Lingdale Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Lingdale Primary is a happy and welcoming school. Pupils are kind and respectful to one another.

The school has a particularly supportive, caring and nurturing ethos. This helps pupils to develop positive attitudes towards each other.

Pupils are keen learners.

They enjoy their lessons and wider activities. However, the quality of education is not good enough. Pupils do not have the chance to achieve as well as they should across the curriculum.

This is because leaders have not thought carefully enough about how to plan learning in some subjects. Some teachers do not check precisely what gaps there are in pupils' knowledge and understanding.

...Pupils say they feel safe in school and that staff care about their well-being and welfare.

The school motto of 'be safe, be ready, be respectful' teaches pupils how to keep themselves safe. Behaviour is managed very well, creating a calm and orderly atmosphere in school. Pupils know who to talk to if they have any concerns and trust staff to help them.

Pupils told inspectors that bullying does not happen.

There are positive relationships between staff and pupils. Staff know their pupils very well and are aspirational for their futures.

Pupils are proud of their roles on the school council 'working together to be the best we can be'. Pupils also enjoy the wide variety of after-school clubs they take part in such as sports and drama.

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

Leaders are proud of their engagement with the community.

Pastoral support for vulnerable pupils and their families is a strength of the school. Parents have particularly valued the support they have received during the pandemic. One parent commented, 'The staff at this school go above and beyond to help not only the children, but the parents and the local community.'



Relationships are a strength of this school and its community. Everyone is aware of the expectations of behaviour. Pupils who have been excluded from other settings spoke about how nice everyone is to them and how supported they feel.

Pupils are happy to come to school and enjoy the lessons they receive.

However, leaders have not thought carefully enough about the crucial content that pupils must learn in each subject. In too many subjects, the curriculum is not well sequenced or coherently planned.

Consequently, pupils do not remember the crucial content required for future learning. Curriculum plans do not set out clearly enough the subject knowledge that pupils should learn. Curriculum leaders have not had enough training to be able to check on the implementation and impact of the curriculum.

The teaching of early reading is effective. Leaders ensure that the books that pupils use when learning to read match the sounds that they know. Leaders swiftly identify any pupil who is falling behind.

They put support in place so that these pupils can catch up quickly. Reading is taught from the beginning of Reception. Here, teachers read daily to children and children enjoy reading.

Leaders ensure that all staff follow the school's phonics programme.

The school aims to help pupils become confident, active, healthy citizens. Pupils have a good understanding of democracy and enjoy the opportunities they have to discuss and debate a range of issues.

However, pupils have a very limited knowledge and understanding of other British values, different religions and cultures.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Parents and carers of pupils with SEND are complimentary about the support and guidance they receive.

The recently revised plans for pupils with SEND are now accurately identifying the small steps that pupils need to achieve.

Children in the early years are happy and well cared for. Staff are skilful at developing children's language skills and are passionate and committed to supporting children's learning effectively.

Staff feel valued and that their work-life balance is appropriate. They feel strongly supported in terms of professional and personal development.

Governors of the school are aware of their statutory duties.

They are very supportive, and their questioning of leaders has improved. However, there has been limited challenge on curriculum, school performance and progress. Governors have not ensured that the school is using the curriculum as a progression model, and their awareness of progress is consequently limited.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding procedures are strong. Staff at all levels are aware of their responsibilities.

Leaders provide effective training for staff about safeguarding. The right checks are completed on staff before they start to work at the school. The keeping of records is highly effective.

Staff are well trained and are up to date with the most recent guidance. They have adopted the position that peer-on-peer abuse is likely to happen in their school. As a result, they are more vigilant of the signs.

Staff know the children incredibly well and are quick to pick up on any changes in behaviour. Pupils know they can always talk to a member of staff or leave a note in the worry box, and that they will be listened to. Leaders are quick to seek help for pupils in need and are persistent in ensuring that the correct support is in place.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Senior leaders, including governors, have not ensured that curriculum plans are coherently planned and sequenced in all subjects. This is the case from the 2-year-old provision to pupils in Year 6. Pupils are not secure in what they need to know and remember.

Teachers are not precisely checking the gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding. Therefore, the curriculum is not addressing the pupils' needs. Leaders need to ensure that teachers use assessment information appropriately so that pupils learn more and remember more.

• Some curriculum leaders and teachers are not as skilled as others at ensuring that the curriculum is delivered effectively. This has meant that some areas of the curriculum are not adequately monitored and pupils' progress in these subjects is slow. Leaders need to ensure that the programme of professional development for teachers and curriculum leaders continues.

• Some aspects of pupils' personal development are well embedded including the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum. However, aspects of British values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are not as strong. Leaders need to ensure that all aspects of British values are embedded in the curriculum, and that cultural development plans address the school context and provide the pupils with a rich knowledge of life outside their local community.