support to pupils. 13 and 14 June 2023

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders, teachers, support staff and the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENDCo).  The inspector met four members of the governing body, including both co-chairs.  To evaluate safeguarding, the inspector studied documents and records, including the school’s single central record and child protection referrals. The inspector spoke with the designated safeguarding leaders, staff and pupils.  The inspector considered responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including the free-text responses. He also spoke with parents by telephone and on the playground before school.  The inspector met with pupils to learn their views about the school.  The inspector spoke by telephone with a representative from the local authority.

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Inspection team

Scott Reece, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 June 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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