Long Knowle Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher, senior leaders and governors have a clear and ambitious vision for Long Knowle.

They know what is working well and what needs to be done next. Expectations are high. Staff across the school fully support the drive for improvement.

Leaders' work has led to marked improvements in teaching, pupils' achievement and in their behaviour, attitudes and attendance. Pupils make good progress and achieve well in a range of subjects, because the quality of teaching is good. Disadvantaged pupils do just as well as, and sometimes better than, others in school and across the country.

Children get off to a good start in the earl...y years. Skilled teaching helps them make rapid progress in all areas of learning. Letters and sounds are taught very well.

As a result, pupils are keen and confident readers. Staff have pupils' welfare at heart and take effective steps to keep them safe. The programme of personal, social and health education is particularly strong.

Pupils are usually well behaved, sociable and polite. Older pupils enjoy the chances they have to take on responsibilities and to help others. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Not all parents fully understand and support the changes that have been made over the past 18 months.

Few pupils make the excellent progress that is needed to attain highly. There is still some variability in the quality of teaching. Although they are aware of what pupils know and can do, teachers sometimes do not use this knowledge well enough to ensure that the work they ask pupils to do is sufficiently challenging.

Information about this school

Long Knowle is similar in size to most primary schools. Children start school either in the part-time nursery class or full time in the Reception class. A few pupils join the school in other year groups over the course of the year.

Most of the pupils are White British. Just under a quarter are from a wide range of minority ethnic groups. Few do not speak English as their first language.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is much greater than the national figure. The school receives funding known as the pupil premium to support the education of these pupils and that of the small number of children who are looked after. The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs and for whom the school provides support is similar to that seen nationally.

Since the school was last inspected there have been many changes to staffing. The headteacher took up her post at Long Knowle in September 2014 and the deputy headteacher started at the school at the same time. The assistant headteacher joined the school in January 2015.

Several teachers are also new to the school. There have also been changes in the membership of the governing body. The results of tests and assessments taken by pupils in Year 6 in 2015 met the government's floor standard.