Ludlow Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong community spirit at Ludlow Primary School. Since the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools, staff have worked together to build a shared identity across the two sites. Everyone is kind, welcoming and caring.

Pupils are happy, behave well and enjoy coming to school.

There are high aspirations for all pupils. Children get off to a great start in the early years where they are supported well to be confident and independent.

Leaders have rightly focused on creating a thoughtful curriculum with a focus on communication, citizenship and health. Pupils achieve well.

Pupils are proud of their school and they enjoy carrying out speci...al jobs, such as reading champions and sports crew.

The school provides a wide range of educational experiences to bring learning to life, including stargazing, bedtime stories and visits to cities and outdoor centres. Pupils learn how to be resilient through challenges, such as cross-country running. There are many clubs on offer including cricket, choir and computing, as well as music lessons and science challenges.

Parents and carers say they are very happy with the changes to the school because staff help their children to be confident and happy. All staff are proud to be part of the team.

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

Following the amalgamation of the two schools, leaders have rightly focused on developing well-defined, consistent expectations and systems.

The curriculum is sequenced clearly so that teachers know what to teach and when. There is a strong focus on pupils' language development. The school has mapped out the vocabulary it wants pupils to know across the year groups.

In most subjects, pupils have a good depth of knowledge. In a few subjects, however, the content is too broad and so pupils struggle to remember the detail of what they have been learning.

The school has provided support and training for teachers to implement curriculum changes in classes.

Teachers use resources well and have good subject knowledge. However, sometimes teachers do not adapt activities and resources well enough to meet the needs of different groups of pupils. Some pupils do not receive enough help to access their work, whereas for others, expectations are not high enough.

The school is determined that all pupils will quickly learn to read. Staff have real expertise for teaching early reading and leaders make sure that they have regular training. Frequent checks identify any pupils who need additional support.

They then get opportunities to keep up through quick and regular practice. Leaders have thought carefully about the books and stories that they want children to read, including in the early years. Pupils quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers.

Children play together, take turns and share happily in the early years. This is because there are consistent routines and strong relationships that help them gain independence from the start. Children listen carefully to adults and each other.

Adults know how to support children's language development well through sharing stories and rhymes, asking open questions and thinking out loud.Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. This includes those with an education, health and care plan.

Identification of pupils' needs is swift and accurate. Pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as all pupils. Staff work closely with external services to make sure that pupils get the help they need to make progress and to support their well-being.

The school has high expectations of behaviour from everyone. There is an inclusive ethos. Pupils are kind and respectful towards each other.

Pupils clearly enjoy coming to school, and their attendance is high. The well-being team knows the community well. It works closely with families who need help to get their children to school.

This is having a positive impact on attendance and levels of persistent absence have fallen rapidly.Staff are committed to broadening pupils' horizons. This ambition is realised through the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities available, as well as lessons in personal development.

These include learning about safer relationships by working with external agencies. Pupils take their roles on the school council and in the community seriously. They visit care homes to read stories and play games with residents.

They learn to play the ukulele and compete in intra-school competitions, including cricket and football.The trust offers highly effective challenge and support to the school. Staff speak highly of the development opportunities the trust provides and feel that leaders are mindful of their workload.

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 content is too broad. The school has recently identified the precise knowledge it wants the pupils to learn.

However, this means that pupils are not yet gaining a depth of knowledge in these subjects and struggle to remember their previous learning. The school should ensure that the curriculum changes are implemented effectively so that pupils are secure in what they know and understand in all subjects. ? At times, teachers do not adapt learning precisely enough to match the needs of different groups of pupils.

Some pupils cannot fully access their learning, whereas others are not provided with work that challenges their thinking. When this happens, pupils do not achieve as well as they might and it slows their progress. The school should ensure that staff are equipped to adapt their lessons, when necessary, to meet the needs of all pupils.

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