Lark Hill Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Lark Hill Community Primary School is a happy and welcoming place for pupils to learn and thrive. Pupils, parents and carers and staff value the 'family feel' that this school offers.

Pupils feel safe in a supportive environment.

They know that staff care about them. Pupils trust staff to help them when they need support.

Staff have high expectations of pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They expect every pupil to achieve well. Staff are successful at making this happen. Pupils are keen learners.

They said to inspectors that teachers make lessons fun and exciting for them.

Pupils beha...ve well in lessons and around the school. Pupils know how to spot the different kinds of bullying.

They said that any type of bullying is unusual. If it ever does occur, adults act to stop it straight away. Most parents agree that bullying is dealt with effectively.

Leaders are committed to developing the character and uniqueness of each pupil. Leaders ensure that pupils benefit from a well-planned programme of wider personal development. Pupils enjoy taking on additional responsibilities such as sports leaders and school councillors.

Pupils enjoy participating in many clubs, for example chess club and sports clubs.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn. They have ensured that the curriculum is well planned in almost every subject.

The curriculum in the early years is also well planned and delivered.

The majority of curriculum plans set out in detail the knowledge that staff must teach to pupils. Across most areas of the curriculum, staff think carefully about the knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils need to succeed academically.

However, a very small number of curriculum plans are less well developed than others.

In those areas where the curriculum is less well planned, the knowledge that teachers want pupils to learn is not as clear as it could be. Very occasionally, this hinders some pupils' ability to get the most out of the curriculum on offer.

Despite this small weakness, pupils, and children in the early years, achieve well across the curriculum. This is because, overall, leaders have created a broad, interesting and ambitious curriculum. In the main, the curriculum prepares pupils well for the next stages in their education and for life in modern Britain.

Teachers' enthusiasm for the curriculum encourages pupils, and children in the early years, to engage fully in the activities that they prepare. Pupils said that they like how teachers make learning interesting. Teachers, including those in the early years, explain new ideas clearly.

They are knowledgeable about the subjects that they teach. Teachers help pupils to revisit and to recap important learning. They use a range of appropriate strategies to ensure that pupils make secure connections between new and previously learned concepts and ideas.

In most subjects, teachers use assessment strategies well to establish what pupils know and can do. Generally, teachers are successful in using this information to inform the next steps in their teaching. For example, teachers appropriately check for gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding.

However, in one or two subjects, leaders do not ensure that teachers use assessment strategies effectively enough. In these subjects, this can prevent some pupils from achieving as highly as they could.

Pupils get off to a good start with learning to read.

Teachers deliver the phonics programme well. In the Nursery class, children love the stories that their teachers read to them. In the Reception class, children quickly get to know letters and sounds and how to blend them together to make words.

Pupils become increasingly confident readers by the time they leave key stage 1.

Pupils who struggle to read benefit from additional support from well-trained adults. This builds their confidence and increases their fluency in reading.

Adults help these pupils to catch-up quickly with their peers.

Staff identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND in an accurate and timely way. Pupils with SEND are given the support they need to access the curriculum, and they experience success.

Leaders ensure that these pupils have the same opportunities to access the school's ambitious curriculum as their classmates.

Pupils behave well and they attend school regularly. They are polite and courteous.

They listen carefully in lessons and follow instructions.

Staff provide pupils with rich opportunities to encourage them to become respectful and responsible citizens. The school actively promotes pupils' understanding of diversity.

Pupils have access to a broad range of extra-curricular activities. External visits and trips bring the curriculum to life for pupils.

Leaders and governors have improved the quality of education at this school.

Governors hold leaders fully to account for their work to improve the curriculum. Staff are extremely proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff and governors are well trained to identify and support pupils at risk. The procedures in place for reporting concerns are well understood by all staff.

Leaders are strong advocates for vulnerable pupils and their families.

Where safeguarding needs are identified, support is timely. Leaders engage well with external agencies when needed.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including how to manage risks when online.

For example, pupils learn about online bullying and can clearly describe how to stay safe online. Pupils know what to do if they have a concern about their safety.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In one or two subjects, leaders have not thought carefully enough about the essential knowledge that pupils must learn.

Pupils do not achieve as highly as they could in these subjects. Leaders should revise the curriculum content to ensure that teachers know exactly what knowledge pupils must learn and by when. ? Occasionally, teachers do not use assessment strategies as effectively as they could to check how much knowledge pupils know and remember.

This hampers some pupils from achieving as highly as they could. Leaders need to ensure that teachers are confident in how they use assessment strategies across all subjects. This is so that pupils get the most out of their learning across the whole curriculum.