Little London Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that school development planning is more precise so that the impact of leaders can be checked more effectively, including in early years
  • embedding the new systems used to check the rates of progress that pupils are making so that school leaders can clearly see in which classes, and in which subjects, pupils need to do better
  • refining the use of pupil premium funding so that its use is more closely matched to pupils’ needs
  • further strengthening the ability of the governing body to challenge school leaders, in line with the recent review of governance
  • developing the skills of middle leaders and other leaders new to their position.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by:
  • raising the expectations that teachers have of what pupils can achieve
  • ensuring that teachers’ assessment of the standards at which pupils are working are accurate so that lessons are planned to meet pupils’ varying needs and abilities, including for children in early years
  • ensuring that teachers identify any gaps in prior learning so that these can be plugged more effectively.
• Improve the rates of progress that pupils make and the standards that they reach in reading by:
  • matching reading books to pupils’ abilities more accurately
  • ensuring that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics across the school
  • continuing to improve the teaching of reading skills, such as inference and deduction.
• Improve the rates of progress that pupils make in all subjects by the end of key stage 2, including those who spend all of their primary education at Little London. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Over the past few years, school leaders’ attention was diverted from assuring the quality of education on offer as they dealt with increased pupil numbers and substantial building work. They ‘took their eye off the ball’.
• Systems and processes to check the rates of progress that pupils make have not been strong enough. As a result, school leaders have not been able to identify in which classes, and in which subjects, pupils need to do better. This has led to a lack of precision in school development planning, including in the early years. Teachers have not been able to tailor lessons to meet the needs of pupils effectively. Consequently, the progress that pupils make has been declining.
• New, stronger assessment procedures are only in their infancy. Nonetheless, inspection evidence confirms that the decline in standards has been arrested. The progress that current pupils at school make requires improvement. The progress that pupils in the Year 6 cohort made by the end of their time at school in 2018 was inadequate.
• Although leaders presided over a decline in standards, they have never compromised in ensuring that the school is a lively, inclusive and community-focused place in which to learn. Pupils and parents are happy with the school because it is such a caring place to be. For many families new to the area, it is a lifeline. The headteacher, the deputy headteacher, and their team are committed to the local community and the children in their care. In as far as personal development is concerned, the school’s motto ‘helping children and the community succeed in the heart of the city’ is alive and well.
• Where school leaders do focus their efforts, a positive impact can be seen. The headteacher previously noted weaknesses in the teaching of mathematics. She changed how the teaching of mathematics was structured. This, together with effective professional development, has had a positive impact on the progress that pupils make in this subject.
• The advice that teachers are given to help them improve their practice does not always focus on the aspects that will have the greatest impact. Staff development programmes help teachers and teaching assistants to develop their skills. On occasion, these are not linked closely enough to the needs of individual teachers of the school.
• School leaders are sensitive to the needs of different pupils, particularly those who speak English as an additional language. Those who have very little English access a specific ‘new to English’ curriculum which is highly effective in meeting the needs of these pupils. Some other aspects of the curriculum support these pupils also. For example, a ‘creative practitioner’ ensures that these pupils in particular have equal access to topics and themes being studied by linking them to art, drama and music.
• School leaders have ensured that a range of extra-curricular activities are available for the pupils in their care, including robotics club, martial arts, dance and book group. Pupils are actively supported in becoming good British citizens.
• The headteacher, together with members of the governing body, has developed the middle leadership tier of the school. These colleagues are becoming increasingly effective. The headteacher agrees that the skills and impact of middle leaders, and other leaders new to their position, need to develop further.
• The lack of precision in evaluating provision has led to inconsistencies in the way that the use of pupil premium funding has been evaluated. Its use has not been aligned to pupils’ needs. This is mirrored in whole-school development planning which is not precise enough for leaders’ impact to be checked or evaluated.
• The majority of staff, pupils and parents are very happy with the quality of education on offer at Little London. Inspectors can see that pupils are safe, included and happy. Inspectors judge that the quality of education on offer overall needs to improve.

