Leagrave Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Build on the effective work to develop pupils’ vocabulary and language skills so that the proportion of pupils reaching or exceeding national standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 continues to increase.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher has successfully built a staff team who are relentless in their determination to help pupils achieve well no matter what challenges pupils need to overcome. Her strong vision for the school and high expectations for behaviour, teaching and learning have led to further improvements to the school so that it is now outstanding.
• Staff morale is high, and the strong teamwork is evident across the school. Staff share the headteacher’s high aspirations for the future of the school and for its pupils. All members of staff who completed Ofsted’s online staff survey say that they are proud to work in the school, reflecting the school’s confident and positive atmosphere.
• Leagrave Primary is a fully inclusive school, where the school’s approach of ‘I can, and I will’ has been embraced by pupils and staff alike. Pupils get along harmoniously because appropriate behaviour and expectations are modelled so clearly by the headteacher and the staff team.
• Leaders responsible for year groups, key areas and the curriculum subjects are all well trained to develop the very best practice in their areas. They know precisely the strengths in their areas of responsibility and can clearly articulate the impact of the changes they have made. For example, senior leaders have supported less-experienced staff to plan and teach lessons that challenge the most able pupils. This has led to an increase in the proportion of pupils who attain the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders’ monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning is exceptional. Every aspect of teaching and learning is reviewed to ensure that the school is providing all pupils, whatever their ability, with the best possible education. Teachers and teaching assistants value the highly bespoke training and support provided to help them continually develop their practice. Consequently, teaching and learning are of a high quality and continue to get better.
• Many pupils in the school are disadvantaged by their backgrounds or by personal circumstances. Leaders make very good use of the pupil premium funding to ensure that these pupils have the opportunities and skills that they need to achieve well. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make better progress than other pupils nationally. By the end of Year 6, these pupils are well prepared with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the next stage of their education.
• The leadership of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is highly effective. The special educational needs coordinator, who is also the deputy headteacher, has an accurate understanding of pupils’ needs and ensures that these needs are addressed through well-tailored provision in the classroom and additional interventions. Consequently, pupils with SEND make excellent progress from their different starting points.
• Leaders use the primary physical education (PE) and sport funding effectively to encourage pupils to be physically active. For example, pupils participate in a wide range of games, sports and competitions during lessons, breaktimes and after school so that they keep fit while having fun. Good-quality training has ensured that teachers are increasingly confident about teaching PE. Pupils make better progress in developing sports skills as a result.
• The broad and balanced curriculum is effective in developing pupils’ strong skills in reading, writing and mathematics, but also provides rich and varied learning experiences for pupils in science, humanities and creative and expressive arts. This is further enhanced by well-considered trips and real experiences, such as visiting the Royal Airforce Museum, the Olympic Park and places of historic interest to give pupils opportunities that they might not otherwise experience. Older pupils appreciate the residential trips where they have the opportunity to ‘socialise with more people’ and ‘learn skills for life’. Pupils told inspectors that they particularly enjoy the annual ‘wow events’ when staff organise real-life experiences in the school grounds, such as a beach, fairground or safari, for pupils to take part in over two days. By rooting learning in exciting and relevant experiences, pupils are able to understand better, apply their skills and produce higher-quality work.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of the school’s work. The school’s environment in classes and corridors is rich and stimulating. Prompts and displays successfully reinforce positive attitudes to learning. The school’s own values are consistent with British values. They are woven throughout the curriculum. Pupils know the school’s values and understand that keeping them will help them to be responsible and positive adults. For example, pupils explained that respect means ‘treating others as you want to be treated’ and determination is ‘when you really want to do something, and you won’t give up until you have’. The school’s motto, ‘Striving for excellence, learning for life’, reflects the school’s commitment to ensuring that all pupils become confident learners, achieve well and do their best.
• Almost all parents who spoke to inspectors or responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, were extremely positive about the work of the school and the progress their children make. One parent, speaking for many, said: ‘I have seen my child progress very well at the school. The broad curriculum on offer is very good and has provided extra learning opportunities.’ Another parent commented: ‘I am very happy with Leagrave Primary School. The staff are amazing, and they always make sure the pupils get the best of everything.’
