Longford Park Primary School

Inspection of Longford Park Primary School Windmill Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV6 7AT

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 19 and 20 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Longford Park is a happy school. An art gallery showcasing pupils’ high-quality work welcomes parents and carers and visitors to the school site. At the start of each school day, staff warmly welcome families with a smile and a friendly greeting.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is aspirational for all pupils. The motto ‘working together, learning forever’ is at the heart of all the school does. This creates a climate where most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well, become resilient, and learn to collaborate.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school and feel safe. They learn how to stay safe online and in their local community. Pupils know that they can talk to an adult if they have any concerns. Pupils behave well. They are kind and respectful towards others. Any disagreements between peers are quickly sorted out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils have plentiful opportunities for character development. Children in the early years complete 50 activities before they are five. These activities successfully encourage pupils to be curious, and to be adventurous and independent. Older pupils take on leadership responsibilities with enthusiasm. For example, reading champions listen to their peers read. Pupils also run their own clubs, such as chess, space and mathematics.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious and carefully designed. It identifies the important knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils need to learn. This helps teachers to deliver the curriculum well. As a consequence, most pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education.

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

Staff have good subject knowledge. They begin each lesson by checking what pupils already know and remember. Staff successfully help pupils to make links to new learning. They present information clearly and make sure pupils have the chance to practise key skills. The checks on pupils’ learning are used well to identify any gaps in learning and to plan future activities.

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

Pupils with SEND are quickly identified. The school works well with parents and external services. Extra help, such as speech and language therapy for pupils, is sought early. Most staff make appropriate adaptations to lessons. This helps pupils to achieve well. In a small number of curriculum subjects, the activities and resources are sometimes not adapted as well as they could. Consequently, a few pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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

In response to the disappointing phonics results in 2024, leaders acted speedily to make sure that any pupils at risk of falling behind with their reading get the help that they need. All staff deliver the phonics programme consistently well. This is because they have received up-to-date training. Books are carefully matched to the sounds that pupils learn. Pupils enjoy reading. They become confident and fluent readers by the time they leave 19 and 20 November 2024

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the school. Nevertheless, some pupils do not have a broad knowledge of authors, non- fiction books or poems.

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The youngest children settle in quickly and learn to share equipment and play together sensibly. In lessons, pupils listen carefully and enjoy talking about their learning. The playground is harmonious. Pupils play well. Individual pupils who sometimes struggle to do the right thing are sensitively helped to remain calm and manage their emotions. Most pupils attend regularly. The small number of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, who are persistently absent from school is reducing. This is because the school is taking effective action and working well with families.

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The school’s ‘STAR’ values: self-esteem, trust, aspiration, respect and support underpin the exemplary approach to pupils’ personal development. Pupils of all ages take part in a wide range of experiences that take learning beyond the classroom. In the school’s forest area, children in the early years learn to work as a team, while older pupils learn about sustainability. Stories and visits to places of worship teach pupils about diversity and difference. Pupils benefit from opportunities that enable them to develop their sense of community and social responsibility. These opportunities include singing for elderly people and raising funds for the local hospice. The school places a strong emphasis on nurturing pupils’ talents and interests. For instance, pupils can take part in clubs such as art, orienteering, and choir.

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Leaders, staff and governors work as a team to ensure the school continually improves for the pupils. The Longford Park team have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities. They have responded promptly to support and challenge from the local authority. Staff are proud to work at the school and feel valued. They appreciate the training opportunities and the consideration given to their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are occasions when staff do not adapt the activities and resources to meet the needs of some pupils with SEND. This means that these pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should share the existing effective practice in the school to help all staff get better at supporting pupils with SEND.  Some pupils do not have a broad knowledge of different types of texts, authors and poems. This means they do not have a wider enjoyment of reading. To further develop pupils’ love of reading, the school should promote reading for pleasure. 19 and 20 November 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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.longfordpark.coventry.sch.uk/

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 July 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any 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. 19 and 20 November 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, and staff.

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 The lead inspector met with those responsible for governance, including the chair and vice chair of the governing body. The lead inspector also had a telephone conversation with a local authority representative.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, art and design, mathematics and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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 spoke with a range of pupils on both days of inspection. Inspectors also

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spent time with pupils at lunchtimes and breaktimes and talked to pupils about their experiences of the school.  An inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered free-text responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey.  Inspectors gathered the views of staff through Ofsted’s staff survey, as well as discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  A range of school documents were reviewed, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans.

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Inspection team

Usha Devi, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Roulla Gabriel Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 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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