Governance of the school

• Until recently, members of the governing body have not had access to meaningful information about how well pupils are making progress at school. They did not challenge school leaders when the standard of education on offer declined.
• Nonetheless, members of the governing body understood that they could become more effective and commissioned a review of governance to help them to improve. As a result, there are now additional members with experience in education and research. The governing body is developing well and taking heed of the recommendations from the review. Inspectors agree that further development is needed.
• In the past, the ability of the governing body to challenge school leaders, ask probing questions, and strategically lead strategies such as the use of the pupil premium, has not been strong enough.
• However, similar to senior leaders, members of the governing body have ensured that the community ethos and focus on inclusion have remained at the heart of the school. They have also been effective in steering the school through financial pressures and an increase in the number of pupils on roll.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Systems and procedures that are used to ensure that pupils are protected are effective. Safeguarding training for members of staff is up-to-date and policies are comprehensive and meet legal requirements. School leaders ensure that behaviour systems are implemented consistently, and that the curriculum is effective in ensuring that pupils know how to keep themselves safe.
• Parent support advisers play a pivotal role in ensuring that pupils are safe, and that attendance procedures are effective.
• Any concerns that adults have about pupils who are more vulnerable or who need additional support are dealt with effectively. School leaders use an electronic system to note any issues and do so consistently. School leaders then deal with any issues immediately and are tenacious in ensuring that the pupils in their care receive the support to which they are entitled.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Assessment of the standards at which pupils are working have not been accurate in the past, and new school-wide systems are in their infancy. Consequently, lessons are not always planned so that activities meet the needs of the pupils. Until recently, teachers have not been able to identify any gaps in pupils’ learning with precision. Any additional support to plug these gaps has, therefore, been less effective in the past. As a result, pupils have not made the progress of which they are capable.
• For example, the teaching of reading skills requires improvement because the reading books that pupils access are not always matched to their ability accurately. In addition, assessments do not always accurately pinpoint exactly which pupils need to develop skills such as inference and deduction.
• Teaching does not consistently push most-able pupils and, as a result, the progress that they make is too slow and the standards that they reach too low. Similarly, although the support given to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) matches their needs more effectively, expectations of what they can achieve are sometimes too low.
• Nonetheless, there is undoubtedly some strong teaching at school. Here, teachers focus on developing basic skills and help individuals to develop these successfully. In these classrooms, questioning helps pupils move forward, work is set at the correct level for pupils, and the delivery of lessons is confident and engaging.
• Where leaders have focused on delivering improvements, these can be clearly seen. For example, school leaders identified weaknesses in mathematics provision and altered the way in which it is taught. Pupils think more deeply about mathematical problems and can explain how they reach their answers. Planning is more aligned to pupils’ abilities, and each mathematical step is considered by teachers in advance. Most-able pupils rise to the additional challenges offered.
• School leaders have created effective support classes for pupils who are very new to English. Here, assessment is strong. Planning is directly linked to pupils’ abilities. In these classes, pupils make rapid progress both academically and socially.
• Teachers and teaching assistants are eager to learn and develop their skills. They listen to the advice given to them. Where leaders have introduced systems to support teaching through school, these are adhered to by all teachers. For example, there is a consistent approach to structuring writing lessons. In addition, the ‘big 10’ development, which focuses on different skills, such as visualisation and prediction, is being used in all classes.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The high priority that teachers, governors and school leaders put on ensuring that everyone feels proud and included at school is palpable. Pupils happily mirror this and care for each other. Pupils make sure that everyone has a friend at playtime. Pupils do not see different races, religions or languages in classrooms. Rather, they see friends and peers to help and support.
• Pupils respond well to opportunities to develop their cultural awareness and their understanding of the world. School leaders ensure that pupils understand how to stay healthy, and that they develop strategies to deal with stress and other emotional pressures. Pupils who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire overwhelmingly stated that teachers at school helped with their wider personal development.
• Most pupils are committed to their learning and focus well in lessons. They listen intently to what their teachers tell them and want to do their very best. They work well in groups, reflect on their own work, and help others to improve too.
• School leaders encourage independence and leadership skills. They listen to the opinion of pupils and take their ideas into account. The school council is particularly active at Little London. For example, they advised the headteacher about how to spend money when the playground was developed. The ‘chicken committee’ has quite a lot to say about how to keep the school chickens happy!