• Leaders are outward looking and keenly seek out the most effective approaches to improve the quality of teaching and ensure pupils’ progress. The headteacher and senior leaders provide support and training for colleagues in other schools. For example, the headteacher and some of the senior leaders carry out moderation roles to check standards across the local authority.

Governance of the school

• The local authority has provided effective support and challenge to the school since the previous inspection. Recent support includes training for governors. As a result, governance is effective.
• The governing body possesses a wide range of skills and expertise. Governors share the headteacher’s strong vision and high aspirations for pupils’ achievements. They are rigorous in holding school leaders to account for the welfare and outcomes of pupils.
• Through an annual skills audit, the governing body identifies any training needs and gaps in the knowledge and experience of members in order to make sure they have the capacity to carry out all their statutory responsibilities effectively.
• School performance is monitored rigorously by the governing body through regular meetings and visits to the school. Governors show a strong understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the school and are well aware of the progress of specific groups of pupils.
• Governors carry out safeguarding audits and rigorously hold the headteacher to account to ensure that the pupil premium, funding for pupils with SEND and the sport premium are well used.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The headteacher ensures that leaders and staff are well trained. They have up-to-date knowledge, so they understand that the safety of pupils is everybody’s responsibility and they have the skills to ensure that pupils are kept safe. The designated safeguarding lead is extremely vigilant and tenacious in following up any concerns. She ensures that the school works extremely closely with external agencies to safeguard children and is not afraid to challenge if she has any concerns.
• The record of safeguarding checks is kept meticulously and updated on a very regular basis. It includes all of the necessary checks and is regularly audited by the governing body. The school has strong procedures to ensure that the recruitment of new staff is carried out rigorously, and then ensures that new staff are carefully inducted in the policies and practices of the school.
• All staff are very clear about potential risks outside of school. They are particularly vigilant about ensuring that no child or family is at risk of radicalisation or extremism. Equally, they are alert to signs of neglect, deprivation and abuse.
• Parents, staff and pupils are all extremely confident that pupils are safe in school. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe and could explain how they do this. Parents have also been given clear guidance about how to keep their children safe, for example through e-safety workshops and information on the school’s website.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• The relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Teachers and teaching assistants have extremely high aspirations for pupils and expertly plan lessons that are suited carefully to the needs of pupils, including those pupils who are disadvantaged and the most able.
• Lessons engage pupils’ interests and develop their language and skills very well. Consequently, pupils display excellent attitudes to learning. They work hard and they waste no time in lessons. Pupils appreciate their teachers who they say are ‘friendly and kind’ and who ‘always offer to help us’. One pupil commented: ‘Our teachers really want us to get better and do the best we can.’
• Teachers and teaching assistants have excellent subject knowledge across the curriculum. They use highly effective questioning to probe pupils’ understanding and to encourage pupils to think deeply. Opportunities to apply reading, writing and mathematical skills across the curriculum are many and varied. Teachers have equally high expectations of pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical work in all subjects, not just in English and mathematics. Substantial progress can be seen in pupils’ books across all subjects.
• Developing pupils’ literacy skills is a very strong focus of the work of the school. The teaching of phonics is highly effective. All staff use correct sounds, and teachers ensure that the phonics teaching is consistently good across the school. Pupils are able to confidently apply their phonics knowledge in both their reading and writing. Teachers in all year groups introduce and model vocabulary linked to subjects and topics. For example, pupils in Year 1 knew and understood vocabulary such as ‘tumbling’ and ‘pail’ while reading ‘The Enchanted Wood’. Equally, in Year 6, pupils could tell inspectors the meaning of ‘squawk’ and ‘slab’ as they studied ‘The Whispering Road’. As a result of effective teaching, pupils use and apply an increasing range of vocabulary during discussions and within their written work.
• Teachers give pupils many opportunities to write in a range of different styles and at length. The teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling is highly effective. Stimulating activities are planned to spark pupils’ interest, and meaningful links are made to develop pupils’ learning further. Consequently, strong progress in writing can be seen across the school.
• Teachers provide pupils with many opportunities to apply their mathematical skills in problem-solving and reasoning activities. Pupils are able to articulate their learning clearly, using correct mathematical vocabulary. Pupils’ mathematical understanding of basic concepts is very secure, which enables them to reason at a high level.
