Lydeard St Lawrence Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders' expectations have not been high enough. They have allowed poor behaviour to spread.

Too many pupils do not respect polite requests from adults. Pupils say that there are good and bad days in class. Sometimes, learning opportunities are cut short or cancelled so that staff can respond to behaviour incidents.

Pupils do not feel safe in school due to the poor, often aggressive, behaviour of a small minority of pupils. Teachers reassure and protect pupils, but in doing so, put themselves in harm's way. Several members of staff have chosen to leave the school.

The needs of some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have not been... met over time. These pupils enjoy school, but they do not have beneficial experiences. They do not develop the skills they need to learn successfully alongside their peers.

The school needs a lot of support from the local authority to function day to day. This is an unsettling time for pupils and their parents and carers. Despite the circumstances, staff make sure that most pupils learn essential curriculum content and have opportunities to develop into responsible, considerate young people.

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

Leaders and governors are being supported by the local authority to improve safeguarding practice and behaviour management in the school. Recently, it has become necessary for the local authority to provide on-site leadership.

The atmosphere in the school is unruly.

This has caused staff to lower their expectations of how pupils should behave. Consequently, pupils' behaviour in lessons is disorderly. Teachers work hard to present the curriculum clearly, but frequent interruptions mean that pupils do not learn as well as they could.

Leaders have begun to address pupils' poor behaviour. Staff have received behaviour management training. A new provision called 'the nest' has been developed.

This is a space where pupils who struggle with their behaviour receive support to improve. Nonetheless, leaders are still managing serious incidents arising from extremely poor behaviour. It is too early to tell, therefore, whether the new arrangements will be effective.

Leaders have not adapted the curriculum to meet the needs of many pupils with SEND. The curriculum makes little impression on those with a greater level of need. These pupils do not develop the social skills they need to learn successfully in a group situation.

Pupils in the early stages of reading follow an appropriate programme. Pupils who need extra help have regular reading practice. However, leaders have not provided key staff with the training they need to teach phonics effectively.

Occasionally, pupils come across sounds they have not learned in the books they read. This reduces their enjoyment of reading and their fluency.

The impact of the rest of the curriculum is mixed due to weak subject leadership.

For example, pupils gain mathematical knowledge and use it with some confidence. However, teachers do not use assessment effectively and therefore do not fully understand what pupils should learn next. In addition, the way in which the curriculum is currently constructed means that pupils do not learn well in subjects such as French and computing.

In some subjects, pupils benefit from a broad curriculum. In science, for example, pupils gain a wide vocabulary, which helps them to build a sound knowledge of scientific concepts.

Pupils are involved in the full life of the school.

They take up leadership opportunities, such as membership of the school council, and house and sports leadership roles. Pupils develop a sense of responsibility by becoming school librarians or providing care to the school's guinea pigs, for example. There is a new curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE), which teachers are in the process of adapting for the different ages and needs of pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Pupils and staff are at risk of physical harm. Leaders have allowed poor behaviour to escalate to the degree that violent outbursts are frequent.

Parents report that their children are fearful and suffering poor mental health. The local authority is providing on-site support to ensure that pupils are safe.

The arrangements for the leadership of safeguarding are not adequate.

The role of designated safeguarding lead (DSL) is being fulfilled by external parties on a temporary basis. The local authority is supporting leaders and governors to improve several aspects of safeguarding practice.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school is overly reliant on external parties to fulfil key functions of senior leadership.

There is insufficient capacity for both the strategic leadership and the day-to-day management of the school. Governors should continue to work with the local authority to ensure that the leadership arrangements are sufficient to enable the school to address the areas identified for rapid improvement. A small minority of pupils behave dangerously in school.

Leaders have allowed poor behaviour to escalate over time. As a result, pupils and staff are at risk of harm. They do not feel safe in school.

Leaders must take urgent action to protect pupils and staff from harm. They must ensure that the behaviour of pupils is managed safely. ? The atmosphere in lessons is not conducive to learning.

Too many pupils engage in low-level disruption. This makes it difficult for teachers to present curriculum content clearly. Leaders should raise staff expectations of how pupils can behave respectfully and ensure that behaviour policies support teachers to address low- level disruption effectively.

• The curriculum is not adapted to meet the needs of some pupils with SEND well enough. Consequently, some pupils with SEND place little value on what they learn. These pupils do not remember the curriculum well.

They do not develop the personal and social skills they need to relate to, and learn alongside, others. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum meets the academic and personal needs of every pupil with SEND. ? Staff do not teach early reading as effectively as they could.

They have not developed sufficient expertise to teach phonics precisely. Although the curriculum is well resourced, staff do not organise the resources so that pupils practise reading fully decodable books. Leaders should make sure that teaching staff have the training they need to teach early reading effectively.

• There is a lack of clarity about who is leading different subjects. As a result, pupils' experiences in different subjects are variable. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive clear guidance on how to teach the curriculum in each subject.