Longford Park School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 April 2024

Pupils feel welcomed and well cared for at Longford Park. This helps them to feel safe and happy, because they have a trusted adult who will help them with any worries that they may have. The school wants the best for its pupils. Overall, there are high expectations for pupils' achievement. The school aims to ensure that pupils have the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful in their future education. However, the school does not consistently achieve these aims. Staff's expectations for pupils' behaviour are inconsistent. Often, pupils' behaviour is not handled in the correct way by different staff. Pupils are not clear about how they should behave in different situations. At times, they do not display positive attitudes towards each other, or staff. Occasionally, pupils' behaviour interrupts the learning of others. Pupils enjoy taking part in trips outside of their lessons. They spoke enthusiastically about visiting the local ice-skating centre. They enjoy going on trips because they learn about how to keep themselves safe in different situations, such as when crossing the road.

What the school should improve

• Governors do not have systems in place to consider the quality and impact of the curriculum on pupils' achievement. This means that they are not aware of the weaknesses that exist in the curriculum. Trustees should ensure that they and other leaders improve their oversight of the quality of education.
• The school has not ensured that some teachers have received the necessary training that they need to implement aspects of the intended curriculum successfully. This means that the curriculum is not delivered consistently in some subjects and assessment strategies are at times ineffective. Pupils, therefore, do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers receive the training and guidance required for them to deliver the overall curriculum more successfully.
• The school has not ensured that various staff have the necessary knowledge to deliver the phonics curriculum effectively. The books which pupils read sometimes do not match the sounds which they are learning. This means that some pupils do not develop their phonics knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme, and that reading books match more closely to the sounds that pupils know.
• The school's expectations for pupils' behaviour and conduct are not clear enough. From time to time, staff do not manage pupils' behaviour with enough consistency. This means that disruption or a lack of pupils' engagement is not challenged consistently. The school should ensure that it defines its expectations more clearly. It should also ensure that rules and routines that are in place to manage and enhance pupils' behaviour are fulfilled by staff.

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