Leesland Church of England Controlled Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Leesland Church of England Controlled Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this school where they are cared for well by staff. They thrive in this friendly community where anyone can make friends.

Pupils learn how to show the 'Leesland Federation' values of 'Love, Respect and Grace'. They demonstrate these by being polite and considerate around school. Pupils have positive relationships with staff, who know them well.

They appreciate being greeted each morning when they arrive and check in with teachers.

Pupils respond to the school's high expectations positively. They keenly anticipate who ...will gain the weekly 'FABB Friday' awards, which recognise efforts with behaviour.

Pupils are motivated by the enthusiastic attitudes of staff, and they work hard to complete learning activities and achieve well overall. They enjoy a range of competitive opportunities, such as earning 'Snuggle Buddy' days by reading at home.

Pupils take full advantage of the different opportunities to be active.

In the early years, the rich outdoor area provides a wide range of play activities, which children relish. At playtime, pupils busily play different games together. They take turns to complete circuits of the popular 'Agility Area'.

They talk excitedly about attending clubs and remember fondly places they have visited on trips.

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

The curriculum is ambitious and broad. Across subjects, it is designed and organised to carefully build pupils' knowledge and develop important skills.

The continual adaptation of the curriculum to meet pupils' needs well is particularly effective in the early years. Here, the curriculum addresses children's starting points. The curriculum is organised so that it revisits previous key learning.

This approach to curriculum thinking supports pupils in building secure knowledge and helps them to develop a deeper understanding across subjects.Teachers have a secure subject knowledge and explain new ideas accurately. They use appropriate demonstrations to support explanations.

Teachers widely use questioning to check pupils' understanding. However, in some cases, this does not provide the teacher with a clear enough picture of how well pupils understand. Learning activities are well thought out so that they support pupils to develop deeper understanding.

These activities are adapted effectively for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), whose needs are promptly and specifically identified. Pupils' work is assessed carefully, and teachers use this information to decide which areas of knowledge will be revisited in future teaching.

The school is prioritising attendance.

Currently, too many disadvantaged pupils are regularly absent. As a result, they do not benefit fully from the school's high expectations and carefully planned curriculum. Consequently, they have knowledge gaps that affect their achievement.

This year, the school made changes to how absence is tracked and addressed. Some pupils who have been supported through this work are now attending more regularly. However, the school knows that this work can be further strengthened as it is not yet making enough sustained improvement with the wider group of regularly absent pupils.

Around the school, behaviour is calm and respectful. This is established in early years when children learn the routines and language that is needed for effective learning. Pupils know the school rules and clearly explain how they uphold these.

In lessons, pupils work with purpose and listen attentively to teachers. At playtime, pupils behave responsibly and safely. They benefit widely from the school's pastoral work.

This provides prompt support for pupils if they have challenging circumstances.

There is a sharp focus on developing pupils' reading. Carefully chosen diverse texts are woven through the curriculum.

The school purposefully develops pupils' enjoyment of reading, promoting and rewarding wider reading. Early reading is prioritised. Children learn phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year.

If pupils struggle, they receive additional same-day support to quickly catch up.

There are rich opportunities to develop pupils' character through the 'Leesland Legacy'. At the heart of this is broadening pupils' understanding of difference.

Pupils learn about celebrations in different world religions. A range of experiences with trips and visiting speakers further broaden pupils' horizons. For example, they reflect on how the life of a visiting Olympian is different to their own.

Pupils have regular opportunities to discuss moral issues. These support pupils to develop their views and to learn how to share their views respectfully with others.

Staff enjoy working at the school and feel appreciated.

They value the steps that are taken by the school to make sure that the workload is manageable and does not affect their teaching. The school strives to continuously improve, and staff are fully engaged when changes are made.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Too many disadvantaged pupils are regularly absent from school. These pupils are missing key learning that affects their achievement. The school needs to embed and further refine the approach to addressing absence, so this robustly secures improved attendance for these pupils.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. 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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2018.

How can I my views?

You can use Ofsted Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school, or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route).