Lillington Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a warm and inclusive welcome at Lillington Primary School.

Pupils are happy, safe and working hard. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and pupils try their best to meet these.

Pupils know and understand the school values well and become 'values champions' as a reward for living them.

Values including kindness, honesty and respect are woven into the fabric of school life.

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite and friendly.

When some struggle to behave due to their additional needs, staff support them kindly and skilfully. Pupils speak positively about the school's behaviour polic...y and about how much behaviour has improved because of it. They know to 'stop, walk and talk' if another pupil were to upset them.

The school has been on a significant journey over recent years. When the predecessor school was inspected, there were many weaknesses. Pupils, staff, parents, carers and governors alike commented on how much the school has changed and improved.

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

This school has an ambitious, engaging curriculum from the early years to Year 6. Those who lead the curriculum are passionate and knowledgeable and are committed to continual improvement.

The mathematics curriculum sets out exactly what pupils need to know and revisits important learning regularly.

Pupils are becoming confident and competent mathematicians, which is reflected in their good outcomes. The curriculum in English is well structured, but at an earlier stage of implementation. Despite this, pupils' skills in writing, reading, speaking and listening are improving.

For other subjects, the school has set out a clear pathway for pupils' learning. In most subjects, including history, art and science, pupils demonstrate a depth to their understanding. For instance, in history they are able to explain the similarities between England's monarchy and Chinese dynasties.

Learning to read has a high priority. Children start phonics in the Nursery and most enter key stage 2 being fluent readers. If they fall behind, adults hear these pupils read more often and the school puts in place extra sessions.

However, this support is not as effective as it could be because approaches lack consistency and urgency. This means some pupils do not catch up as quickly as they could.

To help develop pupils' love of reading, the school provides them with an enormous range of books to choose from.

Pupils enjoy reading and love the books that teachers read to them.From their first days at school, staff nurture and guide children well. There is much emphasis on the development of early language and communication.

This helps children to access the curriculum more effectively as they move through school. Nursery and Reception are highly engaging settings with a wealth of resources for children, both indoors and outdoors. Adults make sure that activities are well matched to what children need to learn.

The curriculum in early years prepares children well for Year 1.

Pupils learn how to stay healthy and safe and how to respect different cultures and religions. They learn the ways that families and individuals can differ.

At the same time, pupils learn how to embrace and understand difference, so they can become good friends and citizens. They get the chance to attend clubs and go on exciting, purposeful visits. Pupils contribute to school by becoming play leaders, house captains and 'reading buddies' for younger pupils.

They take these roles seriously and carry them out diligently.

In the past, the school had not been successful enough at working with parents to improve their children's attendance. Similarly, provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) was weak.

SEND provision is now effective; support and guidance for parents about SEND is improving. While the school has put in measures to improve attendance, absence rates for too many children remain high.

Leaders at all levels share the same ambition and vision.

There is real clarity and purpose in the plans they make for improving the school. They know the school very well and monitor carefully how well it is doing. The trust provides regular and effective support.

Those responsible for governance oversee the school's performance and provide support for staff. They are fully aware of the significant improvements that leaders and the trust have brought about.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At times, pupils are not getting the support they need to develop their early reading as quickly as they could. This means those pupils who fall behind sometimes struggle to catch up. The school must ensure that those involved in teaching phonics are well trained so that approaches are consistent, rigorous and effective at helping pupils catch up quickly with their reading.

• Despite the efforts of the school, too many pupils are absent too often. This means they are missing learning. The school needs to find alternative strategies to work with parents so that pupils attend regularly and do not miss out on important learning opportunities.

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