Lakeside Nursery & Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Lakeside Nursery & Primary Academy Mindenhurst Road, Deepcut, Camberley GU16 6LG

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Outcome

Lakeside Nursery & Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Samantha Armstrong. This school is part of The Kite 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, Jeremy Meek, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Debbie Andrews. There is also an executive headteacher, Steve Meakin, who is responsible for this school and two others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From the nurturing nursery to studious Year 6 classrooms, pupils welcome everyone with a smile to the new site of their joyful school. Pupils, parents and carers agree that behaviour has improved since moving to the new building in September 2023. The school has supported teachers to establish high expectations for all. Bullying has happened previously, so the school introduced the ‘Stand Up Squad’, a pupil-led team, to help everyone understand and oppose bullying. This approach is proving effective as fewer pupils are worried about bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access the full curriculum. Aspirations are mostly realised. The school gives strong support to pupils who need help to catch up. High-quality pastoral provision helps pupils with anxiety and emotional needs. Pupils feel safe and speak highly of the care they receive from staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to take on leadership roles. They love helping younger children at lunchtime and leading sports activities. Pupil parliament teaches everyone about democracy. Pupils learn to understand different faiths and cultures through well-planned lessons and assemblies. The extra-curricular offer includes everyone. Pupils are excited to attend dodgeball, Spanish, singing and gymnastics clubs.

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

Reading is embedded across school life, with many subjects taking inspiration from high- quality texts. Everyone is trained to deliver the trust-wide phonics programme. Staff teach 1 and 2 November 2023

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phonics using precise modelling of sounds. One-to-one catch-up sessions ensure that nobody is left behind. Knowledgeable staff help pupils with the exact sounds and strategies they need to work on. By Year 2, pupils discuss and analyse texts skilfully. This blossoms into a love of reading as pupils learn to enjoy books with fluency, confidence and understanding.

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Trust leaders have supported teachers impressively to implement a well-designed curriculum which engages pupils. Every subject is planned with small steps of precisely identified knowledge. These steps are routinely revisited with pupils to help them remember their learning long term. Teachers adapt tasks skilfully to give pupils time to explore and understand content. Staff have strong subject knowledge, model key language and present concepts clearly. Teachers know exactly what pupils should know and understand. Teachers identify gaps in knowledge and support pupils with same day catch-up sessions. The inclusion leader works with staff to identify needs and evaluate the progress of every pupil. Together, they identify when extra help is needed. Pupils with SEND learn to work independently as a result of well-considered support in class. Pupils’ achievements in national tests have been mixed. However, leaders are providing strong

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support for pupils who need extra help, so pupils are generally achieving well across the curriculum.

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The relocation of the school has prompted a fresh start. Previously there were concerns about behaviour, but trust leaders have reset expectations to be consistently high. This begins in early years, where children develop early reading and mathematical skills in the caring nursery. The youngest children behave well, putting on their wellies and waterproofs to enjoy walks to the woods. This continues through the school. Pupils show respect and compassion, with strong focus in lessons. However, some parents and pupils worry about bullying. Leaders take this seriously and follow up every concern. The work of the pupil ‘Stand Up Squad’ is strengthening the school’s anti-bullying work.

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The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum is well designed. Pupils learn life skills, including how to keep themselves safe. They explore moral issues to prepare them for life in modern Britain. Pastoral care is impressive. Pupils know who to talk to if they are worried. There is expertise across the staff to promote positive mental health. Well-being is prioritised, boosted by a breadth of high-quality physical education and sports opportunities. Boys and girls equally represent the school in competitive leagues and inclusive festivals.

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Staff speak highly of leaders, governors and trustees. Teachers enjoy impressive training opportunities. They work with schools across the trust to share expertise and develop their skills. This helps their workload and well-being. Trust leaders know their duties and fulfil them diligently. Many parents speak positively of the school. One reflected, ‘The school has made dramatic improvements since the site move.’ However, some parents remain concerned about behaviour and school communication. Some families are not aware of the high-quality support being given to pupils. The school is strengthening its work to win everyone’s trust and confidence in this thriving school. 1 and 2 November 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There have been cases of bullying in the past. This continues to worry some pupils and parents. The school is rightly prioritising anti-bullying work and must ensure that these actions are effective. The school should redouble its efforts and improve communication about actions that are taken so that pupils and parents feel well informed and reassured.

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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 predecessor school, Lakeside Primary School, to be good in January 2015.

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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, 1 and 2 November 2023

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 1 and 2 November 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school relocated to its present site in September 2023.  It currently uses three unregistered alternative providers.  The school offers a before- and after-school club, overseen by the trust.  There is a nursery for two- and three-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 inspector met with the headteacher, executive headteacher, chief executive officer, trustees, governors, inclusion leader, curriculum leaders and teachers (including early career teachers). 1 and 2 November 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 inspector discussed with leaders and evaluated the school’s PSHE curriculum.  The inspector listened to a range of pupils read. The inspector observed catch-up interventions to learn how staff provide extra support to pupils.  The inspector gathered evidence to explore the impact of pupils’ behaviour, the school’s wider curriculum offer and how leaders support staff with their workload.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single 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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the 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 the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire, including the free-text responses. The inspector also considered written correspondence from parents.  The inspector spoke with a range of pupils to learn their views about the school. The inspector also considered responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Scott Reece, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 November 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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