Laleham CofE VA Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Laleham CofE VA Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 27 March 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings.

The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in December 2013. This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

You have a relentless drive and are ambitious to ensure that every pupil achieves their best at Laleham. You have correctly evaluated the school's effectiveness to further improve Laleham. Through your strong guidance and support, t...he leadership team is very effective in reviewing teaching and learning, and swiftly takes action to improve outcomes for pupils.

Leaders across the school ensure that the learning environment is welcoming, vibrant and inspiring. There is a good range of pupils' work displayed around the school to celebrate their achievements in a variety of subjects. The governing body demonstrates strong leadership and is very ambitious for the school.

Governors carry out a range of useful tasks to monitor and evaluate the school's effectiveness, including checking safeguarding arrangements. Governors meet subject leaders on a regular basis to monitor teaching, learning and assessment. These activities include visiting classes, examining books and talking with pupils about their learning.

Governors attend a wide range of training to support their roles and responsibilities. Parents are highly supportive of the school, with one saying: 'Laleham C of E is a lovely Christian school where children are taught by very capable and experienced teachers.' Laleham is a happy place where pupils speak positively about the school.

One pupil said: 'I can't think of anything this school can improve.' Pupils play well together and are supportive of each other. In my visits to lessons, pupils were engaged and clearly enjoying the learning activities.

They take great pride in their work and confidently talk about what they are learning. Staff support pupils effectively to ensure that the activities meet their needs and capture their interest. For example, in Year 6 pupils evaluated their sentences and made correct changes to use more descriptive language for greater impact.

In my conversations with pupils, they confidently told me how they are challenging themselves to meet their yearly targets in writing. Pupils have access to a wide range of activities as part of the enriched curriculum. These include the school choir, street dance, sewing, chess and football.

Since the last inspection, you and your team have been successful in improving the school. Teaching is now much more effective, and pupils are confident in meeting the high expectations. Pupils respond well to teachers' feedback, and more pupils are making stronger progress than previously.

Middle leaders are now taking an effective strategic role in improving both teaching and the outcomes for pupils across the school. You rightly acknowledge that developing pupils' writing skills remains a priority for the school. Likewise, you are ambitious that pupils achieve at a high standard across all subjects.

Safeguarding is effective. Safeguarding is rightly your priority and there is a strong culture of viligance at Laleham. You ensure that there is timely, ongoing training for staff and governors so that they know how to keep pupils safe.

Governors are knowledgeable about safeguarding and ensure that this aspect of the school's work is given high priority. Governors visit regularly to review and evaluate safeguarding policies and procedures carefully. Pre-employment checks to ensure the suitability of staff are firmly in place.

Leaders work effectively with a range of partner agencies to keep pupils safe. The home–school link worker provides effective support to some individual pupils and their families. Laleham ensures that pupils learn in a safe, supportive and caring environment.

Pupils feel safe in school and are well supported by the adults around them. Parents also agree that their children are safe at school. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.

Inspection findings ? During this inspection, we agreed to focus on: how leaders ensure that middle-attaining pupils and those who are disadvantaged make good progress in writing; how leaders ensure that pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities make good progress; and how well senior leaders are ensuring that middle leaders, those in charge of subjects and age phases, are being effective in the areas identified for improvement at the time of the last inspection. ? The English leaders have accurately evaluated the strengths and areas for development in writing. Pupils are proud of their writing, and clear improvements in their work from the start of the school year are strongly evident.

Leaders check the quality of pupils' writing on a regular basis to ensure that staff know exactly what the next steps are for all pupils. Teachers carefully check pupils' understanding of grammar and make sure that pupils know how to use the correct words effectively to convey the intended meaning. Leaders are wisely developing more-inspiring writing opportunities for pupils.

For example, pupils wrote very convincing letters and gave worthy reasons why the governing body should not sell the school's all-weather sports pitch. ? Most pupils across the school make strong progress in writing. Pupils respond very well to adults' advice, which helps them to improve their writing.

Where you have correctly identified those pupils who are not making enough progress, leaders have swiftly put in place well-chosen additional support. Most pupils who are disadvantaged make good progress from their starting points. They achieve as well as other children in the school.

This is because support is carefully planned and monitored effectively. Middle-attaining pupils are supported well to catch up with other pupils. Leaders accurately recognise that there is more to do to ensure that all pupils, especially some key stage 2 middle-attaining pupils, make greater rates of progress so that they reach their full potential.

• Most pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are making strong progress. Adults challenge pupils well to check their understanding. Strong leadership and the effective work provided by learning assistants ensure a wide variety of bespoke support for pupils' needs.

Leaders accurately provide additional support for pupils, involving a range of external agencies. Training is also provided to parents so they can help their children at home with their learning activities. ? Since the last inspection, middle leaders who are responsible for age phases and subjects are now having a strong impact on pupils' outcomes.

Leaders are ambitious for the school and determined that all pupils have access to high-quality education. The headteacher ensures that a range of well-chosen training opportunities are provided to develop leaders' skills and knowledge in their leadership roles. One leader said that she is 'so impressed with the opportunities that have been created'.

• Leaders now make regular visits to classrooms to evaluate the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Insightful training is delivered by leaders to provide further support for learning assistants and teachers. Links have been made with other schools to share practice in a range of subjects so that the strong teaching at Laleham is further refined and developed.

Leaders rightly recognise that they need to develop high standards across the curriculum so that all pupils can make strong progress in all subjects. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? high expectations are sustained in writing, particularly for key stage 2 middle-attaining pupils, so that their rates of progress continue to increase ? the curriculum enables pupils' learning to be strengthened so that more pupils attain higher levels across all subject areas. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of London, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Surrey.

This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Darren Aisthorpe Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you, your deputy headteacher and associate deputy headteacher, middle leaders, including the subject leaders for English and mathematics, and six governors. I also had meetings with the school business manager, a group of pupils, and a representative from the London Diocesan Board for Schools.

I spoke with nine parents on the playground and considered 150 responses to Ofsted's online questionnaire, Parent View, including 83 free-text comments. I also considered 29 responses to Ofsted's online staff questionnaire and one response to the pupil survey. Together with you and the deputy headteacher, I observed teaching and learning across the school.

I looked at pupils' learning in their mathematics books and their English books, as well as evidence of learning in the work of Reception children. I observed pupils at breaktime and spoke with them informally. I also considered a range of documentation, including documents related to safeguarding, governance, teaching, learning and assessment, and the curriculum.

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