Lime Academy Larkswood

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe in school. Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can learn and do. Pupils study a broad curriculum.

Teachers are subject experts. They explain new concepts clearly. Pupils learn to read extremely well.

Pupils behave very well in class. There are clear routines for good behaviour in the classroom and around the school. Pupils are keen to learn and listen well to the instructions of their teachers.

As a result, lessons are calm and purposeful.

Leaders support pupils' wider development through a broad range of educational outings and visitors to the school. Workshops link to what pupils are learning in lessons to help bring the...ir learning to life.

For example, when learning about the Second World War, pupils in Year 6 tried out recipes limited to the ingredients available to families during rationing.

Children in Nursery and Reception play and learn happily together. They learn to take turns and share.

The routines for good behaviour are established through rhymes and games. Leaders provide opportunities for children to develop their independence. For example, as part of a trip to a local park, children in Reception planned their journey to and from the park using local buses.

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

Leaders have redesigned the curriculum recently to make it more ambitious. They have identified the key knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn. Pupils build up their knowledge in each subject piece by piece over time.

The new curriculum has regular opportunities for teachers to check what pupils know and can do. This helps teachers to identify any misconceptions that pupils may have. In the early years, the curriculum is not as securely thought through.

The school has not considered as clearly the knowledge that children need to secure in readiness for Year 1.

Teachers deliver the planned curriculum effectively. Teachers know the pupils in their classes well.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND). They work effectively with support staff to help pupils with SEND to access the curriculum alongside their peers.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Staff, pupils and parents and carers all have a clear understanding of the school's rules. At times, pupils fall short of these expectations. When this happens, teachers help them to understand their own feelings and those of others.

This encourages them to improve their behaviour.

The programme for teaching pupils to read is well established. Staff have received the training needed to deliver phonics effectively.

Teachers and support staff continually develop their skills. Teachers introduce and model new sounds clearly.They assess regularly how well pupils read to identify any gaps in their progress.

Pupils who fall behind in the phonics programme are helped to catch up quickly.

Leaders prioritise reading across the school. All pupils visit the school library each week to select books to read at home for pleasure.

They enjoy reading a wide variety of texts with their class teachers. In the early years, adults use songs and stories to develop children's language and communication skills. They model the use of new vocabulary and encourage children to talk about what they are learning.

There has been a lot of work by staff to introduce the new curriculum following the pandemic. As a result, the school has been slow to reintroduce the programme of enrichment to support pupils' wider development. At present, the range of extra-curricular clubs is limited.

Leaders have plans in place to broaden this offer from September.

Leaders encourage pupils to be active and responsible citizens. They learn about different cultures and religious festivals.

Members of the school council help to plan charity events and school projects. They have worked with leaders to develop the range of leadership roles for pupils in the new academic year. This will include playground leaders and eco-ambassadors.

In many subjects, teachers are already teaching the new curriculum. In a few subjects, teachers will be starting to teach the new curriculum from September. Leaders have ensured that teachers have the subject knowledge they need to teach the new curriculum.

All teachers develop their pedagogical knowledge and skills through the schools' professional development programme. Staff felt well supported by leaders to manage their workload. This includes early career teachers.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that all staff put policies and procedures for safeguarding into practice effectively. Staff know the families in the school's community well.

They have a strong awareness of local safeguarding risks that may affect their pupils. They are alert to any signs that may raise concerns about a pupil's well-being. Leaders work effectively with outside agencies to secure help for vulnerable pupils and their families.

Pupils are encouraged to stay safe through the personal, social and health education curriculum. They are taught age-appropriate information about how to manage risk, including e-safety and what constitutes healthy relationships.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not embedded the entirety of the new curriculum for some foundation subjects.

The school should ensure that they implement the new curriculum securely across all subjects. ? The range of enrichment and leadership opportunities on offer to pupils is still quite limited following the pandemic. Pupils do not have access to a rich variety of wider opportunities to develop their talents and interests outside the academic curriculum.

The school should ensure that the range of opportunities increases for the development of pupils' wider development beyond the curriculum. ? At times, children in the early years are not helped to build their knowledge cumulatively in specific areas, such as understanding the world. The school should ensure that curriculum thinking extends down into early years to ensure that children are routinely ready for the next stage of their education.