Leftwich Community Primary School

Inspection of Leftwich Community Primary School Old Hall Road, Leftwich, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 8DH

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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

Ofsted has not previously inspected Leftwich Community Primary School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school.

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteachers of this school are Claire Harrison and Lynn Guy. This school is part of the Weaver 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), Annette Williams, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Julian Cobley. 24 and 25 April 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that there are high expectations for their behaviour and that staff help them to behave well. There are clear systems in place, which are understood and displayed by all. The school is a happy, calm and welcoming place to be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. The school is ambitious for all. Pupils are proud of the work that they produce in their books.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides extensive opportunities for pupils to see and appreciate the world beyond Leftwich. Pupils enjoy trips to cities, the beach and the theatre. They also take part in a wide range of activities, such as board games, mindfulness and cheerleading clubs. Pupils relish the chances that they are given to compete in sports tournaments.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love lunchtimes. They enjoy the new outdoor play programme, which encourages pupils of all ages to play together and helps to develop their cooperation and team-building skills. Pupils enjoy time on the bikes, in the sand pit and building structures with tyres. This initiative has contributed hugely to the turnaround in behaviour since the previous inspection.

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better?

The school has a broad offer for fostering pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn about different cultures and faiths. They are given opportunities throughout the curriculum to discuss the differences between people. Pupils spoke confidently about how everyone should be treated equally and with respect.

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better?

Pupils are well mannered and polite. They are highly respectful to one another. Through charitable work, pupils are taught to consider how they can help children from other countries who are facing considerable crises. Pupils also aim to improve their own community, so that it is a better place for everyone. They complete litter picks and environmental activities.

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better?

There is a whole school and trust-wide approach to tackling attendance. Staff and pupils recognise the importance of attending every day. Changes to the curriculum, alongside improvements to behaviour systems, mean that pupils are eager to come to school. The initiatives that the school has adopted are having a noticeable impact in improving attendance.

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better?

The school, with support from the trust, has designed a curriculum that reflects the context of the local community and the learning needs of pupils. The well-ordered curriculum begins at the start of the early years, where the school has thought about the essential foundations that children need for future learning. Across key stages 1 and 2, pupils continue to experience a carefully designed curriculum that is delivered in a logical order. 24 and 25 April 2024

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Staff implement the curriculum using appropriate and well-chosen resources. Teachers skilfully check what pupils know and remember within the current units of work. However, due to recent changes in the school’s curriculum, the school is at an earlier stage of development in how teachers check that pupils are remembering more knowledge over time. In some subjects, teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to recall their earlier learning. At times, this hinders the progress that some pupils make through the curriculum.

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The curriculum for children in the early years shares many of the positive features that pupils in key stages 1 and 2 enjoy. However, at times, staff do not choose the most appropriate activities or resources to deliver curriculum content effectively. This means that, at times, children do not have enough opportunity to deepen their knowledge across the different areas of learning.

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Staff deliver the phonics programme consistently well. Pupils practise reading using books that closely match the sounds that they already know. Highly trained staff provide pupils with extra support if they need it. This helps these pupils to catch up quickly. Most pupils read fluently and accurately in readiness for key stage 2.

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Older pupils enjoy a range of books and authors. They appreciate the rewards in place that foster a love of reading. The school invites parents and carers to workshops to learn how to best support their children’s reading at home. Open library sessions are held after school, where parents and children can share books together.

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The school identifies pupils with SEND early. It has trained staff to ensure that that they are confident in identifying pupils’ additional needs. There is an expectation that all pupils access the full curriculum. The school deploys effective strategies and interventions to ensure that this is realised. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The trust and the local governing body know the school exceptionally well. Trustees live out the trust’s vision to ‘inspire, believe and achieve’. This is instilled across the whole school community. Since joining the trust, the school has been very successful in bringing about improvements to many aspects of its provision. Trustees and governors understand their duties and have the necessary skills to challenge and support the school well. Staff appreciate the efforts, support and consideration given to their workload when the school introduces new initiatives.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 In a few subjects, teachers do not help pupils to recall their earlier learning nor do they check that pupils have remembered what has been taught in the past. In these areas, some pupils find it difficult to recall their prior learning. The school should ensure that teachers check that subject content and knowledge has been transferred to pupils’ long-term memory.  In the early years, the activities and resources that teachers sometimes select do not help children to learn the intended curriculum well. This means that some children do not deepen their knowledge and understanding as well as they might over time. The school should ensure that teachers choose learning activities well to deliver the curriculum effectively, so that children remember what they have been taught.

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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). 24 and 25 April 2024

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Headteachers Claire Harrison and Lynn Guy

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Leftwich Community Primary School converted to become an academy school in April 2021. When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be requires improvement overall.  The school is part of the Weaver Trust.  There are two co-headteachers.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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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. 24 and 25 April 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection that the school has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any ongoing impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  The lead inspector spoke with the co-headteachers, other school leaders and members of staff. She met with the CEO, director of education, chair of trustees and representatives of the local governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, they held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector observed pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. They spoke with

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leaders and with pupils. Inspectors reviewed samples of pupils’ work in these curriculum areas.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including records of governing body meetings, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  The inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and observed their behaviour at playtime. They considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They

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considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s survey for staff.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Sue Dymond, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Louise Atkin Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 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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