Latton Green Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • the most able pupils achieve as well as they should in reading, writing and mathematics from their individual starting points
  • grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught consistently well throughout key stage 2
  • high expectations of pupils’ presentation of their work are shared by all.
• Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • improvement planning is sharpened so that it focuses clearly on pupil outcomes at Latton Green
  • self-evaluation at all levels accurately reflects the impact of leaders’ decisions and actions on pupils’ outcomes.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders at Latton Green are ambitious and have high expectations for the pupils and staff at the school. Since the school opened in January 2015, the leadership team has grown to meet the needs of the school, extending the roles of leaders working across the Hub.
• The head of school and executive headteacher are passionate in their drive to ensure that all pupils receive the best start they can to their education. This influences every decision they make. They ensure that staff are trained and supported extremely well in their professional development.
• Leaders have a clear understanding of current pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics from their starting points. There is a plethora of information that is collected to inform leaders’ and governors’ view of the school’s strengths and areas of development. However, this information is not always used well to ensure that leaders track the impact of the actions they take on pupils’ attainment and progress. Although the school development plan is specific to Latton Green, many of the school’s other plans are generic to the trust and do not focus on what is precisely needed at this school. Self-evaluation is, therefore, not as rigorous as it might be.
• Middle leaders are well developed and are a strength of the school and of the trust. Some leaders are very new to post. Many are specialist teachers. Each is passionate about, and has in-depth knowledge of, their own subject area. They confidently explore different strategies and methods of assessing pupils’ attainment and progress, sensibly trialling them first. They work closely with the trust’s English and mathematics lead practitioners to ensure that planning of year group themes incorporates all areas of the curriculum.
• The trust invests well in the development of leaders, teachers and teaching assistants at Latton Green. Many opportunities are provided for staff to take part in training or to see outstanding practice in other schools. Leaders are keen to ‘grow their own’ teachers and have done so very effectively. They are confident and competent teachers who have quickly developed their leadership of, for example, music, phonics and Spanish across the whole school. Leaders and governors take great pride in showing the successes that staff have had in taking on wider roles within the school or trust. Staff say they are very appreciative of the opportunities that leaders offer them.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are particularly effective. The school is held in high regard by the vast majority of parents. One parent commented, ‘Communication between parents and staff has exceeded my expectations and I feel very much involved in my son’s progress and day-to-day school life.’ Another wrote, ‘If we have ever had a concern, leaders will always make time to listen and discuss, and agree the best way forward.’
• The school prepares its pupils well for life in multi-cultural, modern Britain. Pupils visit places of worship, for example a Hindu Temple, and excitedly recount their experience. ‘Culture days’ are particularly effective in involving pupils in activities to help them better understand how other children and families live their daily lives. For example, pupils really enjoyed the latest day where they explored such countries as Spain, Russia or Australia, each of which was represented by a class. Mastering a boomerang from Australia, or performing an Irish dance, were among the many activities teachers provided for pupils to try. Pupils have asked that the next day is dedicated to countries that are represented within the school, for example Lithuania.
• The curriculum is well developed across the school. Each theme begins with a ‘stunning start’, which may be a display, a trip or a visitor and incorporates many areas of the curriculum. The extended school day enables teachers to plan for an hour each week for philosophy and spelling, and to be able to fully explore these subjects. The walls are adorned with high-quality art work, which the pupils love to do. ‘They really like to come to the art studio as they feel like they are real artists’, said one teacher.
• Parents are very appreciative of the many different experiences that pupils are offered. As one wrote, ‘Latton Green offers our children various experiences such as holding a cultural day, visiting a Mosque, going to Lea Valley Farm and having baby chicks hatch in the classroom, which was wonderful.’
• Leaders have ensured that additional funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is used well. Leadership of this area of the school’s work is effective. As a result, the vast majority of this small group of pupils currently in the school make good progress from their individual starting points, despite often facing challenging circumstances.
