Long Row Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Long Row Primary School Long Row, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 1DR

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 February 2024

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Outcome

Long Row Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Long Row Primary School is at the very heart of its community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and feel safe in this school. The school has created a nurturing environment. Pupils’ well-being is carefully considered and promoted. Pupil well-being ambassadors take a lead role in promoting and organising events for families. Parents value this work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of all pupils. Pupils talk about the school’s values: ‘inspire, respect and belong’. One pupil described the meaning of the school badge: ‘To me this means we are free… but we still have to follow the rules.’ This sentiment reflects the school’s positive ethos: to nurture pupils’ independence. There are high expectations of behaviour, with a clear approach to giving pupils responsibility.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school uses its unique setting in a UNESCO heritage site to enrich pupils’ learning. The school makes good use of links with the community. This includes visits out of school and inviting members of the community into school. One pupil showed how this helps to develop their understanding when they said, ‘We can see the impact of the Industrial Revolution when we look out of the window.’

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

The school provides a broad curriculum that is ambitious and enables pupils to learn important knowledge over time. This begins well in the early years. For example, children are introduced to the foundations of mapping skills, and they go out into the local area to do this. This prepares pupils to study geography in Year 1. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), describe their enjoyment of a range of lessons they study.

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

Occasionally, the curriculum is not delivered as effectively as it could be. Teachers do not always select activities that help pupils learn the intended curriculum. There are some 13 and 14 February 2024

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inconsistencies in what pupils are able to know and recall over time. Sometimes, teachers do not check and address pupils’ misconceptions in lessons. This hinders pupils’ learning. The school ensures that pupils have opportunities between lessons to follow up any errors. This helps pupils to correct any mistakes and improve their understanding. The school is in the process of developing systems further to check and monitor pupils’ understanding of all subjects. This is done well in English and mathematics but is not embedded in other subjects.

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Reading is promoted across the school. Children in the early years make a good start in learning to read. They are taught the foundations of early language and sounds as soon as they start school. Pupils continue to develop their reading fluency through daily phonics lessons. The school nurtures a love of reading and of books. Older pupils enjoy reading to younger pupils. Pupils, including pupils with SEND, who need more help with reading benefit from extra practice and support. This helps them to catch up quickly and achieve well.

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The school has high expectations for pupils’ attendance. The school helps families to overcome any difficulties for pupils to attend well. Parents appreciate the support the school gives them and how caring everyone is.

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Pupils are positive about the many wider opportunities available. They take on leadership roles such as being sports mini-leaders or eco-councillors. They recognise that this helps them to develop independence. Pupils take responsibility for meaningful projects. For example, they organise fundraising, such as selling milkshakes to friends, and encourage sustainable choices in reducing waste in lunchboxes.

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There is a range of clubs. Pupils enjoy multi-sports, football and dance clubs. The choir is well attended. Pupils learn to play instruments and are then encouraged to continue this through further instrument lessons. Pupils perform concerts for community and parent events. The curriculum for pupils’ personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is carefully crafted. It provides opportunities for pupils to learn about being safe online and to understand positive relationships.

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There is a strong team ethos, and staff value the support they receive. Governors know the school well. They check on improvement priorities regularly. Staff are proud of the school’s positive culture in ensuring that pupils have a voice and a sense of belonging.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not implemented as effectively as it could be in all subjects. Teachers do not always choose activities that will help pupils learn the intended curriculum. They do not always check that new knowledge is securely understood and remembered. The 13 and 14 February 2024

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school should ensure that teachers check pupils’ understanding and adapt their teaching accordingly to ensure that pupils learn the intended 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 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). 13 and 14 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The substantive headteacher joined the school in September 2021.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is uniquely situated in the heart of a UNESCO heritage area.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders and teachers. They met with local governors and spoke to the local authority school improvement partner.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, 13 and 14 February 2024

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visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also reviewed the curriculum in science, music and PSHE.  The inspector discussed pupils’ attendance with the headteacher.  The inspector considered the views of parents who responded to Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector reviewed responses to the staff surveys. She held discussions with staff and pupils.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Donna Moulds, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 February 2024

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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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