Long Lane Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Long Lane is a warm and welcoming school. Pupils are proud to attend. They get on well with each other and the adults they work with.

As one pupil said: 'It's a small school. We all get to know everyone and enjoy being together.' Parents agree.

Pupils behave well and know what is expected of them, including the school's golden rules. They know why it is important to be gentle, kind and helpful, to listen, to be honest, to work hard and to look after property. They enjoy moving up through the traffic light reward system and earning 'Dojo' points.

They understand what happens in the event of poor behaviour. A rating of red is taken seriously. However, pupils sa...y that this rarely happens.

Pupils relish social times. Pupils of all ages play cooperatively outside. They enjoy being on the field and making use of the wide range of equipment that is available.

Like pupils, staff and parents are positive about the school. They say that pupils are well catered for. However, while the school has improved significantly over the last year, it is still not good.

Weaknesses in the curriculum and the provision for pupils' personal development remain.

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

Teaching pupils to read is a curriculum priority. The school's phonics programme is well organised.

It is taught well. Pupils learn sounds in a logical order. The books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds they know.

As a result, pupils quickly master phonics.

Leaders have designed and implemented a well-thought-out curriculum. Overall, it sets out what pupils are to learn at each stage of their education.

Where it has been fully developed, it is well sequenced. In these instances, it builds on what pupils have learned before and prepares them well for what comes next. However, this work is incomplete.

Some parts of the curriculum are not yet fully sequenced. Leaders are working swiftly to address this. Additionally, while the curriculum sets out what pupils will study, it does not make clear enough the precise knowledge that pupils are to acquire.

Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has improved. The new special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) has quickly put in place systems to identify pupils with SEND. Plans outline the help that should be in place for pupils.

However, in some cases, the targets contained within these plans are too broad. They do not set out what pupils are expected to achieve over shorter periods of time. As a result, in some cases, adults do not provide the right support at the right time.

Provision for pupils' personal development has been strengthened. Leaders have thought carefully about how to promote pupils' social, moral, and cultural development. There is a comprehensive programme for personal, social and health education (PSHE) in place.

There has been a focus on teaching fundamental British values and the protected characteristics. However, this work is at a very early stage of development. It has not yet resulted in pupils having a full grasp of what they learn.

For example, pupils can name different protected characteristics, but they do not understand what they mean in the context of life in modern Britain.

The quality of leadership has strengthened considerably over the last 12 months. Senior leaders have a much sharper understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Effective accountability and quality assurance measures have been introduced. As a result, there is a shared purpose across the staff team. The implementation of the curriculum is improving.

However, many of these measures are still in their infancy and have yet to impact on the overall quality of education provided. Nevertheless, the school has the capacity for continued improvement.

Governors provide effective challenge and support.

They have ensured that the work of the local authority and that of the supporting multi-academy trust has been combined and has secured improvements.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Keeping pupils safe is the school's highest priority.

Staff are trained to spot the indicators that may mean that pupils need help. Safeguarding training for staff is comprehensive and regular. Leaders regularly check that staff know and remember training content.

Weekly reminders and agenda items keep safeguarding front and centre of the work of adults in the school. Leaders take swift action when it is needed. They systematically return to issues to check that the actions taken are having a positive impact.

Safeguarding records are detailed and shared with those who need to know.

Governors carry out a wide range of checks to ensure that safeguarding arrangements are working effectively.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Curriculum planning and implementation are incomplete.

In some places, the curriculum has not been fully sequenced. This means that it does not make consistently clear what pupils will learn and when. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is fully planned and sequenced to enable pupils to achieve well across the curriculum.

• The curriculum sets out what pupils will study. However, it does not make clear the knowledge that pupils are expected to acquire and commit to their long-term memory. As a result, teachers do not know which aspects of the curriculum to prioritise.

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum makes clear the precise content that pupils are expected to know and remember. ? Pupils with SEND have plans in place that outline the help they should receive. The targets within these plans are too broad.

They do not set out precisely what pupils are expected to achieve on a termly basis. As a result, some adults do not provide the right sort of support at the right time. Leaders should ensure that plans for pupils with SEND contain targets that are specific and measurable.

• Work to promote pupils' personal development is at a very early stage of implementation. It has not yet resulted in pupils having a full grasp of what they learn. Leaders should ensure that the school's personal development programme is fully implemented and results in pupils learning and remembering the content of the PSHE curriculum.

• Effective accountability and quality assurance measures have been introduced. However, many of these measures are still in their infancy and have yet to impact on the overall quality of education provided. Leaders should ensure that their recently introduced measures are embedded and fully impact on the quality of education at the school.