Newlands Community Primary School

Inspection of Newlands Community Primary School Belle Vue Road, Earl Shilton, Leicester LE9 7PA

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 27 and 28 June 2023

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve, especially those with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND), and the most disadvantaged. However, they are aware there is more work to be done to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they could.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s five values, ‘respect, responsibility, kindness, persevere and honest’ are important to staff and pupils. They underpin the new approach to behaviour. As one pupil stated: ‘These are the mesh for behaviour. They pull everything together.’ Pupils and staff say behaviour has improved. A parent said: ‘I am impressed with how the school has been tackling behaviour in a much more positive way.’

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the roles and responsibilities they hold. They say these roles, such as eco-warrior, library monitor, music monitor and leading lights, help improve the school and environment. For example, the eco-warriors organised the ‘Big Green Event’. They encouraged other pupils to explore how they could consider environmental needs.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are keen to involve parents and carers in their child’s learning. ‘DEAR – drop everything and read’ events are well attended by parents. However, leaders have not always explained clearly enough the positive changes introduced in school recently.

p.2

better?

Pupils learn to read as soon as they join the Reception Year. There is a systematic approach to the way staff teach phonics. Teachers swiftly identify if pupils fall behind or there are any gaps in their phonic knowledge. Pupils receive the support they need to catch up. Pupils regularly practise reading with adults in school.

p.2

better?

Leaders ensure that books are prominent throughout the school. Story time is important. Pupils enjoy the way teachers bring the books to life by changing their voices and creating suspense. Pupils say they enjoy reading. One pupil stated: ‘Some books can be funny, and some can be educational. A bit like a TV in your head.’ However, some pupils say they would like to see more books about the topics they like. They would also like to use the library more often.

p.2

better?

Leaders have established a new curriculum. However, the key knowledge and content that pupils need to learn in a few subjects is not sufficiently well considered and structured, including in the early years foundation stage (EYFS). In those subjects where leaders identify key knowledge, for instance mathematics and science, teachers are able to check more closely what pupils know and remember. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to correct misconceptions. In a few subjects, approaches to checking what pupils know and remember do not identify consistently gaps in pupils’ learning. Where teacher’s subject knowledge is strong, 27 and 28 June 2023

p.2

3

lessons are are typically well constructed and delivered. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils are active, engaged and listen well to instructions.

p.3

3

Children in the early years are happy. Well-planned activities provide opportunities for children to explore and apply their learning. For instance, children created a living environment for a snail which provided food, water and shelter. Children work well together. They are inquisitive and keen to share their learning. However, leaders recognise the curriculum requires more structure in a few areas of learning.

p.3

3

Leaders know pupils with SEND well. Leaders set clear and ambitious targets for these pupils to achieve. Leaders train staff so that they know how to support pupils with SEND effectively. However, not all teachers routinely ensure that pupils with SEND access the curriculum well enough. However, leaders do ensure that teachers adapt learning environments to support these pupils.

p.3

3

Recent changes to the behaviour policy have helped to improve the standard of pupils’ behaviour considerably. Pupils like the new token system. Leaders recognise they need to check that the application of the new behaviour policy is consistent. Pupils say bullying is not tolerated.

p.3

3

Pupils have a good understanding of equality and diversity. They state it is, ‘Okay to be different’. Pupils are less clear of the significance of British values. There is a wide range of opportunities for pupils to explore different activities and interests such as tennis, trampolining and drawing. Leaders provide opportunities to learn to play instruments. Pupils perform to their parents the pieces they had learned in the steel pan club.

p.3

3

There have been significant senior leadership changes recently. However, senior leaders have remained resolutely focused on improvement. Support from a multi- academy trust has supported leadership. Leaders, including subject leaders, have made many changes at the school in recent months but have not yet had the opportunity to check and evaluate the impact these changes have made on the quality of education. Governors have been supportive of leaders. Staff well-being has been a priority throughout the recent changes. Staff say they feel supported.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding at this school. Leaders ensure that staff have the knowledge to identify any potential signs of concern or harm. Effective systems help staff to share their concerns swiftly. Leaders scrutinise records and make sure that pupils and families receive the support they need. Governors rigorously monitor the work of the school regarding safeguarding.

p.3

Safeguarding

Pupils say they feel safe. They say bullying is rare. Should it occur they know there are adults they can go to who will deal with it. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when working online. 27 and 28 June 2023

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders, including subject leaders, have made many changes at the school in recent months but have not yet had the opportunity to evaluate the impact these changes have made. This means that they do not have a full picture of the strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum. Leaders should strengthen their monitoring and evaluation processes. They should do this to gather information that will help them provide more informed strategic direction to secure improvements to the quality of education they provide.  The key knowledge and content that pupils need to learn in a few subjects is not sufficiently well considered and structured, including in the early years. In a few subjects, it is not yet fully clear what children should learn and by when, to build their knowledge over time. Leaders should ensure that curriculum thinking for all subjects sets out the knowledge that all pupils, from Reception to the end of key

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

stage 2, should know and by when.  Approaches to checking what pupils know and remember do not identify consistently gaps in pupils’ learning. In some subjects, where curriculum thinking is less clear, teachers do not check effectively how successfully pupils acquire knowledge. Leaders should ensure that assessment consistently assists teachers in producing clear next steps for pupils without causing unnecessary burdens for staff and pupils.  Not all teachers routinely ensure that pupils with SEND access the curriculum well enough. As a result, pupils with SEND do not always benefit from a good-quality education. Leaders should make sure that pupils with SEND receive the support they need, so that they achieve as highly as they should.

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.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 27 and 28 June 2023

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10268236 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 15 June 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Since the last graded inspection, there have been significant changes to the school. There have been two headteachers, the first leaving in April 2021 and the second leaving in December 2022. The assistant headteacher is currently leading the school in the role of acting headteacher. Leaders have dealt with significant staff absence.  The school is receiving support from the OWLS Multi-Academy Trust brokered by the local authority.  The school does not make use of any alternative providers.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 27 and 28 June 2023

p.5

6

 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENDCo).  Inspectors carried out deep dives in five subjects: reading, mathematics, science music and physical education (PE). To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and met with teachers and pupils. They also looked at curriculum documentation for history.  The lead inspector met with four members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer from the supporting multi- academy trust and a local authority representative.  The lead inspector took account of the responses to the Ofsted’s free-text service for parents, Ofsted Parent View survey and Ofsted’s staff survey. An inspector spoke informally to parents outside the school. Inspectors also considered the

p.6

6

views of pupils throughout the inspection.  Records of attendance, behaviour and safeguarding were scrutinised. This included the school’s single central record. Inspectors also conducted meetings with leaders to discuss the safeguarding of pupils.  Inspectors considered pupils’ behaviour at various times of day, including in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime.

p.6

Inspection team

Mark Anderson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Julie Hodgson Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 June 2023

p.6

7

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.7

7

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.7

7

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.7

7

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

p.7

7

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

p.7