Linslade School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Linslade School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with a supportive and caring environment. Pupils love coming here. They are safe and are well supported by staff.

Pupils treat each other very well and say that bullying does not happen. They know that if they were to have any concerns, or if they require extra support, a dedicated pastoral team is always available to help them.

Pupils work well in lessons and are enthusiastic about their learning.

They enjoy the wide range of learning opportunities available, such as conducting science experiments. Staff have high expectations and support all pupils to... be included and achieve their best.

Pupils are well behaved in lessons and at social times.

They move around the site in a calm and orderly way and are polite and respectful. During lessons, pupils are attentive and considerate towards each other. This allows everyone to focus on their learning.

Pupils enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular activities, such as sports, choir, coding and 'planes, trains and automobiles' clubs. Most pupils access at least one activity a week and talk very positively about the benefits they gain, such as increased confidence.

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

With effective support from Chiltern Learning Trust, leaders have put in place an ambitious curriculum.

This work is paying off. Pupils remember a lot of what they are taught in most subjects. This is particularly the case in subjects where teachers have broken down topics into smaller chunks.

For example, in a tag-rugby lesson, pupils were shown the technique of passing a ball backwards while moving forwards. Pupils then practised this new skill before a group of pupils modelled this technique in a game. All pupils then participated, with the teacher providing targeted feedback to individuals.

In a few subjects, leaders have not yet fully broken down the curriculum into smaller parts. Where this is the case, pupils take longer to develop a secure knowledge of key facts and concepts.

Leaders have ensured that lessons are carefully planned, and that information is clearly presented to pupils.

Many teachers have very secure subject knowledge. They use a range of strategies to identify pupils' misconceptions and to help pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to know and remember key learning. In a minority of subjects, teachers have not yet had sufficient training to ensure that they choose appropriate strategies to help pupils remember what they have been taught.

This means that some pupils are less secure in their learning.

Staff model the behaviours they expect to see in pupils. This has ensured that pupils are courteous and well behaved in lessons and around the school.

Pupils like coming to school. Their attendance is high and leaders are quick to act if any pupil does not attend regularly.

A positive reading culture exists throughout the school.

Pupils read regularly and are taught important vocabulary that helps them with their comprehension. Pupils enjoy their library lessons and value opportunities to develop their reading fluency, including reading to older peers as part of the 'reading leaders' scheme.

Leaders have prioritised provision for pupils' wider development.

Pupils learn about tolerance and respect through informal interactions with staff, around school and in lessons. In each lesson, pupils' cultural awareness is broadened through the school's 'windows to the wider world'. Pupils are confident to stand up for what they believe in and are happy to support each other.

Many also benefit from the wide range of leadership opportunities provided, such as those of sports and reading leaders, school council members and 'EPIC leaders'. Pupils develop a strong sense of community. They leave school as confident and respectful individuals.

Parents and carers and staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They particularly value the support of school leaders. Parents praise the education that is delivered, as well as the wide range of additional opportunities that allow their children to 'thrive'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Governors and leaders have ensured that a strong safeguarding culture exists throughout the school. They make sure that adults are properly vetted before they start working with pupils.

Staff are well trained and confident in identifying any pupil who may be at risk of harm or need further support. Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to stay safe, and online safety is regularly included in lessons.

The safeguarding team works closely with outside agencies where appropriate.

This helps to make sure that pupils quickly receive the right support when needed.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some staff are not fully secure in their subject-specific pedagogical knowledge. Therefore, they are not consistently ensuring that teaching is designed to help pupils remember information in the long term.

This leads to some pupils not being able to recall what they have previously been taught or to connect previous learning with new ideas. Leaders need to ensure that professional development is closely targeted on developing teachers' pedagogical knowledge in the subjects that they teach. ? Sometimes, pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to learn and practise smaller components of the curriculum.

This leads to gaps in their knowledge or understanding. Leaders need to ensure that all teachers are equipped to make the pedagogical choices that enable all pupils to learn the key curriculum components.

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 June 2016.

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