Longford Park School

Inspection of Longford Park School 74 Cromwell Road, Stretford, Manchester, Greater Manchester M32 8QJ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Zoe Fernandez. The school is part of The Sovereign Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Paul Eckley, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Eddie Austin. 9 and 10 April 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel welcomed and well cared for at Longford Park. This helps them to feel safe and happy, because they have a trusted adult who will help them with any worries that they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants the best for its pupils. Overall, there are high expectations for pupils’ achievement. The school aims to ensure that pupils have the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful in their future education. However, the school does not consistently achieve these aims.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff’s expectations for pupils’ behaviour are inconsistent. Often, pupils’ behaviour is not handled in the correct way by different staff. Pupils are not clear about how they should behave in different situations. At times, they do not display positive attitudes towards each other, or staff. Occasionally, pupils’ behaviour interrupts the learning of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking part in trips outside of their lessons. They spoke enthusiastically about visiting the local ice-skating centre. They enjoy going on trips because they learn about how to keep themselves safe in different situations, such as when crossing the road.

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better?

Trustees, governors and the school have not maintained the quality of education since the previous inspection. In part, this is because trustees, governors and the school do not ensure that they monitor the effectiveness of new developments to improve pupils’ achievement or behaviour. This has an impact on how well they can hold the school to account for the quality of education on offer.

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better?

Pupils learn a broad range of curriculum subjects. In some subjects, the school has set out the knowledge that pupils need to know. Pupils learn this curriculum content in a logical order. In these subjects, teachers deliver the curriculum consistently. They choose strategies which help pupils to learn the required knowledge successfully. They also use assessment strategies well to identify any gaps in pupils’ understanding. Typically, pupils have a greater understanding of the curriculum content in these subjects and achieve well.

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better?

However, other curriculum subjects are not implemented as successfully. In these subjects, some teachers do not have a secure understanding of the curriculum content. Every so often, they choose activities which do not help pupils to learn effectively. A small number of teachers also use assessment strategies haphazardly. Collectively, this impacts negatively on pupils’ learning in these subjects and they do not achieve as well as they could.

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better?

The school has recently put in place a well-thought-out phonics curriculum. Many staff have received training in this programme of learning. However, some staff 9 and 10 April 2024

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remain unclear about how to deliver this curriculum. On occasion, the books that pupils read do not match the sounds that they know securely. This means that some pupils are not supported well to improve their fluency and confidence when reading.

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Overall, staff build positive relationships with pupils. Typically, where staff manage and support pupils’ behaviour more effectively, relationships between adults and pupils are strong. However, where relationships between pupils and staff are not as strong, staff do not manage or support behaviour as effectively. Attendance is a high priority for the school. It has put in place strategies to support pupils to attend school more often. In many cases, the school has been successful. Pupils’ attendance at school is improving over time.

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The school provides pupils with many opportunities to learn about life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about different religions. They have opportunities to learn to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They also understand the importance of keeping themselves safe online.

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Staff have a mixed opinion about how the school supports their workload. In some respects, staff feel that the recent changes to the curriculum help them to deliver it more effectively. That said, some staff do not feel as well supported by the school to manage pupils’ behaviour.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Governors do not have systems in place to consider the quality and impact of the curriculum on pupils’ achievement. This means that they are not aware of the weaknesses that exist in the curriculum. Trustees should ensure that they and other leaders improve their oversight of the quality of education.  The school has not ensured that some teachers have received the necessary training that they need to implement aspects of the intended curriculum successfully. This means that the curriculum is not delivered consistently in some subjects and assessment strategies are at times ineffective. Pupils, therefore, do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers receive the training and guidance required for them to deliver the overall curriculum more successfully.  The school has not ensured that various staff have the necessary knowledge to deliver the phonics curriculum effectively. The books which pupils read sometimes

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

do not match the sounds which they are learning. This means that some pupils do not develop their phonics knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme, and that reading books match more closely to the sounds that pupils know. 9 and 10 April 2024

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 The school’s expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct are not clear enough. From time to time, staff do not manage pupils’ behaviour with enough consistency. This means that disruption or a lack of pupils’ engagement is not challenged consistently. The school should ensure that it defines its expectations more clearly. It should also ensure that rules and routines that are in place to manage and enhance pupils’ behaviour are fulfilled by staff.

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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). 9 and 10 April 2024

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School details

School category Academy special converter

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School details

Website http://www.longford.trafford.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected.

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection.  The school does not make any use of alternative provision.  There is only one pupil on roll in the early years foundation stage.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was deemed a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act.

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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 that 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. 9 and 10 April 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and personal, social, health and economic education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, talked with pupils and staff and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors listened to a small group of pupils read.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders to discuss pupils’ rates of attendance and pupils’ behaviour.  The lead inspector met the CEO and one trustee. He also met with a group of advisory committee members, including the chair of the advisory committee. He spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtimes and during their snack time. They scrutinised leaders’ records of behaviour.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation, including the school development plan and the school’s self-evaluation document.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders 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 spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Stuart Perkins, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dawn Farrent Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 April 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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