Langham Village School

Inspection of Langham Village School North Street, Langham, Holt, Norfolk NR25 7DG

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 September 2024

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

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since November 2011. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 24 and 25 September 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school with big ambitions for its pupils. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and learning. Pupils are safe and understand how to stay safe. They know they can always share concerns with an adult. This is because staff prioritise pupils’ mental and physical well-being. As a result, pupils are happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic learners and they behave exceptionally well. They listen to their teachers attentively. Pupils eagerly answer teachers’ questions. They are proud to discuss their learning. Learning ambassadors help other pupils in class. Pupils show tremendous respect to everyone.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of trips. Children in Reception visit the seaside and a local library. These experiences enrich their understanding of the world around them. Older pupils visit London and the theatre, and hone their gardening skills at a local stately home.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides many opportunities for pupils to develop leadership skills and assume responsibility. School councillors represent their friends’ views. Their suggestions lead to changes in school life. Eco-councillors plant trees and pick litter. They campaign to reduce plastic and to protect the North Sea from sewage. This helps heighten pupils’ environmental awareness. Pupils have a voice, as citizens, in a democratic society.

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

The school has constructed an ambitious curriculum which nurtures confident, resilient and inquisitive learners. Leaders have carefully chosen the knowledge that pupils learn. This knowledge builds logically on pupils’ prior learning. In art, for example, older pupils discuss the application of a range of watercolour techniques. Leaders continue to refine the curriculum. They provide staff with high-quality training. There is now much emphasis on pupils revisiting what they have learned before. As a result, pupils recall knowledge with ease. In mathematics, pupils apply this knowledge to reason and solve more complex mathematical problems.

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

Teachers present knowledge in small chunks and with clarity. This helps pupils to grasp more sophisticated ideas. Teachers rigorously identify misconceptions and mistakes in pupils’ learning. They provide pupils with support so their learning improves. Pupils work well independently. They show tremendous perseverance with more demanding work. Reception-age children begin carrying out helpful tasks for their teacher.

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

The school has prioritised the teaching of reading. Most children in Reception quickly gain knowledge of sounds. Pupils in Year 1, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), blend new sounds automatically. They read familiar language with fluency. Older pupils read with expression and can retell stories in their own words. Pupils apply their phonics knowledge to write with accuracy. The books which pupils read help them to learn about historical figures from a range of diverse backgrounds. This allows pupils to empathise with people who face incredible challenges in the world today. 24 and 25 September 2024

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Leaders meticulously check how well pupils read. Any pupils who fall behind receive swift support, and they catch up.

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The school works with outside agencies to identify how best to support pupils with SEND. Leaders provide teachers with precise guidance on how to adapt the curriculum. Leaders regularly review how well these adaptations enable pupils with SEND to access the curriculum. Attendance of pupils with SEND and those in receipt of pupil premium is exceptional. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The school provides well for pupils’ personal development. For such a small school, it provides pupils with a multitude of clubs and extra-curricular activities, which they enjoy. Pupils hone their sporting prowess and compete regionally. They perform, play games and develop their artistic skills. The forest school and residential experiences ensure pupils foster teamwork and independence.

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Pupils know how to maintain healthy relationships. They understand how their actions may affect how others feel. Pupils know how to mediate and resolve disagreements among their friends. Pupils are open minded, kind and compassionate. While they welcome those who are different from them, their knowledge of world religions is limited. As a result of this, they are not as well prepared as they could be for life in multicultural Britain and a global society. The school is aware of this.

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Leaders, governors and the local authority evaluate accurately what the school does well and how it needs to develop. Leaders’ actions have led to improvements in how teachers implement the curriculum and in other areas of school life. Governors hold leaders to account for their actions. Staff value the support and training they receive to become better teachers. This is reflected in high levels of well-being among staff. Parents and carers overwhelmingly appreciate the quality of education the school provides for their children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum does not provide pupils with sufficient knowledge of different world religions and their commonalities. As a result of this, they are not building as rich an understanding of diversity in multicultural Britain and of the wider world as they could. The school needs to ensure that pupils build a richer knowledge of world religions so they are even better prepared for life in multicultural Britain and a global world. 24 and 25 September 2024

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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, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 24 and 25 September 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 24 and 25 November 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school makes no use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 24 and 25 September 2024

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 The inspectors met with the chair of governors, other governors, the headteacher, other leaders, subject leaders, teachers and support staff. The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and art. These included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons, meetings with staff and pupils, scrutiny of pupils’ work and a review of any curriculum documentation. They also scrutinised other curriculum documentation and other areas of the curriculum.  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 views of pupils, staff and parents. There were 15 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were 25 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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There were 41 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors considered 40 free-text responses from parents.

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Inspection team

Adam Cooke, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rob Edwards Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 September 2024

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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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