Latchingdon Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Latchingdon Primary School is a welcoming, warm and happy place.

Inclusion is a core thread that runs through everything that is done in the school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school.

The school's vision is 'learning to love, loving to learn'.

However, not everyone understands clearly what this vision means. The result of this is that some teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low. This hinders pupils' progress through the curriculum.

Pupils have access to a wide range of extracurricular activities. They can choose from a number of different sports, creati...ve, academic and wider interest clubs. The offer means that pupils can nurture existing talents while developing new ones.

Pupils value and enthusiastically take advantage of these opportunities.

Many pupils are polite, respectful and engage fully in their learning. However, too many lessons are disrupted by the poor behaviour of a few pupils.

This frustrates others in the class as it slows their learning. Pupils say that bullying is rare. They trust adults to resolve issues if they arise.

Pupils feel safe in school.

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

Leaders understand the importance of an ambitious and well considered curriculum. Some elements of the curriculum, such as mathematics and science are well designed.

Leaders have identified the specific knowledge pupils need to learn. The sequence of learning supports pupils to secure new learning on top of existing knowledge. This granular planning enables teachers to teach and assess component parts of topics.

They can identify specific areas of misconception and remedy them quickly. Leaders do not provide this level of detail in all subjects. This hinders teachers in designing individual lessons and checking pupils' understanding.

In these subjects, pupils' experiences are inconsistent and they do not learn as well.

There are some inconsistencies in the teaching of phonics. Although pupils start to learn to read when they start school in the early years, not all staff have been trained in how to deliver the recently adopted phonics programme.

While many pupils become confident and fluent readers, leaders are not clear enough about how they can support those who struggle.

The curriculum for children in the Early Years is well planned and thought through. Leaders have identified key knowledge and language that children need to succeed in Key Stage 1.

Children learn through a combination of formal teaching and play. They develop their confidence and resilience from an early stage. Children are polite and engaging.

They are active, purposeful and happy learners.

Leaders, themselves, understand the vision for the school. However, leaders have not clearly articulated this to everyone who needs to know their vision for the school.

Not everyone shares leaders' clarity of expectation. Teachers do not routinely expect pupils to produce enough work that is of high quality. Adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not always effective in supporting their learning.

Consequently, pupils do not secure the knowledge they need. They find it difficult to recall facts and to use this knowledge in different contexts.

Not all adults apply the policy to manage behaviour consistently.

The result of this is that, too often, lessons get disrupted by a small number of pupils who misbehave. Other pupils get frustrated by how difficult it makes it for them to learn. Leaders are aware of these inconsistencies.

They understand it makes it difficult for pupils to meet the expectations they have been set. Leaders have begun to address this.

Leaders have developed a programme of learning that expands pupils' awareness of their wider community.

Pupils learn about, in age-appropriate terms, cultures, religions and beliefs other than their own. They understand differences in family structures and lifestyles. Pupils celebrate individuality and challenge unkindness in any form.

Governors, leaders, trustees and trust leaders work together to improve the school. The trust has recently started to provide extra support, which is targeted and well planned. For example, trust staff are helping leaders to address the problems in behaviour.

The trust has carefully balanced the need to secure rapid improvement with ensuring that school leaders have the capacity to maintain the impact on pupils behaviour and performance. The work of the trust has begun to show positive signs.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff receive regular training on how to identify and respond to concerns about pupils' safety. This training and staff vigilance mean that suspicions are reported and acted on quickly. Leaders work closely with external agencies to secure the help that pupils and their families need.

Governors work with leaders to ensure that the policies and systems to keep pupils safe are effective. Checks carried out on adults in advance of taking up roles within the school are thorough.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe.

Pupils feel confident that staff will help them if they raise a concern.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not clearly articulated to all staff what their vision for the school is, or what their expectations are. Staff do not ensure these expectations are adhered to, meaning some pupils do not get the help they need and some teachers do not require pupils to produce high-quality work.

Leaders should ensure that all staff understand the long-term strategic vision for the school and its accompanying expectations. ? Some curriculum leaders do not set out specifically what pupils need to learn and when. This means that teachers do not know what to teach and when, to ensure pupils build their knowledge securely over time.

They are also unable to identify and resolve pupils' misconceptions and gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly and efficiently. Leaders should ensure that the detail of what teachers need to teach is determined and shared with teachers. ? Staff do not consistently apply the school's behaviour policy and system.

This means that pupils do not fully understand what is expected of them and some misbehave. Some staff do not resolve this well, meaning pupils' learning is disrupted. Leaders should ensure that all staff understand and use the processes and systems for managing behaviour.

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