Larchwood Primary School

Inspection of Larchwood Primary School Larchwood Gardens, Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, Essex CM15 9NG

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Stephen Bowsher. The school is part of Discovery Educational 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), Ryan Duff, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Witty.

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Overall effectiveness Good

The school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 seven years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. The school received an ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Act on 21 and 22 September 2022. 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. 2 and 3 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this happy and welcoming school. Staff expect pupils to work hard and they do. They know why ‘achievement and enjoyment’ are important goals. The ethos of the school shines through as pupils model their six school values. This helps to prepare pupils well for their next stage of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind and respect each other. They freely share their views and opinions. For example, when discussing different religious beliefs. Pupils know staff will listen to and value them. This helps them to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has carefully designed high-quality enrichment opportunities. Pupils benefit greatly from this. Trips to museums and farms help pupils to learn more about the subjects they study. A range of visitors, including other pupils from China, open pupils’ eyes to the world around them. The junior governing board learn the importance of responsibility through their roles. They appreciate having a say in how to make improvements to the school. They are proud to have raised funds to improve resources for the playground.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love the extensive extra-curricular opportunities on offer such as playing chess, singing in the choir, learning to ride a bike in Year 2, or planting at gardening club. These provide pupils with many opportunities to develop talents and interests.

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better?

The school has refined the curriculum over recent years. They have identified the important knowledge pupils need to learn and understand. This is set into a logical order. The school expects pupils to apply their knowledge to increasingly complex learning. Pupils do this appropriately in many subjects. For example, pupils learn about influential artists before securing their understanding of different sketching techniques. This helps pupils to create high quality artwork. However, occasionally staff expect pupils to complete complex tasks before they have the prior knowledge they need. When this happens, pupils have misconceptions and do not understand important content as well as they could.

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better?

Children make a flying start in the Reception classes. This is because staff are experts at identifying and supporting their needs. Children learn the routines and expectations of school quickly. They listen and concentrate exceptionally well when learning to read and write. Interactions between children are of an incredibly high quality. They are kind and happily take turns such as when choosing their favourite snack from the fruit bowl.

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better?

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities with precision. The school provides staff with training in how to make useful adaptations for these pupils. For example, staff provide pupils with resources that remind them of the sounds that letters make. This helps pupils to access their learning. 2 and 3 July 2024

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Reading is a highlight of the school day for many. This ranges from listening to a favourite story in the Reception class to choosing a new book from ‘the hub’. The school identifies pupils who need more help with reading. These pupils then receive effective support. Reading books match the sounds pupils know so they can practise them. Well-trained staff help pupils to sound out and blend unfamiliar words to become more confident readers.

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The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum teaches an understanding of differences. It also teaches pupils how to maintain healthy lifestyles. This includes the importance of healthy relationships. Carefully planned assembly themes enhance this further. Pupils develop a secure understanding of the knowledge they need to be well-prepared for their futures.

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Pupils behave well in lessons. They also behave when walking throughout the school or playing outside. Sports coaches help pupils to play structured games during lunchtime. Pupils also play their own games and readily join in with each other. There is a buzz to the dining hall as pupils sit down to chat over lunch.

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The school works with families to remove some of the barriers that prevent pupils attending school regularly. They have success in much of this. However, there remains a small group of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, who regularly miss too much school. This leads to gaps in their learning. The school, and the trust, are working on how to better improve some of their systems for addressing this.

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The trust, and the school, proactively look for ways to improve the provision on offer. The trust provides effective support to the school. It checks how well leaders are working towards key areas to improve. Leaders have created an environment where staff are incredibly well-respected and supported. Staff are freely giving of their time to run the wide ranging extra-curricular offer in place. They are immensely proud to be a part of the school. Parents are equally appreciative of the way staff and leaders support their children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally staff expect pupils to complete complex work before they are ready. When this happens, pupils do not secure their understanding as well as they should. Staff should ensure pupils secure the building blocks of knowledge they need before attempting to apply this knowledge to more complex work. 2 and 3 July 2024

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 There are a small number of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, who are persistently absent from school. This means they miss important learning and have gaps in their knowledge. The school, and the trust, should ensure their systems for securing positive attendance result in reduced absence for these pupils.

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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). 2 and 3 July 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 September 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a before-school and after-school club as childcare provision for pupils on site.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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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.  Inspectors discussed the ongoing impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the 2 and 3 July 2024

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curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read with a familiar member of staff.  Inspectors considered evidence from other subjects.  Inspectors met with the CEO, director of education, headteacher, deputy headteacher and special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, assistant headteachers, subject leaders, staff, the chair of trustees and the chair of the local school committee.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including behaviour logs, bullying

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records, attendance records, pupil records, minutes of trustee and local school committee meetings, school development plans, records of monitoring from the trust and local school committee and school policies.  Inspectors considered responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also spoke with parents as they arrived at school.  Inspectors considered responses to both the staff and pupil survey. Inspectors also met with pupils and staff throughout the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Michael Williams, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Wade Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 July 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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