Scotton Lingerfield Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Scotton Lingerfield Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Scotton Lingerfield Primary School is a welcoming and friendly school. Pupils enjoy coming to school and being with their friends.

Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils.

Pupils are polite and courteous. They know the three school rules: be safe, be respectful and be responsible. Pupils demonstrate these in their behaviour and interactions with others.

Pupils move around school calmly. Older pupils play well with younger pupils at breaktimes and lunchtimes. This adds to a sense of community.

Bullying is extremely rare. Pupils told inspector...s that they did not think it took place. Leaders' records show that unkind behaviour is identified and addressed quickly.

This prevents incidents from escalating further.

A range of clubs, such as forest schools, science and sports clubs, are well attended. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) participate in these activities.

Pupils enjoy singing. Some pupils are part of the school choir. During the inspection, pupils enthusiastically rehearsed songs for the end-of-year production.

These opportunities support the development of pupils' talents and interests effectively.

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

Leaders have designed and implemented a curriculum to meet the needs of pupils at the school. In most subjects, leaders have carefully considered the knowledge and skills that pupils must learn as they progress through the school.

Leaders have introduced commercial schemes for some subjects. This supports teachers teaching subjects outside their specialism well. Leaders adapt these schemes appropriately to meet the needs of pupils.

They ensure that all subjects align with their vision for the curriculum.

The curriculum for some subjects, such as history and geography, requires further refinement. In these subjects, concepts have not been as clearly defined as in more established subjects.

Some pupils find it difficult to connect their learning to what they have previously studied. Leaders have rightly identified this as the next step to develop the school's curriculum further.All teachers and teaching assistants have been trained in the school's approach to teaching phonics.

Children in Reception begin to learn phonics from the start of the academic year. There are plentiful opportunities for children to apply their phonic knowledge within the classroom and outside area. For example, they write signs to label the vegetables that they grow.

Adults effectively model how to read with expression and interest to bring stories to life. The books that pupils read match their phonic knowledge. Over time, pupils read with increasing fluency and accuracy.

Older pupils read books that provide challenge and interest. They enjoy selecting them from their class library. Pupils recognise the value of reading.

They know that being able to read is an important skill to have mastered for the world of work and in everyday life. Leaders have identified texts that support the teaching of the curriculum. For example, pupils read about the work of different artists in group reading sessions.

This enriches pupils' learning across the curriculum.

Leaders have developed a structured approach to teaching lessons. This enables the curriculum to be taught in mixed-age classes effectively.

Pupils participate well in lessons. They respond positively to feedback and use it to improve their work. From a young age, pupils take pride in their work.

Teachers ask questions that challenge pupils' thinking. Teachers break concepts down into smaller steps. Where the curriculum is well developed, pupils have a secure knowledge of what they have previously learned.

They apply this knowledge to new learning. This helps pupils to build their knowledge effectively as they progress through the curriculum.

Pupils with SEND are supported well in their learning.

Tasks are suitably adapted to enable them to access the curriculum. Where appropriate, adults provide additional support. Pupils benefit from using resources such as counters or cubes to help develop their thinking in mathematics.

Adults know when it may be necessary to explain something more than once or in a simpler way.

Pupils benefit from carefully considered cultural experiences woven throughout the curriculum. These broaden pupils' experience of the world.

Visits to places of worship, such as a mosque, increase pupils' awareness of tolerance and respect for other faiths and beliefs. Roles such as pupil ambassadors and school councillors enable pupils to develop their skills in leadership. They are confident when speaking to others.

Pupils are proud of their school. Older pupils are positive role models to younger pupils.

Leaders, including governors, have an accurate view of the school.

They regularly check the impact of their actions on pupils' outcomes and staff's workload. They use their findings to plan appropriate next steps.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established clear processes to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm or where there is a concern about their well-being. Staff record concerns clearly. Leaders respond quickly to them.

Posters and displays around school support staff and pupils to identify and raise concerns as soon as they are known about.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves and others safe, including online. All pupils learn skills in first aid.

Visitors to the school, such as the police community support officer, reinforce safety messages that are pertinent to pupils. For example, as the school is on the corner of a road junction, pupils learn the importance of road safety from an early age.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not clearly defined the knowledge that pupils should learn as they progress through the school.

Some pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge that they could in some subjects. Leaders should further develop the curriculum to support pupils to build their knowledge over time so that they are able to make connections within subjects and across the curriculum.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2013.