Leesland Church of England Controlled Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well cared for at this school.

Strong relationships exist between all members of the school community, underpinned by the school values of love, grace and respect. Adults consistently treat pupils with kindness and respect. Pupils value this and feel safe in school.

Strong support systems are in place. Pupils access these confidently when they need help with any worries or concerns.

The school strives for all pupils to achieve their very best and be successful.

Pupils know that achieving well requires hard work and resilience. Generally, they rise to this challenge, maintaining a clear focus on their learning in lessons. As a result, pupil...s learn effectively and achieve well.

Pupils' learning is enhanced through various visits and visitors. A journey along a local river cements pupils' understanding of different river features, and visits to museums and art galleries enrich pupils' experience of the world beyond the classroom. Furthermore, through working with local community groups, pupils learn about diversity and the importance of saving money and budgeting.

All pupils enjoy opportunities to develop leadership skills and make a positive contribution to their school community. They are proud of the different jobs they do, such as 'Leesland Leaders', 'Sports Crew' and a wide variety of class monitor roles.

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

The school has designed a rich curriculum that enables pupils to make important connections between the topics they learn with confidence.

This helps pupils remember and use knowledge and skills well. For example, when learning about crime and punishment in history, pupils start by reviewing previously learned information about life more generally in Roman Britain and Saxon England. Furthermore, when writing, older pupils apply previously learned knowledge to write skilfully, with highly accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Generally, teaching helps pupils to learn well. Where this is strongest, teachers explain information clearly and confidently. They break down learning into manageable steps, which builds pupils' knowledge in a sensible order.

For example, in art and design, pupils learn about standard proportions of the human body prior to introducing the concept of distortion into their work. In all subjects, the school ensures that the additional help needed by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is identified accurately. This means that pupils with SEND are supported effectively to access the curriculum and achieve well.

However, there are some inconsistencies in teaching. Sometimes, teachers give pupils work that does not link clearly to what they are meant to be learning. This means that while pupils know what they are doing, they do not understand the important knowledge they need to remember and therefore they do not always learn as well as they could.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to be confident and fluent readers. A variety of carefully considered strategies encourage pupils to love reading, including gifting several books to pupils during their time at the school. Pupils at the early stages of reading learn phonics using a well-structured programme.

Well-trained staff deliver the programme well and pupils catch up quickly. Most pupils now read with confidence and fluency appropriate to their age.

Generally, pupils behave well.

They are polite and well-mannered to adults. Most pupils attend school regularly. However, there are a few pupils, including some pupils with SEND, who do not attend school as much as they should.

While the school is taking steps to improve this, these pupils' attendance is not improving. This is because some of the strategies being used are still early in their implementation.

The school works hard to support pupils' personal development.

Pupils understand the importance of tolerance, that voting is part of the democratic system and that laws exist to keep communities safe. Pupils also learn about healthy relationships and have an age-appropriate understanding of how to stay safe online. This gives pupils confidence in reporting online behaviours that they know to be wrong.

All adults work well together to provide a high-quality education for all pupils. Staff appreciate the training they receive to help ensure pupils learn well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers' knowledge of how to ensure pupils know and remember more over time is not as strong as it could be. This means that they do not always use the most effective strategies to enable pupils to achieve as well as they could. The school should improve teachers' knowledge and expertise to help pupils to achieve well across the curriculum.

• Too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. High levels of absence mean these pupils develop gaps in their understanding and can fall behind their peers. The school should continue to strengthen the actions and support provided for pupils and their families to continue to reduce absence.

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