Luckwell Primary School

Inspection of Luckwell Primary School Luckwell Road, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 3ET

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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

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The principal of this school is Lilly Byers. This school is part of Excalibur Academies 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), Nick Lewis, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Toby Watson. 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Luckwell Primary School are enthusiastic, curious learners who achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils enjoy school and thrive in its small, welcoming community. Parents value the care and support that their children receive. Pupils feel happy and safe. They trust the adults in school to help them resolve any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations for pupils. Pupils are eager to learn and strive to do their best. They value opportunities to explore new ideas and deepen their understanding. Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning help them persevere when their work is challenging.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school environment is calm and purposeful. From Reception, children demonstrate a strong understanding of routines and quickly settle into school life. Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and around the school. Respect for others is at the heart of the school’s ethos. Pupils value the opinions, cultures and beliefs of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school promotes a strong sense of responsibility. Older pupils run clubs for their peers. They created the ‘YANA’ (You Are Not Alone) club to share positive mental health strategies with other pupils. Activities like participating in community projects and raising money for charity teach pupils to be active citizens.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has had a sharp focus on ensuring all pupils learn to read. This begins from the moment they join the school in Reception. Staff deliver the phonics scheme with skill and precision. Pupils read often from books well matched to the sounds they are learning. Pupils at risk of falling behind in phonics or reading receive appropriate support to catch up. There is a buzz about reading throughout the school. Pupils are eager to read books by a range of authors. Pupils have many opportunities to apply their reading knowledge and skills across the curriculum. This helps them to become fluent, enthusiastic readers.

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

The school, with support from the trust, has redeveloped its curriculum. The changes have been swift and comprehensive. There is an ambitious curriculum in place which sets out the knowledge pupils need to learn. Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics, but historic knowledge gaps remain in some other subjects. For example, older pupils understand the key aspects of invasion during World War II and in Roman and Anglo-Saxon times. However, they cannot place the periods of history they have studied in chronological order.

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

The trust ensures that staff are well trained. Staff model new learning using clear and precise explanations. They use questions expertly to check pupils’ knowledge of reading and mathematics. Approaches to checking pupils’ learning in a few subjects are less well developed. This means that staff do not use information well enough to adjust lessons or address gaps in pupils’ knowledge in these subjects. 14 and 15 January 2025

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The school places high priority on developing pupils’ vocabulary and communication skills. As a result, pupils speak about their learning with confidence and maturity. For instance, pupils have the language required to explain their mathematical thinking. This starts in Reception, where children can share how they know which number matches a cluster of objects. In key stage 2, pupils use the correct mathematical vocabulary to explain their problem-solving strategies. They love to explore new ideas and relish a challenge.

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The school accurately identifies and addresses the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff provide expert support and well-chosen resources. Regular reviews and adjustments ensure that pupils with SEND achieve well. Such adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum ensure that these pupils can learn alongside their peers.

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The school’s approach to tackling absence is effective. There is an emphasis on regular attendance and punctuality, which is carefully monitored. The school and individual families work together where pupils’ attendance is a concern. This is bringing about improvements, and most pupils attend school regularly.

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At Luckwell, there is a belief that every pupil should have a voice and the confidence to use it. Pupils engage in debate with care and consideration. They understand what discrimination is and will not tolerate it. Pupils take a keen interest in different religions and communities. This helps them prepare for life in modern Britain. Residential trips and theatre visits spark curiosity and broaden pupils’ experiences.

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Trust and school leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They recognise there is further work to do to strengthen the teaching of the curriculum in some subjects. Staff appreciate the support they have received to manage the many recent changes. They are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Historic weaknesses in the school’s curriculum mean that, in some foundation subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Consequently, pupils struggle to recall and build on their previous learning in these subjects. The trust should ensure that recent improvements to the curriculum are embedded and that their effectiveness on pupils’ learning is kept under review.  The school is in the early stages of implementing assessment procedures in some foundation subjects. This means that assessment information is not being used effectively enough to strengthen the curriculum and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. The trust should ensure that assessment systems in these remaining subjects support teachers to check how well pupils have learned the knowledge in the curriculum. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 September 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Excalibur Academies Trust, which it joined in September 2023. At the time of the previous inspection, the school was part of the Gatehouse Green Learning Trust.  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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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.  Inspectors met with the principal and other senior and curriculum leaders. The lead inspector met with representatives of the trust, including the CEO, the Director of Primary Improvement, a member of the trust board and representatives from the local governing board.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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 reviewed curriculums for history and personal, social and health education. They spoke to pupils about their learning in these subjects and looked at

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samples of their work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at break and lunchtime, and around the school.  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.  Inspectors considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for school staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Faye Heming, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Baillie Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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