Lum Head Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Lum Head Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school.

They appreciate the care that staff provide. Pupils build strong relationships with the staff and with each other. Pupils are confident and well mannered.

They speak politely and articulately with visitors. Pupils are proud of the positive contribution that they make to their school through community and sporting activities.

Pupils demonstrate positive behaviour throughout the school.

Classrooms are calm and purposeful. This allows pupils to try their best during lessons. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning.

Th...e school is highly ambitious for pupils' achievement. The academic, personal, social and emotional support that the school provides contributes strongly to pupils' success.

Pupils have a mature understanding of equality and diversity.

They are proud of their many responsibilities, for example as members of the school council and the restorative ambassador team. Younger pupils enjoy the wide range of games that older pupils, in their role as sports leaders, provide for them at lunchtime. A variety of visits and after-school activities enhance pupils' learning across the curriculum.

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

Since the previous inspection, the governing body and the school have worked together to further improve the school's curriculum. These improvements are helping pupils to achieve well in a range of subjects. Governors have a sharp focus on supporting and challenging the school to continue to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

The school has implemented an ambitious curriculum from the early years to Year 6. This meets the needs of pupils, including those in mixed-aged classes and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

In most subjects, the school has identified the important knowledge that pupils should acquire.

This knowledge builds on what they already know in well-ordered steps. Teachers have been suitably trained and they use their strong subject knowledge to make sure that pupils learn the content of the curriculum. In these subjects, pupils progress well through the curriculum and achieve well.

However, in a few subjects, the essential knowledge that should be taught is not as clearly defined. This makes it harder for teachers to design learning and then accurately check that pupils are learning and remembering all that they should.

The school prioritises reading.

In the early years, children have many opportunities to listen to stories and rhymes that develop their vocabulary. Staff deliver the well-ordered phonics programme effectively. They make sure that children in the early years, and pupils in key stage 1, read from books that include the sounds that they have already learned.

Teachers are swift to spot any pupils who are not keeping up with the programme and help them to catch up quickly. Pupils regularly visit the school's library and receive book recommendations from the librarian. Older pupils develop effective reading habits.

They spoke enthusiastically about the books that they have read.

The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND at the earliest possible opportunity. Staff check carefully that appropriate support is in place for these pupils as they move through the school.

As a result, pupils with SEND participate in all aspects of school life.

Children in the early years settle into school life quickly. They understand and follow well-established classroom routines.

The positive behaviour of pupils across the school and their good attendance support their learning. Pupils are attentive in class.

The school supports pupils' wider development and welfare well.

Pupils learn how to develop healthy relationships, including when online. They learn about the differences between people and the importance of respect. They also benefit from the strong support that the school provides for their social and emotional needs.

Staff are proud of the strong culture of teamwork that exists in the school. They are supported to fulfil their roles effectively. For example, the school considers staff's workload when new initiatives are introduced.

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 important knowledge that pupils should learn has not been clearly identified. This means that teachers are less able to design learning that helps pupils to learn all that they should.

It also means that teachers find it more difficult to check that pupils have gained a secure understanding of subject content before new learning is introduced. The school should ensure that staff have the information that they need to design, and then check, pupils' learning so that they know and remember more over time.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2019.

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