• In line with the school’s chosen feedback policy, pupils regularly review and assess their own work during lessons. They are taught from a very early age to reflect and consider what they have done, and how to improve it. Pupils’ skills at improving their own work are well developed and support them to make progress in all subject areas.
• If, on any rare occasion, pupils start to fall behind, additional teaching is planned to help them to catch up quickly. When appropriate, pupils, including those with SEND, have highly effective, precise, additional teaching to help them master key learning and vocabulary.
• Homework, such as multiplication tables, phonics, spelling and topic work, is used well to consolidate learning across the curriculum. Parents receive useful and regular information about how well their children are learning. They are helped to support their children through parent workshops and information on the school’s website.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Leaders rightly focus on building pupils’ personal development and social skills from the moment children start school in early years. High-quality care for individual pupils’ needs ensures that they develop learning skills rapidly. For example, pupils of all abilities learn to persevere when trying activities which they find more difficult.
• Older pupils are given many opportunities to find out about different careers and the skills that they will need to be successful in the jobs that interest them. This helps to raise pupils’ aspirations and prepare them well for adult life.
• Pupils are rightly proud of their school and they show this in their response to adults and in their behaviour. Pupils are kind and considerate to one another and work effectively in pairs and groups to share ideas and check the quality of their work. They are polite and welcome new pupils and visitors to the school. During the inspection, and on many occasions, pupils smiled, voluntarily thanked staff, opened doors for others and greeted inspectors in a polite and welcoming way.
• Pupils enjoy taking on additional responsibilities that contribute to the successful work of the school. For example, older pupils become digital leaders, eco-ambassadors and prefects. They value these roles that they say ‘help us to mature and become good adults’. In June 2018, the school gained the ‘Investors in Pupils’ award for the many opportunities pupils have to learn and succeed together.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well during lessons, playtimes and when moving around the school. They are sensitive to the feelings of their classmates and speak respectfully to adults at all times.
• Over recent years, there have been very few recorded incidents of poor behaviour. Some parents told inspectors how their children’s behaviour has improved since joining Leagrave Primary School because of leaders’ high expectations and consistent approaches.
• Bullying is not a problem at this school. Although pupils know what bullying is, they say it does not happen because any unkind behaviour, however minor, is dealt with quickly. This does not mean that pupils are complacent. Some older pupils explained very clearly to an inspector the dangers of online bullying and how they try to protect themselves and their friends from such dangers. Pupils are adamant that everyone is treated fairly and equally at this school, whatever their background. One pupil told an inspector, ‘This school has great freedom and fairness.’
• Attendance is improving and is currently just above the national average. This is because leaders have worked with determination to improve attendance, and the vast majority of pupils now attend regularly. Leaders have also significantly reduced the number of pupils whose parents do not ensure their regular attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils make outstanding progress during their time at Leagrave Primary School so that, at the end of key stage 2, their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is well above national averages. Consequently, pupils leave Year 6 very well prepared for their secondary education.
• Pupils often start or leave the school other than at the usual times. Many join the school with wide gaps in their knowledge and understanding. These pupils make strong and sustained progress across the school. In 2018, pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics from the end of key stage 1 to the end of key stage 2 was in the top 2% of schools nationally.
• Many pupils, including those who speak English is an additional language, start school with limited skills in language. As a result of very effective teaching and modelling by teachers and teaching assistants, pupils become confident and articulate speakers and writers by the time they leave Year 6.
• Highly effective provision, both in lessons and through additional focused teaching, ensures that pupils with SEND make strong progress from their starting points.
• Disadvantaged pupils make better progress than other pupils nationally because of highly effective teaching and the wide range of support funded through the pupil premium. Currently, disadvantaged pupils in all year groups are making at least the same progress as their peers in school, and often more progress than other pupils nationally, because strategies are working successfully to ensure that any barriers to learning are addressed and that they are ready to learn.
• The most able pupils are challenged well, resulting in a good proportion achieving a greater depth of understanding in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2.
• Teachers and teaching assistants support pupils’ reading development well by hearing pupils read regularly, and through the good teaching of phonics skills to pupils in younger year groups. This has resulted in strong improvements in the proportion of pupils meeting the requirements of the Year 1 phonics check, which has been above the national average since the previous inspection.
