Langley Park Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Langley Park Primary School is a nurturing school that provides an inclusive place for pupils to learn. Pupils feel happy and safe. Staff care deeply for the pupils and help them to develop independence and resilience.

Staff have high expectations for all pupils' achievement. Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. However, these ambitions are not fully realised because some parts of the curriculum are not implemented as intended.

As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils behave well. They are tolerant and acknowledge that everyone is different.

Pupils develop a deep understanding of equality and treat everyone as an eq...ual. Bullying rarely happens. Staff swiftly deal with it if it does.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) fully access all aspects of school life.

The school enriches its curriculum with a range of trips and visits. Pupils recall these with enthusiasm and look forward to opportunities to visit other countries, such as a skiing trip to France.

Staff ensure that everyone has equal access to opportunities that build confidence and resilience.

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

The school benefits from comprehensive support from the trust. This has led to recent improvements in the support for pupils with SEND and in the provision in the early years.

However, there is more that the school needs to do to ensure that all pupils benefit from a high-quality education across all subjects.

Since the previous inspection, leaders have continued to develop the curriculum. The important knowledge that pupils should learn has been carefully identified.

However, some of the key knowledge set out in the curriculum is not taught in sufficient depth. The reasons for this are varied. In some cases, the school has not ensured that staff have the subject knowledge that they need to deliver the curriculum as intended.

For example, in mathematics, staff do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to apply their mathematical knowledge to solve problems. In other cases, some staff do not teach parts of the curriculum. Some subjects are not taught as regularly as they should be.

Consequently, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge.

The school has prioritised early reading. Teachers benefit from effective training in phonics and deliver the curriculum for early reading consistently.

Pupils learn phonics as soon as they start school. In reading, teachers check what pupils know and remember. Those pupils who find it difficult to read benefit from extra support.

Staff ensure that pupils routinely practise and embed effective reading techniques. As a result, pupils develop fluency and accuracy in reading.

With the ongoing support of the trust, the school ensures that the needs of pupils with SEND are quickly identified.

Staff work with outside agencies to advise on the most appropriate support for these pupils. Expectations for pupils with SEND are high. Staff successfully support pupils with SEND and help them to make progress.

Children make a great start to their education in the early years. Staff have a good understanding of children's needs. There is a clear emphasis on improving children's vocabulary.

The carefully organised environment promotes language and communication. Adults support children effectively by asking them questions to promote their thinking and encouraging them to use the new words that they are learning. Children are eager to learn and share their learning with confidence and enthusiasm.

When writing, many have secured the basic letter formation they need to write successfully.

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. They have positive attitudes to their learning.

Pupils behave well in lessons and actively support each other in class. They greet visitors with smiles, ask how they are and hold open doors. There is a deeply respectful culture here.

However, overall rates of absence are high and the number of pupils who are persistently absent is also high. While the school takes some steps to improve individual pupils' attendance, the systems to monitor and improve overall attendance are not as robust as they could be. As a result, rates of absence and persistent absence remain higher than the national average.

Too many pupils miss out on important learning.

The school's personal development curriculum supports pupils to be well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about healthy relationships and how to stay safe online.

They contribute positively to school life; for example, the school council is involved in decisions to improve the school. Their peers vote on the suggestions it offers.

Leaders, including governors, have not monitored the impact of the curriculum carefully.

The school has not recognised that some aspects of the curriculum are not implemented as intended. As a result, the school does not have an accurate view of the progress being made towards improving the quality of education. Staff work well together as a team and are proud to work at the school.

They feel well supported by leaders, especially around workload. The school engages with parents and carers well and most say that they would recommend the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, some of the explanations of teachers or the activities they choose do not help pupils to learn and remember the content set out in the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders should work with staff to develop their subject and pedagogical knowledge.

• In some subjects, the school does not check to ensure that the curriculum is implemented as intended. The school has not recognised that in some subjects, some aspects of the curriculum have not been taught and, therefore, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. The school, including those responsible for governance, should ensure that the intended curriculum is taught and that pupils learn and remember the content the school identifies as important for them to know.

• Rates of absence and persistent absence are high. Pupils are missing out on important learning. Leaders have achieved an improvement but must strengthen their approach to reducing absence, especially for disadvantaged pupils.