Larchfield Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Larchfield Primary and Nursery School Bargeman Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 2SG

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Outcome

Larchfield Primary and Nursery 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?

A strong, inclusive ethos is at the heart of this school. Pupils are proud to wear its badge. The school is committed to serving and welcoming all pupils and their families. The care given to pupils by staff demonstrate the school’s values of responsibility, safety and respect. Most pupils also embrace these values to help them make the right choices, meet the staff’s high expectations and behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils’ achievements, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has a strong understanding of individual pupils’ needs. Staff think carefully about how to make every day successful for pupils. This helps pupils to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, well mannered and respectful. At social times, pupils eat and play sensibly with their friends. The school provides a varied set of experiences for pupils. Pupil leadership opportunities such as the ‘mini police’ help pupils take on responsibilities and to learn more about the world around them. These experiences also include visits to enhance pupils’ learning, such as visiting local museums and going to the theatre. Pupils love the varied clubs that the school runs, such as junk modelling and sewing.

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

Over the last few years, the school has successfully developed a broader and more balanced curriculum. In nearly all subjects, the school has created a curriculum that ensures pupils learn the most important knowledge. It is logically ordered from the early 23 and 24 April 2025

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years to Year 6. However, in a few subjects, this knowledge is not defined precisely enough. This means that staff are not as clear on what pupils must remember.

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Staff display sound subject knowledge and explain new ideas clearly. They adapt their teaching effectively for pupils with SEND. This helps these pupils to achieve well from their starting points. In most subjects, staff check on pupils’ learning effectively. This helps them to identify and address pupils’ mistakes. However, in some other subjects, teachers do not check as closely what pupils have remembered. This hinders pupils from achieving as well as they could in these subjects.

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Reading is prioritised highly. Staff are well trained to help any pupils who struggle. Catch- up activities give pupils the valuable practice they need. Pupils learn to become fluent and confident readers, enjoying a range of fiction and non-fiction books. The school ensures that staff encourage pupils to use their reading knowledge in their writing. This work starts in the early years. Pupils learn to develop their language skills and an enthusiasm for writing. As a result, pupils produce increasingly accurate and confident writing across the curriculum.

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The school ensures that pupils understand the behaviour that is expected of them so they are ready to learn. This starts in the early years where routines are established, modelled by staff and practised by pupils regularly. Most pupils work hard in lessons because they want to learn. When learning is disrupted by the behaviour of others, staff manage this well. The school has a calm and reassuring approach to pupils who sometimes find it hard to behave in the way the school would like. Well-trained staff help pupils to recognise and reflect on their feelings. This contributes to a warm and happy atmosphere in the school. The school checks pupils’ attendance rigorously. When attendance dips, the school acts swiftly to address this.

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The school’s approach to pupils’ personal development is well planned. Children gain from a wide range of experiences that build their understanding of the world around them. For example, visitors from different places of worship help pupils to deepen their understanding. Pupils also benefit from many sporting opportunities such as being part of the Invictus games. The school ensures that these events are accessible to all. Pupils display a strong understanding of the importance of looking after their mental health and learn ways in which they can do so.

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Leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils, staff and the community that they serve. A well-structured programme of training supports teaching. The school considers staff workload and well-being carefully. The governing body fulfils its statutory duties effectively and has an accurate understanding of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 23 and 24 April 2025

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What does the school need to do to improve?

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to remember. Therefore, teachers do not have enough clarity about what knowledge pupils must secure before moving on. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about the key content pupils need to learn from the early years to the end of key stage 2.  In some subjects, the school does not check effectively how well pupils have understood what has been taught. This means that pupils’ misconceptions or gaps in knowledge can go unnoticed. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure that systems are in place to check pupils’ understanding and address any misconceptions so they can build and connect knowledge over time.

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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 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 June 2015.

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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. 23 and 24 April 2025

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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). 23 and 24 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses no 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 his evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke to senior school staff, subject leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ books.  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 23 and 24 April 2025

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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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. He also took into consideration Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Neil Pilsworth, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 April 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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