• Pupil premium funding is used wisely by leaders to support the needs of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders have identified the barriers to learning experienced by this small group and provide both academic and pastoral support for them. As a result, disadvantaged pupils currently in the school achieve at a broadly similar rate, and sometimes better, than their classmates.
• The additional physical education and sport premium funding is spent well to provide pupils with a wide range of experiences and enhance their skills, and to support teachers’ development in this area of the curriculum. As a result, physical education and sport are delivered well by staff and specialists. Pupils have access to a growing repertoire of sporting enrichment activities, including curling and archery. The school is working towards the Gold Sports Kite Mark after gaining the silver award.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is a strength of the school. Pupils take part in a variety of activities both inside and outside of the school. They learn about other cultures, understanding for example about the ‘dream catcher’ in Native American culture. They enjoy the additional responsibilities they are given. As one pupil advocate said, ‘I feel honoured to have got this job as I had a strong desire to get it. As a pupil advocate you get to be involved in many activities and meetings in the school where you can bring up suggestions about school improvement.’
• The school celebrates whole-school achievements, for example when the school was in the finals of the Premier League Kids Cup in football. Pupils’ individual and collective successes are celebrated in class, in assemblies and in the newsletters where ‘stars of the week’, for example, are congratulated.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective. The local governing body brings specialist expertise from a range of areas to provide leaders with challenge and support. Members now have clear areas of responsibility and work with leaders and teachers to check the ongoing impact of development plans.
• Governors and members of the trust share the head of school’s high expectations and aspirations for all pupils at Latton Green. The trust and executive headteacher support leaders’ actions to improve the quality of teaching and management of behaviour. Governors have ensured that performance management processes are used effectively to support whole-school improvement.
• Governors and the trust members hold leaders to account for the effective use of pupil and sport premium funding, and additional funding for pupils who have (SEN) and/or disabilities. Governors track the impact of support that these groups of pupils receive. The head of school gives governors and the trust regular updates on the outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding is given appropriate priority among governors and staff. Governors’ monitoring of safeguarding is thorough, and supplements the work of the trust’s safeguarding officer. Records of safeguarding show that leaders take appropriate actions in a timely fashion. Leaders know pupils very well who may be vulnerable and share information appropriately and sensitively, working closely with the family support worker.
• All staff have a clear understanding of how pupils may be vulnerable and know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil’s safety or welfare. Staff have been given the opportunity to work with two police officers and to see for themselves the signs of all types of abuse of children. Although shocking to many, staff say that this training has been extremely useful to them in identifying child protection concerns.
• Leaders ensure that the appropriate checks are made on adults’ suitability to work with children. All staff are provided with regular training about how to safeguard and protect pupils from a wide range of risks. This includes staff working with the specialist computing teacher to ensure that pupils are taught about e-safety.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have high expectations of themselves and their pupils. Good support and training have ensured that the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics has strengthened in the last two years. Subject knowledge in other areas of the curriculum is developing and supported very effectively by middle leaders. As a result, physical education, Spanish, art and computing, for example, are taught increasingly well.
• Teachers know their pupils well and relationships are strong. Together with leaders, teachers identify gaps in pupils’ learning which have emerged as a result of the legacy of weaker teaching, particularly in upper key stage 2. These gaps are being tackled effectively through support from lead practitioners, training and high-quality teaching.
• Teachers manage behaviour well, although there is some low-level disruption in upper key stage 2 which sometimes interrupts pupils’ learning. As one pupil said, ‘I didn’t get much done because people keep talking to me and stopping me working.’ The excellent routines that have been established in the early years and key stage 1 ensure that pupils listen carefully and settle quickly to their work.
