Lansdowne Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are attending an ever-improving school. They gain a lot from the curriculum on offer, particularly as their teachers have been trained well by the leaders in the trust.

Those pupils needing more support receive it quickly, including extra tuition after school to help them keep up with their peers.

Many pupils relish opportunities to take on responsibility in school, be it through the school council or as an eco-warrior. They like the range of after-school clubs they can attend, such as arts and crafts, boxing and golf.

Pupils are supportive of one another. It does not take long to find a pupil offering mature assistance, such as helping a peer find an ...answer instead of simply telling it to them. Pupils play kindly with one another.

They like the range of activities available at break and lunchtime - ones they selected through a democratic vote. Pupils know bullying can occur, but they can use the school's anti-bullying flowchart to make it stop. In this way, pupils feel supported and listened to by staff.

This makes them feel happy and safe.

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

Recently, leaders, including governors, made changes at the school. They deployed leaders within the trust to ensure rapid development.

Staff, parents and pupils all give examples of how these recent improvements made the school better. Staff feel incredibly well supported by leaders. They appreciate the strong focus on their professional development and well-being.

Parents appreciate the support they and their children receive from dedicated, kind staff.

The curriculum on offer is well considered. Leaders have identified and sequenced the knowledge teachers must teach to pupils.

Teachers benefit greatly from the curriculum plans produced by leaders from the trust. Teachers use these to arrange appropriate activities for pupils to complete. These include a strong focus on pupils working digitally to prepare them for the modern world.

Pupils learn an effective early reading curriculum. Staff ensure pupils develop their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make in words. Children receive books that contain words they can read.

This helps them to read fluently and confidently.

Assessment is mostly working well. Having received training, teachers know how to assess pupils' learning within lessons.

Most teachers respond to their observations quickly to meet the needs of pupils. This is also the case in subjects like mathematics, where teachers test pupils carefully. Teachers use the results to identify what knowledge pupils do not know to inform their teaching.

This effective practice is not seen in all subjects. For some subjects, teachers assess pupils against broad statements. This does not help them identify what specific knowledge pupils have learned.

In these subjects, pupils are less able to recall words and concepts they should know.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive suitable support. The pupils who access the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND each have an ambitious support plan.

Leaders overseeing support for pupils with SEND do so rigorously to ensure the support helps pupils achieve their best.

Staff teach a well-sequenced curriculum to children in the early years. Children make sound progress because staff organise ambitious activities matched to their needs.

Children are self-motivated and work keenly at the tasks adults provide and the ones they initiate themselves. Adults build positive relationships with children. Children learn how to express themselves confidently.

As such, there is a happy, focused environment in each Nursery and Reception class. Not all teachers in key stages 1 and 2 know how the early years curriculum links to the curriculum they teach. This means some teachers miss opportunities to build on pupils' prior learning.

Pupils behave well. They know the rewards and sanctions that are in place. Staff use these consistently.

The 'learning zone' helps staff to structure their expectations clearly and positively.

Previously, pupils' attendance was too low at the school. Leaders have adopted a more robust approach and this is working well.

In the context of the pandemic, pupils' attendance has improved.

Pupils access a broad range of experiences to aid their personal development. Through the curriculum, they learn about the many ways people may be different.

Pupils speak knowledgeably and kindly about this. Pupils have plenty of opportunities to exercise and learn how to be healthy. Moving forwards, leaders have plans to develop pupils' aspirations by inviting visitors into school to teach pupils about different careers.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Governors ensure safer recruitment checks are completed. Staff overseeing the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks do so meticulously.

All staff receive training that ensures they are knowledgeable and vigilant to keep pupils safe from harm. Leaders are resolute in managing support for vulnerable pupils and their families.

Leaders run a programme of assemblies that teach pupils how to stay safe.

The content of these assemblies is chosen carefully to meet the needs of the pupils, such as railway safety. If they have a worry, pupils know how to use their 'network hand' to call upon the support of a trusted adult.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• For some subjects, there is a discrepancy between the broad statements teachers assess pupils against and the precise knowledge pupils must learn.

This makes it difficult for teachers to use assessment to inform their teaching. Some pupils lack a secure understanding because of this. Leaders must ensure the systems for assessment help teachers check what knowledge pupils have learned to inform their teaching.

• Not all staff know what children in the early years learn and how this links to the curriculum in Year 1 and beyond. This means teachers in key stages 1 and 2 cannot help pupils strengthen their understanding by making links to knowledge learned in the early years. Leaders must ensure all teachers know how the curriculum is sequenced from Nursery to Year 6, so they may help pupils build knowledge well.