Long Knowle Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Long Knowle Primary School Blackwood Avenue, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV11 1EB

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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Outcome

Long Knowle 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 say ‘everyone is included’ at Long Knowle Primary School. The school is ambitious for all its pupils. Pupils achieve well, particularly in reading. Each day pupils do their best to live the school’s ‘RIGHT’ values. There is a strong culture of safety and well-being. Pupils say ‘teachers are amazing and kind’. Staff listen to and act on any worries or concerns that pupils have. Pupils are happy and safe. They enjoy attending.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high behaviour expectations are consistently applied by staff. Pupils are polite and well-behaved. Classrooms are calm and orderly. Pupils settle quickly to complete tasks in lessons. At social times, pupils enjoy spending time with their friends. Pupil leaders are on hand to distribute play equipment. They help younger pupils to play games and learn new skills. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. They know how to be a good friend.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value their recent trips to a church, castle, museum and a steam train experience. Such activities help to deepen their historical knowledge about the past. As historians, they consider the impact on life today and possibly how it could affect the future. Drama, gymnastics, dance and football clubs are popular with pupils.

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

The school offers an ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum for all its pupils. In most subjects, the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to know builds over time. Recent improvements to the curriculum have had a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Pupils enjoy activities, such as singing songs about multiplication tables and entering the ‘time machine’ at the start of history lessons. This helps pupils to learn in fun and exciting ways. Teachers have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum well. They 28 and 29 January 2025

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check pupils’ work in lessons and identify any misconceptions quickly. In a few subjects, some aspects of the knowledge and skills pupils need to know are unclear. This is because the order of learning is not yet clearly set out in these aspects.

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Pupils with additional needs, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are swiftly identified. They get the help and support they need to learn well in school. This includes adaptions to work, additional resources, or adult support. The school’s revised approach to checking on how well pupils learn the curriculum over time is having a positive impact. However, sometimes this information is not consistently used well to plan next steps in pupils’ learning. As a result, some of the work set by teachers does not enable some pupils to achieve the aims of the school’s ambitious curriculum.

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Staff are highly skilled in teaching phonics and early reading. Parents value the school’s reading cafés and workshops which help to support reading at home. Pupils read books that match the sounds they learn. This builds confidence and fluency. Any pupils who fall behind receive targeted support to catch up quickly. Pupils learn to read with confidence and accuracy.

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Children in the early years settle well into the school’s routines. They enjoy opportunities to explore their new environment. Language and communication are prioritised. Staff support children skilfully to talk about their learning, such as when they count ducks in the water tray. Children enjoy and benefit from the well-chosen stories, songs and rhymes that staff share with them. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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All pupils benefit from the school’s strong enrichment offer. It inspires pupils to broaden their horizons and be their personal best. Be it singing in the choir, learning to play a musical instrument or partaking in the school’s rich sports programme. Pupils are proud of their achievements. They value opportunities to take on responsibilities in school. These include school councillors, digital leaders and school captains. Pupils learn about different religions including Christianity, Sikhism and Islam. They learn about important people, books and places of worship in these faiths. They enjoy finding out about Holi and Diwali during drumming and dance workshops. Pupils develop tolerance and respect. They are well-prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders make effective decisions in the best interests of children. Governors hold the headteacher to account effectively for the performance of the school. Leaders’ work to improve pupils’ attendance is relentless. As a result, persistent absence has significantly reduced over time. The vast majority of pupils now attend school regularly and on time.

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Staff are highly positive about the support that they receive from leaders to manage their workload and well-being. For example, revised assessment and feedback arrangements have significantly reduced their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 28 and 29 January 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the order in which pupils should learn key information is not clearly set out. This affects teachers’ understanding of when to teach important knowledge and skills to pupils in aspects of these subjects. The school should ensure that the order in which pupils should be taught essential knowledge and skills is well thought out.  There is variability in how assessment information is used to plan next steps in pupils learning. As a result, work set by teachers does not enable some pupils to achieve the aims of the school’s ambitious curriculum. The school should ensure that assessment information is consistently used to plan next steps so that all pupils consistently learn and remember more of the school’s ambitious curriculum.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2016.

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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. 28 and 29 January 2025

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school offers a breakfast club for pupils.  The current headteacher and deputy headteacher took up post in autumn 2023.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of 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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 The inspector observed pupils at informal times of the day as part of their evaluation of safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspector met with trustees. The inspector also talked to pupils, staff and parents to gather information about school life.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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