Longworth Primary School

Inspection of Longworth Primary School School Close, Longworth, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5EU

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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 Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 14 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. 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. 9 and 10 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this welcoming school. In class they are keen to learn and appreciate how well their teachers know them. In the mixed year group classes and across the school, pupils of all ages get to know each other. Older pupils take pride in helping younger children as reading buddies and during social times in the playground.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values are well understood. Pupils recognise how these shared values help to create a nurturing environment. Pupils rise to the school’s shared high behaviour expectations and disruption to learning is uncommon. Staff provide additional support to help the small number of pupils who find managing their behaviour more difficult. This helps these pupils make the necessary improvements to help them also behave positively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school. They appreciate the thoughtful pastoral care and guidance they receive that helps them to understand how to look after themselves and their friends. If they have concerns, pupils know they should talk to staff to get the help they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in early years enjoy the range of outdoor activities in their shared play space. Through play, staff help children in the Nursery develop skills in readiness for moving to Reception. Pupils of all ages value the way that they are prepared for their next steps in their education.

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better?

The school is highly ambitious for all pupils. Staff are united in their aim of providing a full education that will help pupils to flourish in life. The school has recently introduced a range of suitable systems and approaches to achieve this. While these are already having a widespread positive impact, staff recognise that continued refinement will be needed before they are fully realised to help pupils achieve highly across the curriculum.

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better?

The school’s new curriculum precisely identifies the knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember. Learning is logically sequenced. In most lessons, recap is frequent and is underpinned by teachers detailed subject knowledge. This helps pupils to recall their prior learning. Teachers regularly check pupils’ understanding and use targeted catch up and adaption of teaching where it is needed. However, in some areas, the new curriculum is not yet securely in place, and pupils are not consistently applying previous learning in their lessons. The school is rightly continuing to check that pupils are getting the support they need to accurately learn the curriculum. This includes making checks on the provision in place for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers are very clear about pupils’ individual needs, leading to support being put in place that is effective. 9 and 10 July 2024

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Children in both Nursery and Reception are well known by staff. Children receive help to learn as individuals and while working with their peers in groups. Early reading and early mathematics are taught frequently and accurately but are less common in play activities. The school is continuing to develop ways to deliberately and precisely include these aspects within play to help children practise what they have learned.

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Reading is a priority across the school. Pupils in the earlier stages of learning to read are carefully supported. Teachers’ strong phonics knowledge means that pupils learn sounds and letters quickly. Interventions are precisely targeted. The weekly whole- school reading assembly helps pupils to share their love of stories. The school has chosen books that reflect a wide variety of people, places and ideas which build on pupils’ understanding of difference. The school is expanding its range of texts to include more non-fiction and poetry to enhance what pupils read.

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Staff carefully consider how the school’s values support the school’s culture. The importance of respect is emphasised and is well known by pupils. They understand how they should treat each other, and how they should expect to be treated. In class, pupils’ behaviour is calm, and their attitudes to learning are positive. Away from the classroom, some pupils do not always meet the school’s high expectations for behaviour. The school recognises this and is continuing to ensure that staff and pupils get the help they need to ensure that pupils behave well throughout the school.

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A wide range of trips and opportunities help pupils to develop their understanding of the world. Local museum and gallery visits emphasise the cultural opportunities close to where pupils live. Residential trips help develop pupils’ independence and experiences. The school makes sure that potential barriers to pupils joining in are overcome, meaning all pupils can attend.

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Some pupils’ attendance remains too low. This means they miss out on the valuable education on offer. While the school is creative in helping pupils to attend regularly, leaders recognise the need to strengthen this further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are some inconsistencies in implementation of the new curriculum, and other policies and processes. This means that staff do not always make the most of the range of new plans and structures which are in place to support all aspects of pupils’ education. The school should continue to refine how it checks the 9 and 10 July 2024

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implementation and impact of the new curriculum to ensure this is in line with expectations.  Some pupils are not attending school as regularly as they should. As a result, they are missing out on vital learning. The school needs to continue to strengthen its actions to support these pupils to improve their attendance.

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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 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). 9 and 10 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 December 2010, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and other members of the leadership team took up post after the previous inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The pre-school has been under the primary school leadership since September 2021.  The school teaches some pupils in mixed-age classes.

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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. 9 and 10 July 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection of the school since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, SEND coordinator, curriculum leaders, and other staff.  The inspectors met with the chair of governors and other members of the governing body.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors listened to a sample of pupils read. Inspectors also viewed a sample of work from other curriculum areas.  The inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school,

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including leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement plans.  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 considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the responses to the confidential staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Ed Mather, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lesley Fisher-Pink Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 July 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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