Lawnswood School

Inspection of a good school: Lawnswood School Ring Road, West Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS16 5AG

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Outcome

Lawnswood School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, friendly and respectful. They belong to a welcoming and inclusive school that seeks to know and understand them as individuals. The school has created a positive environment in which pupils feel happy and safe. Pupils’ views and ideas contribute to the development of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. It has developed a curriculum that reflects pupils’ diverse backgrounds. This helps to engage pupils in their learning and motivates them to succeed. In lessons, pupils show positive attitudes to their work. The school raises pupils’ aspirations further through strong links with universities and employers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a calm and orderly school where pupils form positive relationships with each other and with staff. Pupils know the standards of behaviour expected of them. They also know the consequences of not meeting those standards. Staff address any misbehaviour, including low-level disruption to learning, appropriately. Pupils behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Pupils take part in research projects and enjoy visits to places of cultural interest. There are many clubs, including sports, drama, art and enterprise. Pupils enjoy the school’s culture day, where they celebrate their diverse cultures and ethnicities.

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

The school has developed a broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils study a wide range of subjects at key stage 3. At key stage 4, they can select from both academic and vocational courses. The school aims to increase the number of pupils studying for the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). To do this, the school is prioritising the development of modern foreign languages. The school’s intention is that more pupils will take French or Spanish at GCSE. In Year 9, the highest attaining pupils already study both French and Spanish. The school emphasises the value of studying a modern foreign language with pupils and with parents and carers. The school has ensured that the sixth-form curriculum meets students’ 26 and 27 September 2023

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needs and interests. Students can take both academic and vocational courses. Sixth-form courses build on and complement students’ key stage 4 studies. This helps sixth form students to progress on to higher education, apprenticeships and employment.

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The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced. Pupils build their knowledge and understanding with increasing depth and complexity. They learn to think and work like subject specialists, such as geographers and scientists. The school prioritises reading. It provides extra support for pupils who need it. This helps pupils to become confident and fluent readers. The school also promotes reading across the curriculum and develops pupils’ love for reading. It organises activities and events, including Non-Fiction November, author visits and reading competitions.

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The school identifies the needs of pupils well. It has established effective provision to meet pupils’ specific needs. This includes for pupils who speak English as an additional language. A high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) complete the same work as their peers.

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Teachers have good subject knowledge and use this well to present new information to pupils. At the start of lessons, teachers revisit what pupils have learned before. This helps pupils to remember essential knowledge and make connections to previous learning. Teachers give pupils guidance on how to improve their work. Pupils respond to this feedback, amending and adding to their original work. However, at times, teachers’ questioning and choice of activity are not effective. They do not secure or extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding with enough rigour.

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The school has established a comprehensive, age-appropriate personal development programme. Pupils learn about relationships, equality and diversity and physical and mental health. They are taught how to keep themselves safe, including online. The school enhances the quality of its programme through partnerships with external agencies. These agencies come into school to lead assemblies and workshops with pupils. From Year 7 to Year 13, pupils receive careers information, education and guidance. This helps pupils to make well- informed decisions about course choices and future careers.

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Leaders show commitment and determination to develop the quality of provision for all pupils. The work the school does in meeting the diverse needs of pupils is a particular strength. It has developed in-school provision to support pupils’ social, emotional and mental health needs. The school has created a culture in which staff feel valued and well supported. Staff workload is manageable and the school prioritises staff well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 26 and 27 September 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some lessons, including in the sixth form, teachers’ questioning and choice of activity do not systematically secure and extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding. This means that some pupils do not acquire a coherent body of knowledge or gain the depth of understanding they need to attain highly. The school should ensure that teachers receive the training and development they need to use appropriate pedagogical strategies, such as effective questioning, to secure and extend pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2013.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding ( this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 and 27 September 2023

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,449

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Date of previous inspection 1 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses four registered alternative providers and two unregistered alternative providers.  The school provides sixth-form provision in partnership with Ralph Thoresby School, Holtdale Approach, Leeds LS16 7RX.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, members of the leadership team, other school staff, members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in science and history.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey, the staff survey and the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Ian Rawstorne, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Pritiben Patel Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 September 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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