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are courteous, polite and respectful of one another and adults. They are self-confident and proud of their school. They respond well to the high expectations of teachers and other adults in school in as far as behaviour is concerned. Staff model respect in the way that they speak to each other and to pupils.
• Pupils, parents and teachers say that bullying is rare at school. If ever it happens, pupils say that adults at school are quick to sort it out. Pupils also take responsibility for their classmates and told inspectors that they ‘must not be bystanders’. Pupils understand different forms of bullying and were able to explain how to keep themselves safe online, as an example.
• Leaders and governors are committed to helping pupils who struggle to behave. A variety of strategies are used to ensure that pupils have confidence in themselves and develop a sense of pride in who they are. There have been no fixed-term exclusions or permanent exclusions for over ten years as a result of leaders’ efforts in this area of school life.
• Pupils attend school regularly. There are strong systems in place to support any families who struggle to understand the importance of attending school. As a result, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is decreasing. Learning mentors play their part in promoting strong attendance effectively.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The progress that pupils made by the end of Year 6 in 2018 was inadequate and the standards that they reached in Year 6 and Year 2 were too low. Pupils who left the school in 2018 made less progress than those that left in 2016 and 2017.
• The proportion of pupils who reach expected standards in the Year 1 phonics check has been too low. The proportion of pupils attaining well in reading in Year 2 has also been too low. The fact that pupils have not done well in reading has not helped them to access the wider curriculum in the past.
• The school has tripled in size since the previous inspection. In addition, the school has a high proportion of pupils who start school at times other than at the beginning of Reception. However, even pupils who have spent their whole education at Little London do not currently make good progress from their starting points. Thus, outcomes for pupils are not good.
• The progress that current pupils are making requires improvement in reading, writing and mathematics. This is the case at key stage 1 and key stage 2. The progress that pupils currently make in mathematics is improving strongly across the school.
• Some groups of pupils make strong progress. Pupils who are new to English make good progress in the specialist classes in which they are put when they start school. Leaders ensure that they develop English skills at a good pace and are equally well integrated into school life.
• Pupils make strong progress in music, art and drama thanks to specialist teaching by a ‘creative practitioner’. Here, pupils who are less proficient in English are able to access more of the curriculum, develop subject-specific skills well, and develop their confidence. Similarly, ‘Forest School’ helps to develop pupils’ wider skills.
• Disadvantaged pupils make similar rates of progress and reach similar standards to their peers. The progress of both groups of pupils require improvement.
• Inspection evidence confirms that school leaders now have a better understanding of which year groups and which subjects need a greater level of focus. This is the case at both key stage 1 and key stage 2.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• The staff team in early years are wholly committed to ensuring that children have a positive, safe and happy start to school life. They establish highly successful partnerships with parents. The early years leader knows the children well. She acknowledges that plans for improvement need to be more precise so that the team have explicit direction in how to support a greater proportion of children in reaching a good level of development by the time they leave Reception.
• Currently, and over recent years, only about half of the children leave Reception with a good level of development. Too few are therefore ready for Year 1. This academic year, the early years leader has revised the system that staff use to check the abilities of children when they arrive at school. This gives a more realistic view of children’s skills in relation to what is typical for their age.
• Current action plans for improvement do not focus on leaders’ knowledge of what skills and knowledge children most need to improve. For example, writing, one of the weakest areas of children’s skills on entry, is not highlighted. Where leaders have focused their attention on where children’s skills are lower, this has resulted in good gains in children’s progress. For example, last year, carefully directed activities and planned provision to support improvement in children’s understanding of the world resulted in a considerably higher proportion of children meeting and exceeding this early learning goal.
• Phonics teaching is not precise enough to support children of all abilities in quickly learning to say and write sounds and decode words. A range of different phonics programmes, with different actions and sayings to memorise, distract children, particularly those of lower ability, from the intended learning. Therefore, although staff delivery is lively and animated, and children are grouped by their knowledge and skills, teaching is not consistently matched to their needs and progress is not strong for all groups.
• Activities are modelled carefully by adults. However, the organisation of whole-class tasks can limit learning for children of higher and lower ability. During the inspection, children were eager to join in the task to make a birthday card for the class bear. This was modelled well by the teacher. However, the task was then repeated for everyone in smaller, adult-led sessions. Here, higher-ability children treaded water waiting for others. Some incorrect letter formation of lower-ability children was missed.
• The early years team have children’s happiness and welfare at the heart of their work. Safeguarding and welfare requirements are well met and threaded through daily life. Members of the team know their families well and offer support and guidance where it is needed. All of the children spoken to during the inspection said that they feel safe in school. They explained that they would tell an adult if ever they were worried.
• Partnerships with parents are very strong. Every day gets off to a very positive start, with children, their families and staff enjoying learning together. During the inspection, children and parents quickly became engrossed in playing snakes and ladders together. There were lots of smiles and laughter. Many parents commented on how these activities help their children to settle and make sure that everyone has a good start to the day.
• Knowing that children enter Reception who speak English as an additional language or with lower than typical communication skills, the staff team make sure that they consistently model and reinforce a good use of language and a wide vocabulary. Consequently, children quickly respond with better constructed sentences and demonstrate a widening vocabulary.
• Adults consistently model and expect great behaviour and children rise to these expectations. Adults take time and care to support children in their social and emotional development. As a result, the early years classrooms are a happy and positive place to be. Children are very eager to talk about their learning, and they engage eagerly and confidently with visitors.

