Longford Park School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel welcomed and well cared for at Longford Park. This helps them to feel safe and happy, because they have a trusted adult who will help them with any worries that they may have.

The school wants the best for its pupils. Overall, there are high expectations for pupils' achievement. The school aims to ensure that pupils have the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful in their future education.

However, the school does not consistently achieve these aims.

Staff's expectations for pupils' behaviour are inconsistent. Often, pupils' behaviour is not handled in the correct way by different staff.

Pupils are not clear about how they should... behave in different situations. At times, they do not display positive attitudes towards each other, or staff. Occasionally, pupils' behaviour interrupts the learning of others.

Pupils enjoy taking part in trips outside of their lessons. They spoke enthusiastically about visiting the local ice-skating centre. They enjoy going on trips because they learn about how to keep themselves safe in different situations, such as when crossing the road.

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

Trustees, governors and the school have not maintained the quality of education since the previous inspection. In part, this is because trustees, governors and the school do not ensure that they monitor the effectiveness of new developments to improve pupils' achievement or behaviour. This has an impact on how well they can hold the school to account for the quality of education on offer.

Pupils learn a broad range of curriculum subjects. In some subjects, the school has set out the knowledge that pupils need to know. Pupils learn this curriculum content in a logical order.

In these subjects, teachers deliver the curriculum consistently. They choose strategies which help pupils to learn the required knowledge successfully. They also use assessment strategies well to identify any gaps in pupils' understanding.

Typically, pupils have a greater understanding of the curriculum content in these subjects and achieve well.

However, other curriculum subjects are not implemented as successfully. In these subjects, some teachers do not have a secure understanding of the curriculum content.

Every so often, they choose activities which do not help pupils to learn effectively. A small number of teachers also use assessment strategies haphazardly. Collectively, this impacts negatively on pupils' learning in these subjects and they do not achieve as well as they could.

The school has recently put in place a well-thought-out phonics curriculum. Many staff have received training in this programme of learning. However, some staff remain unclear about how to deliver this curriculum.

On occasion, the books that pupils read do not match the sounds that they know securely. This means that some pupils are not supported well to improve their fluency and confidence when reading.

Overall, staff build positive relationships with pupils.

Typically, where staff manage and support pupils' behaviour more effectively, relationships between adults and pupils are strong. However, where relationships between pupils and staff are not as strong, staff do not manage or support behaviour as effectively. Attendance is a high priority for the school.

It has put in place strategies to support pupils to attend school more often. In many cases, the school has been successful. Pupils' attendance at school is improving over time.

The school provides pupils with many opportunities to learn about life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about different religions. They have opportunities to learn to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy.

They also understand the importance of keeping themselves safe online.

Staff have a mixed opinion about how the school supports their workload. In some respects, staff feel that the recent changes to the curriculum help them to deliver it more effectively.

That said, some staff do not feel as well supported by the school to manage pupils' behaviour.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Governors do not have systems in place to consider the quality and impact of the curriculum on pupils' achievement.

This means that they are not aware of the weaknesses that exist in the curriculum. Trustees should ensure that they and other leaders improve their oversight of the quality of education. ? The school has not ensured that some teachers have received the necessary training that they need to implement aspects of the intended curriculum successfully.

This means that the curriculum is not delivered consistently in some subjects and assessment strategies are at times ineffective. Pupils, therefore, do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers receive the training and guidance required for them to deliver the overall curriculum more successfully.

• The school has not ensured that various staff have the necessary knowledge to deliver the phonics curriculum effectively. The books which pupils read sometimes do not match the sounds which they are learning. This means that some pupils do not develop their phonics knowledge as well as they could.

The school should ensure that staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme, and that reading books match more closely to the sounds that pupils know. The school's expectations for pupils' behaviour and conduct are not clear enough. From time to time, staff do not manage pupils' behaviour with enough consistency.

This means that disruption or a lack of pupils' engagement is not challenged consistently. The school should ensure that it defines its expectations more clearly. It should also ensure that rules and routines that are in place to manage and enhance pupils' behaviour are fulfilled by staff.