Larwood School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 November 2022

The school is a happy and safe place to learn. Larwood pupils settle in quickly, often after extended periods of disruption to their previous education. They trust their teachers and other adults because staff take time to get to know everyone's interests and needs. This happens even before pupils join the school. Pupils are encouraged to read regularly and supported to catch up. They make huge strides in improving their behaviour and attendance. This is because they know what is expected of them from the outset and rise to the challenge of the high expectations set. They enjoy their learning across a wide range of subjects, including opportunities to gain important life skills such as cooking and swimming. Physical education and lunchtime games help pupils to keep healthy. Everyone is included. The importance of making good choices and being kind to each other is well promoted. Bullying is rare and sorted out quickly if it happens. Exciting events, for example 'Larwood's Got Talent', the Christmas production and singing out in the community allow pupils to showcase their performance skills. Educational visits, such as trips to the theatre, museums and to different places of worship, bring learning to life.

What the school should improve

• Leaders do not always know how effectively pupils are learning because the detail of the curriculum content is not consistently well defined in some subjects. Learning targets can sometimes be too broad, which means that pupils are not always provided with the precise help they need to learn the curriculum as well as they could. Leaders must ensure that all staff are confident to define the detail of the important content that pupils need to learn, while providing access to any further training needed so that pupils achieve equally well in all subjects.
• The school's wider leadership team is still developing. Some subject leaders are new and so capacity to consolidate and build on the implementation of curriculum improvements is still being established. Senior leaders should ensure that new leaders have the skills they need to evaluate the provision in their areas of responsibility. This is so that monitoring and review processes are consistent in identifying what is working well and what needs to improve further.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)