Long Mead Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like attending this school. They are happy and say that their teachers are kind and patient.

In lessons, pupils work hard because staff have high expectations of them. Pupils say that, very rarely, some pupils get a little noisy in lessons. However, they also say that teachers are quick to deal with this so that it does not disturb their learning.

Pupils are especially proud of their new library. They are delighted to take home the recently purchased books, to share with their families.

Pupils get on well with each other.

They appreciate the many things that they can do at playtime and lunchtime. They particularly like it when adults lead game...s for them to play, such as football or basketball. Pupils said that they do not worry about being bullied.

All the pupils we spoke to said that they feel safe in school.

Pupils enjoy the opportunities they have to learn outside the classroom. We saw pupils investigating their science topic outdoors, finding leaves and describing their features.

Younger children went on a hunt to find objects beginning with the letter sounds they were learning.

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

The school provides a good quality of education. Leaders are ambitious and want all pupils to do as well as they can.

They know that they need to make sure that teachers are clear what pupils need to learn in each subject, so that pupils develop and deepen their knowledge and skills over time.

Leaders and teachers have planned a detailed and exciting curriculum. This meets the needs of all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Most subjects are planned well, providing a clear sequence of learning. This helps teachers understand what pupils need to learn before they move on. In some subjects, this is very successful, for example in science, where Year 6 pupils used their knowledge about how light travels to design an experiment to test and prove their thinking.

In some subjects, there is more to do. It is clear from what they have done so far that leaders have this work in hand. Guidance for teachers has recently been updated so that they know what to teach and when.

Pupils behave well most of the time. Most work hard in lessons and cooperate well with adults and classmates. At times, some pupils lose concentration in lessons, although teachers' high expectations for behaviour mean that this happens less and less.

On the rare occasions when pupils do misbehave in class, teachers deal with this quickly and effectively.

Teachers are trained to help pupils learn phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) quickly. Leaders check pupils' progress in phonics regularly.

This ensures that all pupils do well, and none fall behind. As soon as pupils learn new sounds, teachers help them to read them straight away. Pupils use their phonic knowledge well to sound words out accurately.

This is because teachers ensure that pupils' books match the sounds that they are learning. As pupils move through the school, they get better at reading fluently and understanding what they are reading.

Teachers plan lots of opportunities for pupils to develop their emotional and social skills.

Pupils talk about their feelings and learn to understand the feelings of others. They are helped to understand right and wrong and how their actions can make others feel. This helps pupils to treat each other kindly.

Children are safe and well looked after in the early years. They play happily together and enjoy exploring the many activities that teachers plan for them. This includes opportunities for children to speak, read and write.

Staff in in the pre-school lay the foundations for phonics, encouraging children's listening skills through singing and rhyming. Staff also ensure that children learn to recognise numbers and begin to count on and back quickly. Teachers make sure that there are lots of things in the classroom to help children with this, for example beads and cubes to count.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff undertake regular training to help keep pupils safe. This informs staff about the warning signs of abuse or neglect, for instance, as well as about the school's policy for dealing with safeguarding concerns.

Consequently, staff know what to do if they think a pupil may be at risk of harm.

Leaders act quickly when concerns are reported to them. They work closely with the local authority and other agencies to make sure that pupils and families get the help that they need.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The curriculum is focused on what pupils need to learn and when. Leaders should ensure that recently enhanced subject plans are implemented so that pupils develop their learning equally well across the curriculum. Leaders should keep a check that the guidance provided for staff helps improve pupils' learning as intended.

. Pupils mostly concentrate and work hard in class. Leaders should continue to focus on the good work already started to eradicate any low-level disruption during teaching.