Lillington Primary School

Inspection of Lillington Primary School Cubbington Road, Lillington, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 7AG

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2023

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Victoria Wallace. This school is part of Finham Park Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Mark Bailie, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Peter Burns MBE. 18 and 19 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a warm and inclusive welcome at Lillington Primary School. Pupils are happy, safe and working hard. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and pupils try their best to meet these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know and understand the school values well and become ‘values champions’ as a reward for living them. Values including kindness, honesty and respect are woven into the fabric of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite and friendly. When some struggle to behave due to their additional needs, staff support them kindly and skilfully. Pupils speak positively about the school’s behaviour policy and about how much behaviour has improved because of it. They know to ‘stop, walk and talk’ if another pupil were to upset them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has been on a significant journey over recent years. When the predecessor school was inspected, there were many weaknesses. Pupils, staff, parents, carers and governors alike commented on how much the school has changed and improved.

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better?

This school has an ambitious, engaging curriculum from the early years to Year 6. Those who lead the curriculum are passionate and knowledgeable and are committed to continual improvement.

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better?

The mathematics curriculum sets out exactly what pupils need to know and revisits important learning regularly. Pupils are becoming confident and competent mathematicians, which is reflected in their good outcomes. The curriculum in English is well structured, but at an earlier stage of implementation. Despite this, pupils’ skills in writing, reading, speaking and listening are improving.

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better?

For other subjects, the school has set out a clear pathway for pupils’ learning. In most subjects, including history, art and science, pupils demonstrate a depth to their understanding. For instance, in history they are able to explain the similarities between England’s monarchy and Chinese dynasties.

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better?

Learning to read has a high priority. Children start phonics in the Nursery and most enter key stage 2 being fluent readers. If they fall behind, adults hear these pupils read more often and the school puts in place extra sessions. However, this support is not as effective as it could be because approaches lack consistency and urgency. This means some pupils do not catch up as quickly as they could.

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better?

To help develop pupils’ love of reading, the school provides them with an enormous range of books to choose from. Pupils enjoy reading and love the books that teachers read to them. 18 and 19 October 2023

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From their first days at school, staff nurture and guide children well. There is much emphasis on the development of early language and communication. This helps children to access the curriculum more effectively as they move through school. Nursery and Reception are highly engaging settings with a wealth of resources for children, both indoors and outdoors. Adults make sure that activities are well matched to what children need to learn. The curriculum in early years prepares children well for Year 1.

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Pupils learn how to stay healthy and safe and how to respect different cultures and religions. They learn the ways that families and individuals can differ. At the same time, pupils learn how to embrace and understand difference, so they can become good friends and citizens. They get the chance to attend clubs and go on exciting, purposeful visits. Pupils contribute to school by becoming play leaders, house captains and ‘reading buddies’ for younger pupils. They take these roles seriously and carry them out diligently.

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In the past, the school had not been successful enough at working with parents to improve their children’s attendance. Similarly, provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) was weak. SEND provision is now effective; support and guidance for parents about SEND is improving. While the school has put in measures to improve attendance, absence rates for too many children remain high.

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Leaders at all levels share the same ambition and vision. There is real clarity and purpose in the plans they make for improving the school. They know the school very well and monitor carefully how well it is doing. The trust provides regular and effective support. Those responsible for governance oversee the school’s performance and provide support for staff. They are fully aware of the significant improvements that leaders and the trust have brought about.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, pupils are not getting the support they need to develop their early reading as quickly as they could. This means those pupils who fall behind sometimes struggle to catch up. The school must ensure that those involved in teaching phonics are well trained so that approaches are consistent, rigorous and effective at helping pupils catch up quickly with their reading.  Despite the efforts of the school, too many pupils are absent too often. This means they are missing learning. The school needs to find alternative strategies to work with parents so that pupils attend regularly and do not miss out on important learning opportunities. 18 and 19 October 2023

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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.

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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). 18 and 19 October 2023

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school became a sponsored academy in January 2021. It is a part of Finham Park Multi Academy Trust.  There has been a change of headteacher since the last full inspection of the predecessor school.  The school has a specialist SEND resourced base for pupils to support them with their social, emotional and mental health. Pupils attend this provision on a full- time basis. There are eight pupils in this base.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not use any 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 18 and 19 October 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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  An inspector met with the chair of the board of trustees, the CEO and members of the local governing board.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, English, physical education, and art and design. For each deep dive, 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 work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons at different times of the day and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free- text responses. Inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The lead inspector reviewed a wide range of documents, including governors’ minutes, school improvement plans and the school’s website.  An inspector spoke to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Gareth Morgan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 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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