Larklands Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Larklands Infant School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils are proud to work and learn at Larklands Infant School. The school is committed to giving every pupil the best start in life.

The school is ambitious for all pupils. There is a sharp focus on refining the quality of education so that pupils can achieve in line with these high expectations. Pupils say they love to learn.

They are achieving well. The number of pupils who meet the standard in the phonics screening check in Year 1 is above the national average.

Pupils behave exceptionally well.
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They know they must always remember the school's big behaviour rule, 'kind hands, kind feet and kind lips'. They attentively follow instructions from staff. Pupils enjoy opportunities to help one another, to sing in assembly and to visit local places of interest, including local museums and libraries.

Pupils appreciate the wide range of equipment they can use at playtime. They especially like learning to play with lunchtime staff. At lunchtime, large groups of pupils can be heard confidently singing traditional songs, such as 'The Farmer's in His Den'.

Many families shared their overwhelmingly positive views of the school during the inspection, typically stating that 'The teachers go above and beyond for each and every child.'

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

The school has changed its approach to teaching reading over the last two years. As a result, the teaching of early reading has improved significantly.

Staff keep a close eye on any pupils who may need extra help with their reading and offer effective support. There is also a sharp focus on helping pupils secure strong basic skills in writing and mathematics. Staff have thought very carefully about the knowledge they want pupils to learn.

This includes the vocabulary that pupils use on a daily basis. Pupils are achieving increasingly highly in all areas of the curriculum.

Staff have also reviewed their approach to teaching the wider curriculum.

For example, in science and history, teachers have thought carefully about the new knowledge and vocabulary that pupils are introduced to in each successive year. Teachers provide frequent opportunities for pupils to revisit this prior learning. As a result, pupils are beginning to recall this knowledge with confidence.

For example, pupils in Year 2 talk with enthusiasm about their study of the Great Fire of London from Year 1. However, some of these changes to teaching are at an early stage. Sometimes pupils are introduced to large amounts of knowledge in a single lesson.

New ideas are not sufficiently broken down into manageable chunks of learning. This makes it difficult for pupils to focus on the most important information. Furthermore, pupils are not always able to connect new knowledge to what they have learned before.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. Staff receive specialist training to help them adapt the curriculum. They assess children's needs when they join the school.

Additional resources and sessions are used, when appropriate, to help pupils access the curriculum. Parents and carers rightly speak very highly of the support that pupils with SEND receive.

The early years foundation stage is a significant strength of the school.

Everything is done with purpose. The curriculum is focused on rapidly developing children's communication and language skills. Children are busy creating information books, building nests for hedgehogs, weighing conkers and leaves, doing a 'dollop of maths' and baking cookies.

As a result of this rich and purposeful curriculum, children are prepared well for Year 1.

Pupils' behaviour is exceptional. They are keen to earn points, join the school council and stay at the top of the 'beanstalk'.

The school works well with families and local agencies to respond to any falls in attendance or concerns about lateness. Though the school is working hard to improve attendance, there is more work to do to ensure that pupils attend school frequently. Attendance levels are currently below those found nationally.

Pupils enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular activities. They visit many places of interest, including a local allotment where they observe how vegetables and fruit are grown throughout the year. Older pupils enjoy opportunities to teach children in the Reception Year how to stay safe.

As a result of these rich opportunities, pupils' talents and interests are well developed.

Leaders and governors are deeply committed to making a positive difference to children's lives. Governors are knowledgeable and have a wide range of skills.

Everyone is invested in supporting one another's well-being. Staff say that they feel very well supported. They value the approach that leaders take to their workload.

All staff take much pride in working in what they describe as a 'close-knit family'.

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, staff introduce large amounts of knowledge in a short space of time when they teach the wider curriculum.

This information is not broken down sufficiently to make it manageable. Pupils sometimes struggle to remember all of this content and make the necessary links to previous learning. The school should make further decisions about the exact knowledge that is taught and how this is broken down over time and presented to pupils.

• Attendance rates are currently below national levels and a number of pupils are persistently absent. As a result, some pupils are not forming good attendance habits and are missing important opportunities to learn the curriculum. The school should ensure that attendance remains a high priority and that families are given further support to reduce absence further.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2014.

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