Ludwell Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's motto, 'inspiring creativity, fostering compassion, nurturing excellence', underpins all aspects of school life. Pupils benefit from high-quality pastoral care. They respond well to the school's clear expectations for their behaviour.

Pupils enjoy learning through the school's enquiry curriculum. They take part enthusiastically in lessons and display positive attitudes to learning. Pupils contribute to discussions and listen respectfully to others.

This starts from Reception Year, where children enjoy suggesting items in the role play area to retell familiar stories.

Pupil voice is a strength of the school. Pupils' ideas are valued.

They... are proud of their contribution to school life. For example, the well-being warriors designed the friendship bench for the school's playground. School councillors lead assemblies to share ideas with the rest of the school.

This builds pupils' confidence and sense of purpose.

The school is very much a part of the local community. Pupils actively participate in events such as tree planting.

They also enjoy visits from their local MP. Trips, charity work and topical news activities enrich the curriculum. As a result, pupils develop a sense of themselves as local and global citizens.

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

Everyone is ambitious for pupils at the school. The trust has contributed significantly to the success of the school. Alongside governors and new leaders, it has made improvements to the quality of education its highest priority.

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum for all. This takes into account the school's mixed-aged classes. The school has also made sure that it meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The curriculum enables pupils to build their knowledge and understanding over time.

In most subjects, the school has identified the knowledge they want pupils to learn and the order in which they should learn it. For example, in mathematics and phonics, pupils know, understand and apply what they have learned.

However, in a few subjects, the school has not identified or sequenced the knowledge pupils need to learn with enough precision. As a result, this limits the depth of knowledge that pupils acquire in these subjects.

Leaders have swiftly addressed the dip in pupils' progress and outcomes in mathematics.

The school has reviewed the content of the mathematics curriculum. It is now carefully organised and sequenced. Teaching builds on what pupils already know.

Staff make regular checks on what pupils know and understand. They use this information to help to reshape learning where needed. Consequently, the school is successfully reversing a legacy of underachievement.

Pupils learn to read well. Children in Reception Year and pupils in key stage 1 enjoy phonics lessons. They confidently segment words and blend sounds.

Staff have expert subject knowledge to teach the phonics programme. However, the school is not complacent. It constantly seeks ways to refine and develop the delivery of phonics.

As a result, the vast majority of pupils keep up with the pace of the early reading programme.

The school has worked hard to establish an inclusive culture. Pupils with SEND enjoy learning alongside their peers.

The systems for identifying their needs are effective. Staff work with parents to set and review pupils' targets. In some subjects, such as mathematics and reading, carefully selected resources support pupils' understanding and help them to progress well.

These include concrete resources and well-matched decodable books. However, sometimes, staff do not adapt the learning for some pupils with SEND well enough. When this happens, these pupils become too reliant on adults during lessons.

This prevents them from becoming independent learners.

The school's investment in staff training is key to its success. Staff confidently teach the curriculum because their subject knowledge is strong.

The school has developed a range of teaching strategies to implement the curriculum effectively. For example, the school asks pupils to 'think, pair and share' their opinions and ideas. This helps pupils gain confidence in explaining what they know.

Pupils develop a strong understanding of equality and diversity. The school chooses books and offers enrichment activities thoughtfully. This helps pupils to appreciate how people are all different.

Pupils' understanding and tolerance of each other's differences contribute to the welcoming culture.

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 school has not identified the precise knowledge it wants pupils to learn.

As a result, pupils do not develop a progressive subject knowledge that builds on what they already know. The school should develop the subject-specific knowledge that pupils must know and remember across the enquiry curriculum. ? Teaching does not always build independence for some pupils with SEND.

As a result, pupils become too reliant on adult support during lessons. This is not preparing them well for the next stage of their education. The school should develop adaptive teaching strategies so that all pupils with SEND become increasingly independent learners.