Little Houghton Church of England Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Little Houghton Church of England Primary continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Little Houghton Church of England Primary School is a warm and nurturing school. The school has a strong sense of community. Its Christian values and curriculum principles of growth, community, spirituality and environment run through every aspect of the school.

Pupils are polite and courteous. They are well mannered and respectful to each other and adults. They are happy, enjoy learning and show pride in their achievements.

As one pupil shared: 'At this school, you get to learn a lot while also having great fun!'

The school's curriculum is ambitious. S...taff have high expectations of all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). One pupil summed up many when they said: 'Teachers encourage us.

They tell us that if we can't do something, it's actually that we can't do it YET!'

Pupils are conscientious in lessons. They show sustained concentration and enthusiasm. They enjoy learning.

The school helps pupils to think about their behaviour and, in the event of mistakes, how to put things right. Those that need extra help to manage their feelings and emotions receive appropriate and effective support.

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

Children get off to a strong start in the early years.

The environment is well resourced and organised. Children enjoy exploring the provision and learning through play. Children concentrate for sustained periods of time and show high levels of independence.

Staff prompt children's thinking by skilfully asking questions and helping children to extend their vocabulary. Staff are nurturing and children are happy. Children are well prepared for key stage 1.

The school has prioritised early reading. Staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme. They regularly check on how well pupils learn and remember sounds.

Any pupils that begin to fall behind get the help needed to catch up. Reading books are closely matched to the sounds they learned in lessons. This results in pupils quickly becoming fluent and confident readers.

Teachers encourage pupils to use 'posh reading voices' to aid reading with expression. The school has introduced initiatives to develop pupils' love of reading. The weekly reading cafe is well attended.

However, beyond phonics, the reading curriculum is not fully planned and sequenced. The curriculum does not make clear enough what should be taught and when.

Pupils use mathematical vocabulary confidently and accurately.

They can also explain the methods they use to solve problems. Pupils with SEND receive the appropriate support they need to access the same curriculum as their peers.

Across the majority of subjects, the curriculum is ambitious and well planned.

The history curriculum is of a particularly high standard. Leaders have written a scheme based on two key drivers of 'legacy' and 'lifestyle' – all history units are linked to these drivers. Leaders have considered the development of pupils' chronological understanding and the growth of their historical vocabulary.

Lessons show that pupils have frequent opportunities to recall their prior learning. As a result, pupils can talk about their learning in detail.

The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

Pupils learn about equality. They value diversity and difference. They are knowledgeable about fundamental British values and the different protected characteristics.

They know why these are important. Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs and activities that help to nurture their talents and interests. Pupils are eager to take on a wide range of responsibilities, including being anti-bullying ambassadors and members of the sports crew.

Pupils also enjoy participating in charity work.

Staff are positive about working at the school. They feel well supported with both workload and well-being.

The school works effectively with other local schools to provide staff training and development. These opportunities are highly valued by staff. The governing body works closely with the school to fulfil its statutory duties.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

¦ Beyond phonics, the school's reading curriculum sets out end points. However, these require further refinement to ensure that learning always builds on what pupils know.

It does not consistently identify what should be taught at each stage so pupils' learning does not always build incrementally. Leaders should ensure that the reading curriculum makes clear what pupils are expected to know at each stage of their education so that pupils know and remember more of the reading curriculum.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2015.

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