Leverton Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Leverton Primary School Honey Lane, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 3BE

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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Outcome

Leverton Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel at ease in this safe and nurturing environment. They show empathy towards each other. Pupils understand that everyone has different needs. They are considerate and care genuinely for their peers, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are motivated and concentrate on what they are learning. Adults encourage children in the early years to use their imagination through play. Pupils demonstrate perseverance and patience when faced with demanding work. They appreciate the help and support adults give them with their learning, behaviour and well-being. Pupils are confident about telling a trusted adult if they have concern. They are assured that staff will sort out any problems properly and quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending the range of clubs the school offers, including sports, drama and gardening. The school’s ’40 experiences for life’ underpins the staff commitment to providing a curriculum that is enriched with broader opportunities. This includes termly visits to places of interests and welcoming visitors to the school. Pupils are taught to value the importance of education beyond the now, looking towards their future aspirations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has effectively addressed the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection.

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

The school has undertaken considerable work to review the curriculum. Developments in English and mathematics equip staff to deliver important content and knowledge in a systematic way. For instance, themes they are studying. The reading programme enables 15 and 16 October 2024

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pupils to develop their early reading skills well. Children in the early years explore speaking and listening to sounds within the environment. Staff provide pupils with reading books that are at the correct level of challenge. Parents welcome the information that the school provides to help support their child to read. Many pupils become confident and fluent readers. In Year 6, pupils draw upon their mathematical knowledge by using appropriate calculations and inverse operations to solve word problems. Some pupils welcome work which helps them deepen their thinking and learning.

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The school has a secure knowledge of the barriers faced by pupils with SEND and those with social, emotional and mental health needs. Staff have thought carefully about how the curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. They give detailed demonstrations and explain tasks clearly. Teachers revisit things taught in the past to help pupils understand new content. However, on a few occasions, the lessons are not effectively adapted to enable pupils to access or understand what they need to learn. Opportunities to strengthen pupils’ understanding of subject-specific vocabulary are not always maximised. This leads to some pupils not deepening their knowledge and understanding as well as they might. Teachers expose pupils to high-quality texts linked to the curriculum.

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Pupils show positive attitudes to learning. Staff manage well those pupils who find behaviour a challenge. The school places great emphasis on ensuring pupils have high attendance and good punctuality. Staff focus on making sure the school is a place where pupils want to come to learn.

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The school creates an inclusive atmosphere where pupils are taught to accept, embrace and celebrate similarities and differences. Pupils have a secure understanding of building healthy relationships. They use appropriate language to describe their feelings. In the early years, children are taught to express their emotions through the exploration of different colours. For example, they know that green represents feeling calm and yellow, happiness. Children in the Nursery benefit from the many opportunities to develop their physical skills. They enjoy riding tricycles, climbing on the outdoor apparatus, throwing and catching balls with their peers. Adults enthusiastically interact with children as they learn and play in the early years setting. Many children are ready for Year 1.

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There is a strong supportive culture of teamwork within the school. Staff are comfortable to share their views with school leaders, knowing that they will be listened to and their opinions are valued. Staff appreciate that the school considers their workload and wellbeing.

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The school reflects constantly on how to make the curriculum more personalised to its context and locality. Many initiatives are beginning to show signs of growth, including the school’s approach to staff training. There has not been sufficient time to embed some of the recent developments to the curriculum. Governors and school leaders have a secure understanding of the school’s context and challenges. Governors present clear rationales for the actions they take and the key priorities identified. 15 and 16 October 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not ensure that teachers routinely develop pupils’ vocabulary and understanding effectively. Where this happens, some pupils do not deepen their knowledge and understanding well enough. The school should ensure that all teachers check and develop pupils’ understanding of subject-specific vocabulary securely in all subjects so that pupils deepen their knowledge of the curriculum.  Sometimes, teachers do not make sufficient adaptations to ensure that pupils access the intended curriculum. As a result, some pupils’ learning and understanding is less secure. The school should make sure that teachers know how to adapt teaching appropriately to enable all pupils learn the curriculum successfully.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in June 2019.

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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. 15 and 16 October 2024

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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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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. 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 the headteacher, the chair and members of the governing body, senior leaders and other members of staff.  The inspector carried out activities including discussions with leaders and teachers about the curriculum, visiting a sample of lessons, speaking with groups of pupils about their learning, and considered pupils’ work.  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 15 and 16 October 2024

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Lascelles Haughton, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 15 and 16 October 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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