Lubbins Park Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils provide a warm, friendly welcome to everyone who visits or attends the school. They are extremely respectful and appreciate everyone's differences.

Pupils are polite, kind and caring to each other. They understand the difference between bullying and friends falling out. Staff are proud of the pupils and that they consistently exceed their high expectations.

Pupils know that staff expect them to work hard with their learning, which they do. Pupils are resilient: they have a go and if they have not got their work right then they try again. They are enthusiastic and passionate about what they are learning and, as a result, achieve well.

Pupils take on a r...ange of responsibilities including as sports captains, play leaders, members of the eco council and school council and well-being ambassadors. All of these roles impact positively on the life of the school. The well-being ambassadors wear different ties, so they are easily identified.

Pupils can speak to them whenever they need to and get the support needed.

Pupils gain a range of experiences that broaden their horizons, which are on their 'pupil passports'. These include writing and posting a letter, completing a family tree, and attending a street party.

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

The curriculum is broad, balanced and ambitious. It provides pupils with the knowledge that they need for the next step in their education. The curriculum from Year 1 is coherently designed, so that pupils can build on their learning.

However, in the early years, the curriculum does not identify fully some of the key knowledge children should learn. In some areas, the activities are not always designed to build on children's knowledge or develop their independence. Therefore, children are not as well prepared as they could be for learning in Year 1.

The teachers have good subject knowledge and plan exciting activities for pupils to complete. For the most part, staff question pupils carefully to ensure that they have understood the important knowledge taught. Pupils can confidently use appropriate subject-specific vocabulary, in most subjects.

However, in a few subjects, teachers do not always check effectively what pupils can remember. They therefore move on to new learning when pupils do not have a secure understanding of important knowledge needed to do so. In these subjects, teachers do not help pupils to remember some key knowledge needed for future learning or use what they have learned previously to develop more complex ideas.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified quickly. The curriculum is then adapted appropriately so that they can learn alongside their peers. Staff are well trained so that they can adapt teaching appropriately so that pupils with SEND can achieve well.

Some pupils have a personalised timetable to meet their individual needs. The school works effectively with external agencies to ensure the right provision is in place for these pupils.

Reading is an important part of school life.

Pupils enjoy relaxing while a book is read to them by staff, or sharing a book with their peers. They enjoy visiting the school library to choose a book from the wide range of diverse texts. Reading is taught well.

This starts in the early years. Children learn letter sounds in the Nursery and then build their phonics knowledge as soon as they start in Reception. Staff regularly check what pupils know and remember.

Pupils who need additional practise receive this. Teachers receive high-quality training and support. They consistently teach phonics and reading well.

As a result, pupils develop into confident and fluent readers and enjoy reading.

Staff and pupils follow the highly effective behaviour policy. This results in exceptional and highly respectful behaviour throughout the school.

In the past, absence has been high and too many pupils were absent frequently. The school has worked very effectively to help pupils to improve their attendance. Staff work with families to break down barriers to pupils' attendance.

Consequently, pupils now attend well.

The school's personal development programme supports the school values and enriches the pupils' broader understanding of the world. Pupils gain a breadth of experience by visiting different places of worship, for example a temple and a local church.

Pupils travel by train into London and visit the theatre or sing in large venues. Pupils' well-being is a priority. They appreciate the impact of daily meditation.

Pupils develop an understanding of the world around them and develop skills needed for life in modern Britain.

Staff enjoy working at the school. They are positive about their workload.

The school works well with the trust. The trust and trustees support and challenge the school effectively. Parents and carers are supportive of the work that the school is doing and the opportunities that it provides for the pupils.

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, pupils do not remember some the key knowledge in the curriculum. This is because teachers do not always check what pupils can remember effectively and ensure that pupils have opportunities to develop a secure understanding of important foundational knowledge.

As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not have the knowledge to build more complex ideas. The school should ensure that teachers use their checks on pupils' learning effectively in all subjects to inform their teaching and to provide activities that help pupils remember important subject knowledge. The school has not yet ensured the curriculum in the early years fully sets out clearly all of the important knowledge that children should learn.

As a result, staff do not consistently design activities that help children build their knowledge in all areas of learning. This includes the way in which staff help children to learn independently. The school should ensure that the early years curriculum sets out what children should learn clearly, so that staff can consistently design activities that help children build their knowledge effectively across all areas of learning.