• Teachers plan work in English and mathematics effectively. The support they get from working with other teachers across the Hub aids planning. Teachers recognise how beneficial this is to Latton Green where there is only ever one class in each year group. Work, therefore, meets the needs of the majority of pupils. Leaders accept that not all teachers consistently challenge the most able pupils. On occasion, teachers too regularly interrupt pupils while they are working, which prevents them from producing as much work as they are able. This often results in a limited amount of work that pupils produce in lessons, particularly in upper key stage 2.
• Teachers and support staff use a range of resources and strategies well to support pupils’ learning. Pupils, particularly in key stage 2, know their targets in both English and mathematics and can explain what they mean. There is a culture of learning from mistakes and that this is a vital part of learning. Teachers will confidently admit to any mistakes they make in front of pupils in order to reinforce this sentiment.
• The teaching of reading is effective. Phonics is taught particularly well in the early years and key stage 1. As a result, pupils make sensible guesses when they are reading and writing words. Teachers in key stage 1 classes can be regularly heard saying ‘think it, say it, write it’. As a result, pupils in Year 1, for example, can be heard sounding out letters to write such sentences as, ‘My Dad got me a silee toy gorillu.’
• As pupils progress through to key stage 2, although they read well, their spelling is often inaccurate, even when writing very familiar words like ‘thay’, for example. Leaders are aware that there is a gap in some pupils’ knowledge and understanding of spelling rules, particularly in Years 5 and 6. Spelling and handwriting are now taught weekly. As yet, and because this is a recent development, there is little evidence of impact.
• The teaching of mathematics is developing very well. Teachers have good subject knowledge. The lead practitioner has supported teachers in identifying the gaps that some pupils have in their learning. As a result, pupils across the school are making largely good progress from their starting points. The emphasis on reasoning and application of skills to ‘real-life’ situations is developing. Teachers are encouraged not to ‘shoehorn’ mathematics into topic work. It is recognised by the lead practitioner that mathematics across the curriculum is less developed than in English. Outside of discreet mathematics lessons, most mathematics work is seen only in graphs, diagrams or tables.
• Teachers have responded well to the school’s feedback policy, which they feel has supported them in being able to focus on identifying pupils’ next steps. The policy is being used by all staff and pupils, some more effectively than others. However, it is not consistently impacting on the most able pupils’ learning as they are not being moved on quickly enough in their learning. Assessment of pupils’ work in subjects other than English and mathematics is developing very well. Middle leaders and teachers have a good understanding of pupils’ skills and knowledge in geography, history, art, physical education and computing, for example.
• Work in pupils’ English and mathematics books shows largely good progress, although some most-able pupils are capable of even better progress. Leadership of science has changed recently and will change again imminently. It is evident from topic books that science is being taught regularly. However, there is scope for science progress to be better than it currently is. Leaders are well aware of this and are already planning to address this aspect of the school’s work.
• Pupils do not always produce their best work. Handwriting is not taught consistently well and spelling is an area that the school is currently developing. This, coupled with teachers’ inconsistent expectations of pupils, is leading to a lack of care. As a result, pupils’ presentation of their work is sometimes poor.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are interested in learning and largely work very well together, particularly in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2. The school’s focus on improving pupils’ thinking skills has been successful in ensuring that pupils talk about their learning with increasing confidence. They enjoy and partake readily in philosophy for children that the school has introduced, and which makes them think hard about themselves and their learning.
• Pupils say that they feel safe, including when they are online. ‘I feel protected and people help me learn’, said one pupil. There are many reminders on posters around the school, and pupils who have been selected as e-safety ambassadors ensure that any concerns are brought to the attention of adults. Pupils say they can recognise ‘safe visitors’ by the lanyards they wear. ‘If they haven’t got a lanyard on then they’re not safe’, said one pupil.
• Parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, say that pupils are happy and safe, and, in the pupils’ own words, enjoy coming to this ‘brilliant, super, awesome’ school. Parents say that leaders are caring and supportive of their children in every way possible. One parent commented, ‘There are several staff who go above and beyond for their pupils.’
