Longwick Church of England Combined School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school feel well supported and nurtured by a team of dedicated staff. Pupils feel safe, because they know there is someone to go to if something is worrying them.

They know the school values of respect, perseverance, responsibility and kindness. Pupils demonstrate these in their attitudes to work and each other. They say that everyone is welcome at their school.

Pupils develop a strong understanding of respect for differences between people and cultures.

The school is ambitious for all pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils enjoy their learning and want to do well. They know and d...emonstrate the value of perseverance daily and keep going when work becomes challenging. As a result, pupils work hard and achieve well.

Older pupils relish the many roles they hold around the school, such as peace ambassadors or 'Wandle Wizards'. They enjoy these opportunities as they enable pupils to help and support others. Pupils love to sing with the choir and enjoy performing for the local care home.

They relish participating in a range of clubs. Some pupils establish and lead clubs to share their interests with others.

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

The school, supported by the trust, has created a well-ordered curriculum that begins in the early years.

The curriculum is well planned with precise knowledge, skills and vocabulary. As a result, pupils engage well in class and enjoy learning. Children in Reception gain the essential understanding required for future learning.

This well-designed learning continues through the rest of the school. Mathematics and early reading are particularly well taught. Opportunities to explore number are found across the early years provision.

Pupils' mathematical knowledge develops well in key stages 1 and 2.The curriculum is ambitious for all learners, including pupils with SEND. Pupils who struggle are quickly identified and supported well.

The school ensures that staff are well trained to support pupils to learn the curriculum. Teachers model important learning. For example, in design technology, teachers break down learning in small steps.

In other subjects, staff encourage pupils to use precise sentence starters to help them recall important knowledge over time. Staff appreciate the high-quality training. The school has introduced new curriculums for some wider subjects and, consequently, pupils have some gaps in their understanding.

Leaders are refining the ways that teachers check and identify these gaps, to help pupils achieve consistently well across the curriculum.Pupils learn to read well. The school has introduced a new phonics scheme, and this is having a positive impact on pupils' progress.

Reading routines are well established and teachers are quick to identify the sounds that pupils do not know. Rapid support is available to ensure all pupils keep up with their peers. Books match the sounds that pupils are learning.

Staff read daily to pupils and reading for pleasure is promoted well across the school. Pupils talk confidently about a range of authors and the books they enjoy reading. They know reading is important throughout life, not just for study, but also for well-being and imagination.

Pupils behave well in lessons. The newly introduced behaviour policy is simple for staff and pupils to understand. The school maintains a calm and purposeful learning environment.

Low-level disruption rarely interrupts learning. If pupils do struggle to manage their emotions, then appropriate support is put into place to help them. Leaders are sharply focused on ensuring that pupils attend school.

If issues arise with individual pupil attendance, staff work to identify the reasons behind this, offering support to enable improvement.

Pupils benefit from an exceptional personal development offer. The school prioritises this in the curriculum through a rich range of additional experiences.

Pupils develop an exemplary understanding of respect, both regarding other people, and also the wider world. They greatly value the work of the eco-council, who constantly explore ways to look after the more immediate environment. Peace Ambassadors receive training from a local mental health charity to support the well-being of other pupils.

Pupils know there is always someone they can talk to on the playground to support them if they are upset. The school offers superb pastoral support for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, to help them thrive.

The school has recently been through a period of staffing turbulence.

The trust and local governors have worked hard to support the school during this period. The school are working to improve the quality of information for parents about what pupils are learning at school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the curriculum is new and pupils have gaps in their understanding. As a result, pupils are not able to connect new learning to what they have studied previously. The school should ensure that staff accurately check pupils' understanding and use this information to inform their future teaching, so that pupils achieve consistently highly across the curriculum.

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