Latymer All Saints CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

At Latymer All Saints, the school's values of 'love, aspiration and service' are embodied in the actions of staff. Pupils are safe and happy, knowing that trusted adults will help them if they have any concerns. This is a highly inclusive school.

Pupils are welcomed and valued as unique individuals.

Pupils behave well, and disruption to lessons is rare. This means that staff can focus their attention on teaching.

Pupils enjoy taking on leadership roles, such as eco leaders and prefects. They know their voice is listened to and valued.

The development of pupils' character is a strong feature of school life.

The school provides a broad set of ...experiences outside of the classroom to enrich the curriculum, such as clubs, educational visits and fundraising activities.

Leaders and staff put the best interests of pupils at the heart of everything they do. The school has high expectations of pupils' achievement.

Overall, pupils achieve highly, particularly in reading and mathematics. However, there is more work to be done to ensure that children in the early years experience a high-quality curriculum.

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

In most subjects, leaders have designed a well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum.

In these subjects, the curriculum supports pupils to build on their understanding. As a result, pupils can confidently recall their learning. Their understanding is also evident in the quality of work they produce.

Teachers recap important concepts and skills before moving on to deliver new content. This helps pupils to build their knowledge securely. For example, in mathematics, pupils in Year 5 revisit their knowledge of multiplication to prepare them for learning about fractions.

In some other subjects, the tasks that pupils complete do not align as closely to the curriculum content. This means that pupils develop some gaps in their knowledge. The school has put in place training for staff to address this, but it is too early to see the full impact of these changes.

In the early years curriculum, the school has not clearly defined the knowledge that children should learn. There is insufficient consideration of how skills and knowledge build through the early years. Consequently, children are not prepared as well as they should be for the next stage of their learning.

This school values reading. Leaders have made significant improvements to how the school supports pupils during the early stages of learning to read. Pupils from Reception onwards follow a phonics programme that increases their confidence and fluency with reading.

Well-trained adults provide effective support for pupils to catch up and keep up with their peers. The books pupils read are closely matched to the sounds they know. Pupils enjoy a range of texts that develop both their vocabulary and their awareness of the world.

Pupils are keen to share the stories they have recently read.The school has recently reviewed its approach to identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are appropriate systems in place to support the early identification of need and to closely monitor pupils' progress through the curriculum.

The school is now focused on adapting the curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils within the classroom. This enables all pupils to access the same curriculum as their peers.

There is a positive learning culture.

Children quickly settle into routines in the early years. They play well together, share and take turns. Classrooms are calm, orderly places.

Staff treat pupils with respect and value their contributions. Pupils can explain why the school has rules and can relate these to the school's values. The school takes pupils' occasional use of derogatory language seriously.

Bullying is rare, but if it happens, the school deals with it quickly. The school prioritises attendance. Pupils attend well.

The school provides a comprehensive programme to promote pupils' personal development. Pupils learn to be safe, including online and in the wider community. They develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships.

Pupils know their opinions and beliefs may differ from those of others. They learn that everyone is unique and accept difference in a positive way. Pupils value and participate in a range of clubs, such as art, ballet, coding and gymnastics.

Governors know the school well. They know the school's strengths and areas that require further development. Staff value the training they receive to support them in their roles, such as in the delivery of new areas of the curriculum.

Leaders are considerate of staff's workload and well-being. Parents and carers appreciate the hard work and dedication shown by staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Aspects of the curriculum beyond English and mathematics have recently been revised and are still becoming embedded. This means that there are gaps in pupils' knowledge in some subject areas. The school should ensure that staff have the support they need to develop their confidence, pedagogical and subject knowledge so that the curriculum is implemented consistently well.

• The curriculum and assessment processes in the early years are underdeveloped. This means that, in some areas, staff are unclear about what children need to learn and children do not develop the knowledge they need across all of the areas of learning. The school should complete its work on the early years curriculum to clarify the important knowledge that children need to know and remember so that they are prepared well for Year 1.

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