Leighton Primary and Preschool

Inspection of a good school: Leighton Primary and Preschool Orton Malborne, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE2 5PL

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Outcome

Leighton Primary and Preschool continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Leighton Primary and Preschool. Many pupils say that the lessons are what they like best. They feel safe and well cared for by the staff. The school places a high value on everyone being included. The school’s ethos of respect, ambition and community is seen in every aspect of school life. You feel welcome at Leighton.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy studying a broad and stimulating curriculum. They find learning exciting. Pupils particularly like being challenged by harder work. It helps them to achieve increasingly well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond well to teachers’ high expectations of them. They enjoy the house points they win for trying to do the best that they can. Pupils know how to behave well in school. They are kind and respectful to each other. This creates a friendly atmosphere in which they can learn and play safely without disruption.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils elect members to represent their views on the school’s junior leadership team. They hold various fundraising activities and help decide who to support with the money they raise. This helps them to become responsible citizens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents take advantage of the opportunity to regularly visit the school. This contributes to the strong relationship between school and community.

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

The school has considered what curriculum is best for the pupils. They have chosen a curriculum that is ambitious and exciting. In most subjects, teachers know the specific order in which pupils must learn important knowledge. In these subjects, pupils are progressing well. In a few subjects, the school has not yet made clear what pupils should know and when they should learn it. Teaching staff, therefore, have to make these decisions. This means, sometimes, pupils do not get to grips with important knowledge as securely as they need to. 25 and 26 June 2024

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The curriculum begins in the early years. The school ensures that the youngest children are prepared well for their future lessons in key stage 1.

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Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to recall and practise what they have learned before. This helps remind pupils of the knowledge they will need to be successful in their new learning. The school routinely checks how well pupils are doing at the end of a unit of work or topic. Staff use this information to adapt the curriculum and address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge. However, in lessons, teachers sometimes do not check pupils’ understanding thoroughly enough. This means teachers do not always spot misconceptions pupils may have. As a result, some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready.

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All staff and pupils understand the importance of reading. Children start reading from the moment they start school. Well-trained staff teach phonics consistently well. As a result, pupils become confident readers. Teachers quickly spot pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge. Staff support them to catch up effectively. Teachers regularly read books to children. Older pupils experience a wide range of literature, through which they gain a love of reading.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength. The school has high aspirations for pupils with SEND. The school accurately identifies the additional help these pupils need. Teachers adapt their teaching and provide pupils with personalised support. This helps pupils to overcome their barriers to learning. As a result, pupils with SEND settle well and learn the curriculum alongside their classmates.

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Staff set high expectations for behaviour. Pupils respond well to expectations and take responsibility for their behaviour. Most pupils are enthusiastic and motivated learners. They listen well to their teachers’ explanations and instructions. As a result, learning can progress smoothly in lessons. Staff establish routines and good behaviours for the youngest learners in the preschool and early years. This helps pupils to settle to their learning and get off to a strong start as soon as they enter school.

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Pupils learn the importance of respecting others and being a good citizen in a community. Pupils learn about and experience democracy. For example, they use voting in school to choose pupils to represent others on the junior leadership team. Pupils understand the rule of law, and how the rules in school are an example of this. They understand difference and treat everyone equally and with great respect.

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The school has prioritised strong pastoral support for pupils and families. It has worked hard to ensure that pupils attend school regularly. As a result, attendance continues to improve.

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Staff feel well supported by the school. Leaders provide professional development opportunities for staff and are mindful of their well-being. Governors regularly spend time in the school checking the work of leaders. They know what the school does well and where it needs to improve. 25 and 26 June 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some curriculum areas have not clearly stated the specific knowledge pupils should learn and when. As a result, staff have to make these decisions in the absence of clear guidance. The school should make sure that the agreed knowledge and skills are set out explicitly in all curriculum plans.  Teachers do not always check that pupils have understood what they have been taught. Consequently, misconceptions go unchecked and become embedded. As a result, pupils do not learn the important knowledge as securely as the school has planned. The school should ensure that all teachers routinely check how well pupils have understood new knowledge, addressing gaps or misconceptions immediately.

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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 judged 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. 25 and 26 June 2024

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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). 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 June 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school runs a pre-school, with provision for two-year-olds.  The school uses four registered 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 that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the leader with responsibility for the provision for pupils with SEND and teaching and 25 and 26 June 2024

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support staff. The inspector also met with the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work. The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subject areas.  The inspector considered the views of pupils, staff and parents. This included reviewing submissions and free-text responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.  To gather the views of staff, the inspector took account of responses to the staff survey and met with staff teams.

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Inspection team

Rod Warsap, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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