• Pupils in all year groups make excellent progress in English, mathematics and across a wide range of subjects. The work in pupils’ books shows how well they have developed and how well they apply their knowledge, skills and understanding.
• Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 has improved over the past few years and is moving closer to national averages. Leaders are rightly building on recent successes to develop pupils’ language skills, and they support them to use a wide range of vocabulary. Consequently, more pupils reach the expected standards by the end of key stage 1 and are fully ready for the key stage 2 curriculum and expectations.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Leaders are ambitious and have effectively improved provision in the early years. As a result, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of Reception has improved year-on-year and is now much closer to the national average.
• Children get an excellent start to their schooling in early years. The work in children’s learning journals provides a vivid picture of the significant progress made by children during Nursery and Reception. As a result of the outstanding teaching, all groups of children, including the most able, make very good progress from their starting points. Children are very well prepared socially, emotionally and academically for Year 1.
• Staff have very high expectations for what children can achieve. They carefully assess children’s strengths, and the gaps in their knowledge and understanding, to plan interesting and challenging learning activities. Staff regularly discuss the learning needs of children, and they adjust plans accordingly to ensure that all children make strong progress.
• When they arrive at the school, many of the children have starting points which are much lower than those typical for their age, and many have speech, language and communication issues, or are new to speaking English. Because of this, leaders provide a language-rich learning environment with a wide range of opportunities for children to develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Along with the excellent teaching of phonics, children’s speaking, reading and writing skills develop extremely well.
• Staff model language clearly and consistently to support and extend children’s vocabulary. For example, during the inspection, adults supported groups of children to describe the tinsel on the Christmas tree as ‘glittery’ and ‘prickly’ and the gingerbread dough they were rolling out as ‘squashy’ and ‘soft’.
• Children are excited by a range of engaging activities and so they persevere in their learning. They show curiosity and imagination, and this is further stimulated by the skilful questioning of staff.
• Children with SEND are very well supported and so make excellent progress in their learning. This is also true for other groups, such as those who have English as an additional language, disadvantaged children and the most able. As a result, in early years there are no gaps in the attainment of groups of children.
• The early years classrooms and outdoor areas are very well organised, so children can play and learn safely. Children’s behaviour is exemplary. Teachers model expected behaviour highly effectively. Children respond to requests quickly, understand and follow routines promptly and cooperate with each other willingly.
• Throughout the early years, the correct staffing ratios and qualifications are maintained, all welfare requirements are fully met, and safeguarding practices are secure.
• Parents know that their children are well looked after and kept safe. Parents contribute to children’s learning journals and have close communication with staff. They are well informed about, and involved in, their children’s learning through a range of meetings and events.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 131851 Luton 10067133 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 Foundation 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 487 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Julius Kandekore Edel Gillespie 01582 571 951 www.leagraveprimary.co.uk admin@leagraveprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 12 June 2018

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the government’s pupil premium funding is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils whose first language is not English. Many of them are at an early stage of speaking English or speak no English at all when they start the school.
• A significant proportion of pupils join classes throughout the school part way through their education.
• The proportion of pupils who receive SEN support is above the national average, and the proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan, is broadly in line with the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in every class. Some of the observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, or one of the senior assistant headteachers.
• A wide range of pupils’ workbooks was examined by inspectors throughout the inspection.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the senior assistant headteachers, one of whom is the designated safeguarding lead, several different subject leaders, the newly qualified teachers and trainee teachers, the business manager and the office manager. The lead inspector met with two governors. In addition, the lead inspector met with a local authority adviser, who provides support and challenge for the school’s leaders.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils informally in class, and around the school at breaktimes and lunchtimes, to seek their views about the school. Meetings were also held with three different groups of pupils more formally to discuss their learning and many aspects of school life.
• Some pupils were heard reading their books. Inspectors also talked to pupils about their reading habits and looked at their reading records.
• Inspectors scrutinised the school’s website and a range of school documents, including: assessment information; minutes from governing body meetings; the school’s self-evaluation; improvement plans; and records about behaviour, safeguarding and attendance.
• Inspectors considered the 145 responses made by parents to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the 46 responses to the Ofsted free-text system. Inspectors also spoke to some parents during the inspection. Additionally, inspectors took account of the 29 responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

Inspection team

Fiona Webb, lead inspector Joseph Figg Lesley Stevens Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector