Luttons Community Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is an unsettled school. There have been significant changes in leadership and staffing since the last inspection. Many parents and carers are anxious about the negative impact this has had on their child's learning.

The interim headteacher realised immediately that the quality of education was poor. She is leading the development of the new curriculum. The scale of this task means that in some curriculum subjects this work has only just begun.

Consequently, it is too soon to see the impact of leaders' ambitious curriculum plans.

Parents appreciate the many changes the interim headteacher has introduced. Although considerable progress has been made to imp...rove pupils' behaviour, a few pupils still worry about bullying.

This makes these pupils feel anxious about school. Pupils behave well, and there is hardly any bullying now. However, some parents remain unconvinced that leaders will stop any bullying quickly.

Leaders know that there is more work to be done to gain the trust and confidence of all parents.

The interim headteacher has introduced a new curriculum for pupils' personal development. Leaders are also reviewing the curriculum for religious education.

Pupils have very little knowledge of different faiths. As a result, they are not prepared well enough for life in modern Britain.

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

There have been changes in the leadership of the school.

An interim headteacher started in October 2022 and local authority officers removed the governing body and established an interim executive board (IEB) in December 2022. The IEB met once in January 2023, prioritising safeguarding and the review of school policies.

The interim headteacher has earned the trust and respect of the whole staff team.

Teachers are positive about the headteacher's support for their workload. Leaders' expectations of assessment are reasonable.

The curriculum for early reading is not being implemented well.

The headteacher has trained staff to help them understand how to select reading books that match pupils' phonic knowledge. Although this selection has improved, key stage 1 staff are still giving some pupils reading books that are too difficult for them. This reduces pupils' confidence.

Some staff in Reception and Year 1 do not understand the importance of pupils developing their listening skills in phonics lessons. Lots of noise around the room causes significant distraction. Pupils cannot hear the sounds which are being taught clearly enough.

This is slowing pupils' progress. As a result, far too few pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve the reading standard that is expected for pupils of their age.

The early years curriculum lacks ambition.

It does not match the statutory expectations that came into force in September 2021. Adults have low expectations of children. The learning environment is dull and uninspiring.

Staff have a poor understanding of the areas of learning they teach and the way in which young children learn. This is slowing children's progress. Far too few children in Reception Year achieve the early learning goals.

The curriculum is equally poor in Years 1 to 6. Core subjects of English, mathematics and science are stronger than other curriculum subjects. The science curriculum is enhanced by pupils' investigations in the forest school.

The curriculum in mathematics is improving. However, the curriculum in all other subjects is extremely weak.

Staff are still designing the curriculum in subjects like history, music and languages.

In geography, pupils' study of rivers is not sequenced in a way that helps pupils to acquire substantive geographical knowledge. Outcomes for the quiz at the end of each unit of work show confusion in pupils' minds between physical and human processes.

There are multiple gaps in pupils' knowledge in all foundation curriculum subjects.

Pupils do not know simple facts that the national curriculum sets out as the expected standard for pupils in each key stage. Pupils are achieving well below age-related expectations in all year groups and all foundation curriculum subjects.

Pupils typically behave well in lessons.

Poor behaviour very rarely disrupts learning. Teachers make suitable adaptations to meet the learning needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, pupils with SEND are offered alternative means of recording.

Some pupils with dyslexic tendencies find it easier to use electronic devices to record their learning. Other pupils with SEND find it helpful to write with adapted pens that support their developing fine motor skills.

This is an inclusive school.

Pupils have a secure understanding of protected characteristics. They have a strong sense of justice and fairness. There is no evidence of racist or homophobic bullying.

The curriculum for pupils' moral development has helped to reduce bullying. This is because pupils understand the consequences of their behaviour and actions. Leaders have plans to widen pupils' knowledge of people from different backgrounds, cultures and religions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All safeguarding policies and procedures have been reviewed and updated since October 2022. There is a vigilant culture of safeguarding.

Leaders had not made the required section 128 checks on members of the IEB to check that governors were not barred from school management and governance. These checks were completed on the first day of the inspection.Leaders are not providing pupils with their statutory entitlement to swimming instruction.

There was no swimming instruction during the 2021/22 academic year either. This does not mitigate the risk to pupils' safety when they are near open water.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum for early reading and phonics is not implemented well.

Weak teaching expertise hinders pupils' progress. As a result, to few Year 1 pupils are meeting the standard in the phonics screening check. Books are not consistently well matched to pupils' phonic knowledge.

Pupils are not building confidence and fluency through regular practice of reading suitable books. Leaders should provide further training to improve teaching in all aspects of the early reading and phonics curriculum. ? Leaders have not provided sufficient curriculum guidance in foundation subjects.

Pupils have significant gaps in their learning. They are not achieving well. As a result, pupils in all key stages are not well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Leaders should finalise their curriculum design, to a high quality, as a matter of urgency. ? The curriculum for physical education is narrowed. There is no provision for swimming lessons.

This is potentially putting pupils at risk when they are near open water. Leaders should ensure that pupils receive their full statutory curriculum entitlement, including providing swimming instruction and teaching water safety. ? The curriculum for children in the early years foundation stage is not suitably ambitious.

It is not implemented well. By the end of Reception, children cannot communicate, read or spell as well as they should. Too few Reception children achieve the early learning goals.

Leaders should provide training for all staff in the early years team to improve adults' understanding of the areas of learning they teach and the way in which young children learn. ? Some parents lack confidence in leaders' ability to resolve the very few incidents of bullying. Some pupils share this anxiety because of their earlier experiences when bullying was not dealt with well.

Leaders should ensure that they engage all stakeholders, reassuring parents and pupils and fully restoring parents' trust and confidence in school leaders. ? The recently appointed IEB appropriately prioritised safeguarding and review of school policies at their first meeting. They inherited a legacy of weak governance that contributed to the school's rapid decline in all aspects of its work.

Members of the IEB should provide effective challenge and support to improve the quality of education as a matter of urgency. ? Pupils cannot remember what they have learned about people with different cultures, faiths and beliefs. This inhibits pupils' ability to engage with the views, beliefs and opinions of others in considered ways.

It does not prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Leaders should improve the curriculum for personal development to ensure that pupils develop tolerance and respect for all citizens.

Leaders and those responsible for governance may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.