• Pupils enjoy the various trips they go on to either start their work in a new topic, or as an ‘awesome ending’. They regularly raise funds to help others outside of the school. This links well with the philosophy lessons that pupils have. Encouraging Year 1 pupils, for example, to think about what they might wish for, helps them to think about others who are less fortunate than themselves. As did the Paralympics that was held in the school and in which pupils took part.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well during lessons and when moving around the school. Pupils say behaviour is generally good, although, as one pupil said, ‘Sometimes children don’t behave, but the teachers sort it out quickly.’
• Playtimes and lunchtimes are well organised. Pupils have many activities that they can take part in. They are encouraged to be kind to each other when in school. In the playground pupils will not leave anyone on their own if they look ‘sad or lonely’.
• The school emphasises respect for others and taking care of each other, recorded effectively on the ‘kindness tree’. This was beautifully demonstrated when inspectors asked pupils if they would like to say ‘thank you’ to the person who made the sandwiches in their lunchbox. They were really pleased that they had achieved one of the school’s ‘acts of kindness’ by giving their mum or dad a compliment.
• Pupils know what bullying is and that it ‘has to happen several times’. They say that bullying is rare. Pupils know they can put their worries in the ‘place to be’ box and that leaders will take their concerns seriously.
• The views expressed by parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, are that pupils behave well. The school is, ‘Absolutely brilliant. I can’t fault them.’ The majority of parents reported that any concerns they had are addressed well by the ‘very visible’ head of school, the teachers and teaching assistants.
• The majority of pupils’ attendance rates are at least in line with, if not above, the national average. There remains a very small group of pupils whose absence or persistent absence is still above the national average. However, the work that leaders and the family support worker does with families and pupils is having an impact. As a result, in the last term, the vast majority of these pupils’ attendance has improved.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In the two and a half years since the school opened, leaders and teachers have worked hard to raise achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, progress from pupils’ original starting points, including the small number of pupils who are disadvantaged or who have SEN and/or disabilities, is largely good when pupils leave Year 6. Attainment is broadly in line with the national average for reading, writing and mathematics and has not dipped below. Pupils are therefore well prepared for secondary school.
• At the end of key stage 1 in 2017, pupils attained above the national average in writing and mathematics, and in line with the average in reading. An improvement on 2016. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in writing appears to be above the national average. This has improved since 2016. Boys, however, attained better than girls in reading, writing and mathematics, a reversal of 2016.
• Pupils acquire phonics knowledge well and make good progress in their reading skills from their initial starting points. The provisional results in 2017 indicate that achievement in phonics will be, for the third year running, above the national average.
• The school’s own assessment information and the work in pupils’ books show that progress for pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, is largely good. There is still a way to go for some of the most able pupils to achieve as well as they are able. The school is aware of this.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are well supported by staff. As a result, this group of pupils is making progress similar to their peers from their individual starting points.
• Although some progress has been made in the proportion of pupils who achieve the higher standards by the end of key stages 1 and 2, pupils throughout the school are not always challenged to achieve the best that they can. Work in pupils’ books in English and mathematics shows that pupils other than those in upper key stage 2 could be moved on quicker in their learning. Pupils themselves say that they find some of their work ‘too easy’.
• Written work in pupils’ books in subjects like geography, history or science is good and is largely of a similar standard as it is in their English and mathematics books. Middle leaders are working hard to ensure that there are consistently high expectations for pupils to achieve well in all areas of the curriculum.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the Nursery class with skills and knowledge that are sometimes below those typical for their age. However, good teaching and liaison with feeder nurseries ensure that children who come into the Reception class have skills and knowledge that are largely typical for their age. Effective teaching ensures that all children in the early years get a very good start to their education. As a result, they make the progress that is expected of them from their starting points.
• The proportion of children who achieved a good level of development at the end of their time in the Reception class was broadly in line with the national average in 2016 and looks set to be at least similar in 2017. The vast majority of children are, therefore, well prepared for their move into Year 1. A number exceed the standards expected at the end of the early years.
• Leadership is effective in the early years. Leaders ensure that children are nurtured within a caring, stimulating, inviting environment. Adults take care to ensure that all children are included in activities that are appropriate to their stage of development. Children, therefore, behave well and are able to move from one activity to another having had a positive experience.
• Children play well together and on their own. They really enjoy talking to visitors and explaining their learning. The inspector watched a group of children climbing, constructing and balancing in an obstacle area, demonstrating their ability to collaborate with other children and to safely manage the risks. In another lesson, inspectors saw children confidently expressing themselves as they put on a Jack and the Beanstalk show for their friends.
• Adults teach phonics and reading effectively, enabling children to make sensible guesses at early writing and reading with a degree of accuracy. In one phonics session, inspectors saw the teacher modelling effectively so that children could count and write the sounds as she rehearsed them with them. ‘Get those Fred Fingers ready’ is a common saying and makes for an interactive session. Children count and practice out loud the sounds they hear before having a good go at writing them. For example, when writing the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, one child had written ‘Jak clim uP’ under the picture of Jack climbing the beanstalk.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their understanding of number. This is seen clearly in each child’s learning journey. They enjoy using the variety of equipment to learn to, for example, count how many animals are in the water tray and which ‘group’ of animals was the biggest. One child in the Nursery class said, ‘I have two brontosauruses and this one is bigger than that one.’
• Opportunities to develop their fine motor skills are many and varied both inside and outside of the classroom. Children confidently use pencils, crayons and paint brushes, copying letters that they select, or writing their names. One child showed inspectors the letter she had written to her dad, while another was keen to show the card he had made for his mum.
• Parents are very positive about the effort leaders go to to ensure that transition arrangements are effective. They value the home visits and the opportunities afforded to them to support their child’s development at the school. As a result, children settle quickly into school life.
• Parents make use of the online shared area to which they can contribute their observations of their children’s progress and also see the progress their children are making at school. Several spoke about this initiative, one commenting, ‘The assessment and parent interactions online are superb and I can see and engage with my child’s learning through this daily.’
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective. At the time of the inspection, there were no breaches of statutory welfare requirements. As one parent, whose child had just started at the school said, ‘I feel confident that my child is safe and cared for at all times. He’s come on so well and I am proud he is attending Latton Green.’

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141381 Essex 10036103 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 232 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Head of School Telephone number Website Email address Harry Meikle Sinead McCarthy 01279 421 567 www.netacademies.net/lattongreen office.lattongreen@netacademies.net Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school converted to academy status in January 2015, is part of Net Academy Trust and is a member of the Harlow Hub.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. The vast majority of pupils speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, including those who have a statement of educational needs and those who have an education, health and care plan, is below the national average.
• The school runs its own early morning club to which all pupils are invited and which is free of charge.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, head of school, the special educational needs coordinator, lead practitioners, middle leaders and teachers who are early in their teaching career.
• Inspectors also held meetings with a group of randomly selected pupils, and three members of the local governing body, including the chair. Inspectors also spoke with representatives of the trust about safeguarding and the curriculum.
• Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Inspectors observed learning in 16 lessons, or parts of lessons, some jointly with the head of school or lead practitioners.
• Together with leaders, inspectors looked in detail at a range of pupils’ work in different subjects in their books from this academic year. Inspectors heard some pupils read during lessons and spoke with pupils throughout the inspection about their learning.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s checks on the suitability of adults to work with children, and other documentation regarding the safe recruitment of staff. Leaders made available the school’s own self-evaluation document, improvement plan, lead practitioners’ action plans, middle leaders’ action plans, minutes of governing body meetings and documentation regarding child protection.
• The lead inspector took into consideration the responses of seven staff to the online survey, and the views of 121 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, or by text message.

Inspection team

Ruth Brock, lead inspector Jane Nolan Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector