Langley Park Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Langley Park Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The headteacher of this school is Sarah Kluzek. This school is part of the Impact Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Sarah Lewis, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Phillipson and Kieran Osborne.

There is also a director of education who supports this school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well cared for at this friendly school. Staff help pupils to identify their emotions.

They guide... pupils to respond to their feelings in healthy ways that support their well-being. This contributes to pupils being happy and safe at school.

The school has high expectations.

School and trust leaders work closely to identify ways to support pupils' success in all areas of school life. Pupils typically achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).Pupils behave well.

The school teaches pupils about its values, such as 'empathy'. This helps pupils to treat others with kindness and respect, for instance by inviting anyone they see sitting on the 'buddy bench' to play with them at social times. Pupils take up responsibility widely.

For example, pupils grow food and sell their produce as part of the 'eco warriors' club.The school provides extensive high-quality enrichment activities. Clubs such as taekwondo, lacrosse, chess and drama are widely taken up.

Many pupils receive instrumental lessons, including flute, piano and guitar. Pupils learn about wildlife in regular outdoor learning sessions. Educational visits broaden pupils' experiences, such as residential visits in Year 4 and Year 6 where pupils camp outdoors and visit Norfolk.

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

The school provides a broad and ambitious curriculum. Knowledge is carefully identified and well sequenced. The school has recently strengthened its curriculum further in some subjects.

Leaders have trained staff well in the aims of the curriculum. As a result, staff have secure subject knowledge. Teachers present information clearly.

They provide pupils with meaningful work that helps them to recall and apply important curriculum content. For example, in mathematics, teachers routinely encourage pupils to recall key mathematical vocabulary, such as 'vertices' and 'faces' when identifying the properties of 3D shapes in Year 2. This supports pupils to know what is being asked of them when solving problems involving 3D shapes.

Pupils typically develop knowledge confidently and produce work of high quality. For example, Year 5 pupils can make detailed comparisons between their local area and an Alpine region in geography. They draw upon prior learning, such as how altitude and seasons affect the climate.

Typically, teachers check that pupils understand what they have been taught. However, some checks are not timely or thorough. As a result, teachers and leaders sometimes do not have clear information about how well pupils have learned the curriculum, or where they have misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND swiftly and effectively. Staff use a range of approaches to help pupils learn the curriculum successfully and to meet their personal targets. When needed, the school arranges specialist support that is tailored to each pupil's individual needs.

Reading is prioritised by the school. Pupils read a range of well-chosen stories. Teachers help pupils to understand important meanings and new vocabulary when reading.

This helps pupils to recall what they have read with accuracy and insight.Staff have secure subject knowledge for teaching phonics. Pupils at the early stages of reading are taught letters and the sounds they make in a clear and logical sequence.

Pupils practise reading books that contain the sounds they know. Adults listen to them read regularly. However, some pupils previously had fewer opportunities to practise their phonics knowledge.

The school has identified that some of these pupils are less fluent in reading and writing than they might be. Leaders have introduced comprehensive and effective support to help them to catch up.The school helps pupils to understand how to stay safe and healthy, including online.

For example, pupils know how to keep information private and when to tell an adult about any online behaviour that concerns them. Pupils are taught about healthy relationships, including how to resolve differences with others. Pupils know that it is important to treat people with different backgrounds and beliefs with respect.

From early years onwards, children learn to follow clear routines, which are in place across the school. This helps to make the school a settled and focused learning environment. Attendance rates are high.

Where necessary, the school provides appropriate support and encouragement to successfully reduce absence.Leaders, including governors and trustees, work together effectively to strengthen the school's work. Leaders provide strong support for staff's well-being.

They routinely involve staff in the development of the school and help to manage their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On occasion, teachers do not check pupils' understanding of key content systematically.

As a result, some pupils have misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge that are not identified and addressed swiftly. The trust should ensure that the school makes timely checks on pupils' understanding. It should ensure that the school uses information gained from assessments to make suitable adaptations so that pupils develop detailed and secure knowledge in all areas of the curriculum.

• In some instances, pupils have not had sufficient opportunities to practise at the early stages of reading and writing. As a result, some pupils read and write less fluently than they might. The trust should ensure that the school makes regular checks on the impact of its work to help pupils to catch up quickly where needed.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2019.