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School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 107888 Leeds 10042200 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 Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 611 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Asghar Ali Jill Wood Telephone number 0113 244 2457 Website Email address www.littlelondonprimaryschool.co.uk office@littlelondonprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 22–23 October 2014

Information about this school

• The school is larger than average for a primary school. There are substantially more pupils on roll since the last inspection. The school now has three classes per year group.
• Pupils come from a very wide range of ethnic groups. Approximately 30% of pupils are of African heritage. There are 68 different languages spoken by pupils and approximately 80% of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is much higher than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is lower than the national average.
• Within the school, there is a small unit which caters for up to eight pupils from local primary schools who have behavioural difficulties. Pupils attend for up to two terms and remain on the roll of their own school. Pupils are educated separately but sometimes join mainstream classes as they prepare to return to their home school.
• The school runs a wide range of support groups for parents, including those that support their children’s learning and family needs. These include support for families new to English, Family Literacy and Parent Gym.
• Since the last inspection, an additional assistant headteacher has been appointed.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons across the school to observe teaching and learning. Inspectors ensured that senior leaders were invited to join them for some of these visits.
• Pupils’ work in different subjects was scrutinised. In addition, inspectors looked at the progress that pupils are making and the standards that they are reaching in reading, writing and mathematics. Inspectors listened to two groups of pupils read and observed the teaching of phonics.
• Formal and informal discussions took place with senior leaders, middle leaders, members of staff and parents. An inspector met with a representative from the local authority. Meetings were also held with the special educational needs coordinators and members of staff with responsibility for safeguarding. A meeting was held with members of the governing body.
• Documentation relating to the school’s website and safeguarding, including the single central record and information linked to recruitment checks, was scrutinised.
• A range of other documents was examined, including the school’s self-evaluation, evidence from the monitoring of teaching, plans for improvement and the school’s own analysis of pupils’ attainment, progress, behaviour, exclusions and attendance.
• Pupils’ behaviour was observed by inspectors in lessons, during breaktimes and lunchtimes. Inspectors spoke with pupils about their work informally during lessons and met with two groups of pupils to discuss their learning and listen to their views about their school.
• Inspectors talked to a number of parents at the start of the school day and took account of the 15 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, in addition to the free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the 42 responses to the staff questionnaire and the 53 responses to the pupil questionnaire.

Inspection team

Michael Wardle, lead inspector Kate Rowley Elizabeth Lawley Louise Greatrex

Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector