Lingwood Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Lingwood Primary Academy Station Road, Lingwood, Norwich, Norfolk NR13 4AZ

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Outcome

Lingwood Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Caroline Laycock. This school is part of the HEART Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Hazel Cubbage, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Laura Myles.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their ‘friendly’ school. They are polite and courteous. They trust staff at the school to help them if they have a worry or concern. They are happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of education is good. Pupils are eager to learn. They enjoy using and applying their learning in different ways. They say that school is fun and interesting. Pupils are articulate. They practise and use new words they have learned. Pupils reflect on how they can improve their work. They respond positively to feedback.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like the activities available at breaktimes. They play football, dance and socialise well. Behaviour is calm and orderly. Pupils focus in lessons. Pupils rise to the high expectations of staff. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 say behaviour has improved. Staff consult with and involve pupils in making important decisions about their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value and appreciate each other. They understand difference and can talk about what makes them unique and special. They appreciate being together and playing and learning together. Pupils new to the school talk about how easy it is to make friends at Lingwood.

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

The content of the curriculum is well considered and ambitious. It sets out what pupils should learn in a clear order. Vocabulary is precisely taught in every lesson. There are opportunities for pupils to make links, revisit and connect their learning. They have time 4 and 5 June 2024

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to practise and apply new learning so they remember more. This ensures pupils are able to securely recall the intended important knowledge. As a result, pupils increasingly achieve the ambitions of the curriculum.

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Pupils love reading. There is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Staff are well trained. Children in the early years show genuine excitement in their phonics lessons. They are confident to have a go. Pupils who struggle to learn to read have the support they need to catch up quickly. Whole-class reading sessions contribute to helping pupils become fluent readers. Reading materials inspire and extend pupils’ desire to read. The school’s reading ambassadors suggest and select books. They take responsibility for running the school library. This further increases pupils’ ambition to read well.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have the support they need. Teachers regularly check that pupils have mastered key concepts and knowledge. Appropriate adaptations and support are in place. A few pupils with SEND do not currently access the full breadth of the new ambitious curriculum. This is the case particularly when their provision is separate from their peers.

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Children in early years get off to a great start. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. The early years curriculum ensures children develop the language and mathematical knowledge and vocabulary needed to achieve well. There are many opportunities for children to play, explore, practise and develop their interests. This supports children effectively to develop good learning habits and the right attitudes towards their learning that prepare them well for key stage 1.

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Behaviour is well managed and consistently positive across the school. Pupils treat each other with respect. They appreciate and live up to the high expectations of staff. Pupils like the ‘class recognition boards’. These encourage pupils to work towards a shared goal or class target. Pupils value and appreciate teamwork. They also enjoy working independently or with a partner and challenging themselves.

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Leaders have carefully considered the curriculum beyond the academic. The opportunities pupils are given help them prepare for later life experiences. There are a range of clubs and the chance for pupils to develop other interests. This includes cookery, performing arts and sign language clubs. There is a school choir. Trips and visits provide opportunities for first-hand exploration and enquiry. They bring what pupils learn about in class to life. Pupils apply for and take up leadership roles and represent the school. Pupils say their opinion matters at this school.

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Since the previous inspection, the school has been through a period of significant change. This includes turbulence in staffing and leadership at trust and school level. Leaders have successfully steered the school through this period of instability.

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A minority of parents do not share the renewed confidence of leaders, staff and pupils. A permanent leadership team and staffing structure are now in place. A new curriculum is successfully raising expectations and improving outcomes. Pupils talk positively about the changes. Staff feel valued and appreciated. 4 and 5 June 2024

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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 in the early stages of implementation. This means at times the curriculum is not implemented as leaders intend. Leaders should ensure they continue to develop the subject expertise to make sure that the curriculum is implemented as they intend and that the progress and improvements made to date are sustained.  A few pupils with SEND do not currently access the full breadth of the new curriculum. This is because they are taught separately from their peers. Leaders need to review the provision for these pupils and make suitable adaptations to the curriculum and support in class so that pupils with SEND have the opportunity to achieve the ambitions of the full 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 first ungraded inspection since we the school to be good in June 2018.

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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 4 and 5 June 2024

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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). 4 and 5 June 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 June 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the HEART Education Trust.  The HEART Education Trust is merging with the Unity Schools Partnership.  There have been changes to leadership and staffing over time.  The school uses the services of one registered alternative provision.

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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 school leaders, the chief executive officers of the HEART Education Trust and the Unity Schools Partnership, the executive director of primary education and the curriculum development adviser. 4 and 5 June 2024

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils and looked at samples of work. The inspector also listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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.  The inspector observed behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes and met with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around the school.  The inspector considered the 43 responses and free-text comments made by parents to

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the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also gathered the views of staff, pupils and parents by speaking with them during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Oriana Dalton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 June 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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