Lambs Lane Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders should further improve teaching, learning and assessment in the school by ensuring that:
  • teachers at the early stages of their career continue to receive effective support, guidance and training
  • leaders have a better understanding of the progress that pupils make in all subjects.
• Leaders should ensure that more pupils attend school regularly, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Good

secure good outcomes for pupils. Staff are wholly supportive of the leadership team’s ambition and drive and are proud to work at the school.

• Lambs Lane is a highly inclusive school. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who have complex needs play a full and active part in every aspect of school life. As one family observed, ‘We have been hugely impressed at the school’s determination to remove every child’s barriers to learning.’
• Leaders manage the performance of staff very well. School leaders use a wide range of evidence to make clear judgements about what is working well and what is not. They have taken decisive action over time to tackle underperformance. Plans for future improvement are clear and concise.
• Teachers at the early stage of their career receive well planned and thorough induction. Teachers value the time senior leaders invest in their development and feel leaders go ‘above and beyond’. Leaders have thought very carefully about the support that is in place to develop the knowledge and skills of newer teachers even further. It is too early to see the full impact of these plans.
• The local authority has made a positive contribution to Lambs Lane’s improvement. Leaders and governors value the support and challenge since the last inspection. The adviser linked to the school has provided a range of opportunities for leaders to work with other schools and leaders over time.
• Leaders use additional funding well to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The leadership of inclusion, including that of the resource base, is highly effective. Staff are well trained and very knowledgeable.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. The wide range of extra-curricular activities actively promote pupils’ personal development. For example, the sport boccia is promoted through after-school clubs. This gives all pupils the chance to compete with and learn from pupils who have complex special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively. Leaders have significantly improved this aspect of the school’s work since the last inspection. Leaders have clear and detailed plans for how to spend the additional funding. They look closely at what is working and regularly review the progress that pupils are making.
• The additional physical education and sports funding is used well. Pupils’ participation in physical activity and competitive sport has increased over time, including the participation of pupils who have complex special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is highly effective. Pupils develop a very strong sense of their local community and the wider world around them. Older pupils are given valuable opportunities to think and talk about topical events and consider and explore opposing views. Consequently, pupils develop a good understanding of tolerance and respect. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders do not look closely enough at the progress that pupils are making across the full range of subjects. Leaders know this and are beginning to address this. It is too early to see the impact of leaders’ work in this area.

Governance of the school

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have created a culture in the school where pupils’ safety and well-being are given clear prominence. Policies and procedures are known and understood by all, including those who are very new to the school. Leaders think carefully about the assessment of risk, both around the school site and when pupils are out on trips.
• Records of concerns regarding pupils’ well-being are meticulous. Leaders record every communication with parents, staff and outside agencies. As a result, leaders make informed decisions about what they do with the information they gather over time. Referrals to other agencies are timely and detailed. Leaders rigorously pursue information they require from others when it is not forthcoming.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers use assessment information well to ensure that planned learning considers pupils’ starting points fully. Teachers also check pupils’ understanding of new language and concepts before moving the learning on. Consequently, pupils make good progress from their different starting points, including the most able.
• Time in lessons is used effectively to maximise pupils’ learning. Pupils are clear about what is expected and what they are learning. Teachers communicate with, and deploy, other adults in the classroom well. Other adults have a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Classrooms are purposeful and productive.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful. Pupils feel confident to offer responses to questions. Pupils are able to demonstrate their understanding in a range of ways, including through the use of information technology. This culture in classrooms has a positive impact on learning.
• Phonics teaching is effective. All adults working with pupils have a positive impact on pupils’ progress. Staff have good subject knowledge and follow the school’s systematic approach.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are taught well, including those who attend the resource base. Staff use a wide range of appropriate strategies and adapt resources to meet the individual needs of pupils, including those who are working significantly below age-related expectations.
• Pupils access a wide array of appropriate resources to support and extend their learning. For example, older children systematically access thesauruses to enhance their writing. The teaching of mathematics in key stage 1 regularly provides pupils with opportunities to work with physical objects and this helps develop a secure understanding of number and calculation.
• In some subjects, such as history and geography, teachers are sometimes less clear about the specific subject knowledge and skills that different groups of pupils will develop over time.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils, including those pupils who have complex special educational needs and/or disabilities, take immense pride in their school and their learning. Pupils take great pleasure in showing visitors aspects of their school that are special to them, such as the reading bus.
• Leaders have placed a great deal of focus on pupils being at the heart of school life and pupils value this. For example, the careers week gave pupils a valuable insight into how learning at school has helped adults in the local community in their chosen careers. The community awards that older pupils earn and cherish strongly reinforce the valuable contribution that pupils make to the life of the school.
• Adults have a thorough understanding of individual pupils’ needs, including those who have complex special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, the level of personal support that pupils receive is outstanding. For example, pupils with sensory needs are very well supported at times of transition and change. Adults are tuned in to the anxiety that pupils may have and overcome skilfully barriers to participation.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils feel safe in school. They trust adults to deal with anything that is not as they want it to be. Parents and staff are wholly supportive of the work of the school to keep pupils safe and behave well.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Classrooms are calm and purposeful places to learn. Adults have high expectations and pupils know and understand these. On the occasions when pupils lose their focus and attention, teachers are highly effective at bringing them back to the task at hand.
• Pupils who find it difficult to manage their self-control are very well supported. Leaders record behaviour incidents carefully and review what is working for individual pupils and what could be improved. As a result, incidents of unwanted behaviour have reduced over time.
• Behaviour outside of classrooms is good. Pupils play well together at breakfast club, break and lunch time. Pupils move around the school with a sense of purpose and minimum fuss.
• Attendance levels are improving for current pupils, including pupils who are disadvantaged and for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, some of the initial improvements seen at the very beginning of the academic year have yet to be sustained. The inclusion leader has a thorough understanding of the medical needs of some pupils and the impact that this can have on published information about levels of absence.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2016, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was broadly in line with national average. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who are disadvantaged, make good progress from their starting points.
• Pupils in key stage 1 make good progress from their starting points in the early years, including the most able and disadvantaged pupils. As a result, in 2016 at the end of Year 2, the proportion of pupils working at the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was at or above those found nationally.
• Teaching has not always been good. As a result, some key stage 2 pupils have not always made good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders have addressed this and have put a range of additional teaching support in place. Consequently, pupils in upper key stage 2 are making rapid progress and are now on-track to achieve well.
• Disadvantaged pupils, including the most able, make good progress across the school. As a result, differences are diminishing between disadvantaged pupils at Lambs Lane and other pupils nationally at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those pupils who have complex needs, make good progress from their different starting points.
• Pupils make good progress in a range of subjects including science, art and design and technology. However, leaders do not have a clear enough understanding about pupils’ progress in all subjects, such as history and geography. As a result, some planned learning does not build on what pupils know and can do.

Early years provision

Good

work and explore independently and when to ask questions to move learning forward. Consequently, children make good progress.

• Children develop phonic knowledge quickly because planned learning takes account of children’s starting points. Children who are new to the sounds linked to letters quickly develop their understanding. Children with good phonic knowledge apply this in their writing tasks and can break words into a series of sounds and put them back together again.
• The early years curriculum is broad and balanced and stimulating. Children are provided with a rich range of learning opportunities both inside and outside.
• Adults have high expectations of children. As a result, children develop very strong personal and social skills. Children work well together and are highly responsive to adult direction and instruction. Routines are well established. Classrooms in the early years are busy and highly purposeful places to learn.
• Assessment information is accurate, including judgements about children’s knowledge and skills on entry to school. Outcomes for children are good. All children make good progress from their starting points, including those who are disadvantaged and the most able. The proportion of children who reach a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year is consistently above that found nationally. Consequently, children are well prepared for Year 1.
• Partnerships are good. Leaders and staff work effectively with nurseries in the locality. Staff visit nurseries before children start school to share information and this helps Reception Year staff plan to meet the needs of the children. Staff work well with local schools to make sure that their judgements about children’s achievements are the same as other local teachers.
• Staff work well with parents. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the start their children get. Staff regularly share information about the progress of children and provide opportunities for parents to contribute to assessment information.
• Early years leaders have an accurate view of the strengths in the early years. However, the wider leadership team is still developing its understanding about the performance information that the school has about children in the early years. Leaders know this.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 109830 Wokingham 10024511 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 Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 219 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Carrie Davies Sharon Finn 01189 883 820 www.lambslane.wokingham.sch.uk/ admin@lambslane.wokingham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 February 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school met the 2015 floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Lambs Lane is an average-sized primary school.
• The school has a resource base for pupils who have complex special educational needs and/or disabilities. Six pupils currently attend the provision, which has 10 places. The proportion of time that pupils spend in their mainstream class varies significantly, according to their individual needs.
• The proportion of pupils receiving support through the pupil premium is lower than seen nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities but not an education, health and care plan is well below the national average.
• There is a breakfast and after-school club, both of which are managed by the school.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning throughout the school, often with senior leaders. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work during lessons and spoke to pupils about their learning.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders and middle leaders. Meetings were held with a local authority representative and with governors.
• Parents’ views were considered through the 97 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and in conversations with parents at the beginning of the school day. The views of staff were considered through the 25 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and through meetings.
• Pupils’ views were heard through meetings and by talking to pupils around the school.
• Inspectors considered a wide range of documents, including leaders’ evaluations of the school’s effectiveness, improvement plans, records of local authority visits, and leaders’ analysis of the quality of teaching, pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance.
• Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records and the central record of recruitment checks on staff.

Inspection team

Mark Cole, lead inspector Hilary Goddard

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector