Long Ridings Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Long Ridings Primary School Long Ridings Avenue, Hutton, Brentwood, Essex CM13 1DU

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Outcome

Long Ridings Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic and happy learners. They are proud of their school, confident and meet the staff’s high standards. Pupils work hard in lessons because they have positive attitudes to learning. They produce high-quality work and achieve well. Often, pupils are highly motivated. This is important as it means pupils enjoy and are fully absorbed in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to be articulate. Even the youngest children try hard to answer questions fully and accurately. This ability to communicate well helps pupils get along with their peers. It also helps them express their feelings. Pupils are confident that all adults will help them with any concerns they have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils hold important jobs within the school, such as school councillors and sports leads. In these roles, pupils learn valuable skills such as commitment and resilience. They are also positive role models for other pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like the wide range of sports clubs they can take part in. This allows them the opportunity to find a sport they like. Pupils love playtimes. They appreciate and benefit from many interesting activities, such as archery. These, along with other fun activities, mean that pupils enjoy playtimes. They interact well with each other, displaying kindness and consideration.

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

Recently, the school reviewed subject plans and teaching approaches to increase the amount pupils remember and learn. The school has prioritised this development over three years. Significant improvements have occurred and are still ongoing. Some subjects are further along than others. The impact of this work is evident in the positive outcomes that pupils achieve at the end of key stage 2. 8 and 9 May 2024

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Where leaders’ guidance for staff on what pupils should learn is fully developed, staff understand the small steps of knowledge that pupils should learn. They explain new learning clearly to pupils. Staff design tasks that are well matched to pupils’ needs. This leads to many pupils achieving well. In a small number of subjects, teaching approaches are not yet fully developed. The school has begun this process, but it is not complete. In these subjects, some teaching approaches are not consistently strong. Sometimes, teachers do not use all the approaches that leaders want them to. This means that sometimes pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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The school places a high priority on improving pupils’ reading. Pupils earn rewards for reading frequently. This encourages them to read more. Children in the early years enjoy reading and sharing books. They learn phonics as soon as they start at school. Teachers make these sessions enjoyable. This is important as it helps children to stay focused, engage well and learn more. Pupils who need catch-up sessions get effective targeted support. Consequently, pupils achieve well in reading.

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Teachers, in collaboration with parents, create individualised plans for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These identify pupils’ strengths and any extra required support. Staff are skilled at helping pupils with SEND who need help regulating their behaviour. Staff also help pupils with SEND improve their self-esteem. However, in some subjects, staff are less successful in meeting the learning needs of pupils with SEND. Therefore, sometimes, pupils with SEND are not learning or developing their independence as well as their peers.

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Pupils behave well. They are thoughtful and considerate of others. For instance, they understand they need to think about others when playing games. They make sure everyone feels included. Pupils have a developed sense of self-control. The youngest pupils know to listen carefully when others talk.

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The school makes sure that pupils learn about the diverse world that we live in. Pupils learn tolerance and respect. They understand that they are part of the school community and they are important members of this. They know that their actions can affect others positively or negatively. Pupils learn about democracy and rights and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders and the governing body work together effectively to make strategic decisions for the school. Governors carry out all their statutory duties, including making sure that the school has a strong safeguarding culture. Staff appreciate and benefit from the targeted and effective training they receive. Leaders work with staff to help them maintain reasonable workloads.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 8 and 9 May 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the work towards strengthening teaching approaches is not yet complete. This means sometimes teachers do not use all the appropriate teaching approaches leaders have identified as important. As a result, some pupils’ knowledge does not develop as securely as it could. The school needs to continue to improve teaching expertise to create a consistent approach used by all teachers.  In some subjects, teachers do not provide the precise help pupils with SEND need to learn what they should. As a result, these pupils do not develop independence or learn knowledge well enough. The school must provide staff with the guidance and training they need to provide effective learning activities for pupils with SEND in all subjects.

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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 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, 8 and 9 May 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 8 and 9 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up the role in January 2021.  The school uses two unregistered alternative provisions.

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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.  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, including attendance, which puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing 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 8 and 9 May 2024

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pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector examined a range of documents provided by the school, including development plans and the school’s self-evaluation form.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator.  The inspector met with representatives from the governing body, including the chair.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. She also considered the online staff survey. The inspector also spoke to different groups of pupils to obtain their opinions of the school.

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Inspection team

Jessie Linsley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 May 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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