Larchfield Primary and Nursery School

Overview: Larchfield Primary and Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection, with a strong, inclusive ethos and a commitment to serving and welcoming all pupils and their families.

Strengths:

• A strong, inclusive ethos is at the heart of the school, with pupils proud to wear its badge and embracing the values of responsibility, safety and respect.
• The school is ambitious for pupils' achievements, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and has a strong understanding of individual pupils' needs.
• Pupils are polite, well mannered and respectful, and the school provides a varied set of experiences for pupils, including pupil leadership opportunities and visits to enhance learning.
• The school's approach to pupils' personal development is well planned, with children gaining from a wide range of experiences that build their understanding of the world around them.
• Leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils, staff and the community that they serve, and a well-structured programme of training supports teaching.

Areas to improve:

• In a small number of subjects, the school has not identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to remember, and teachers do not have enough clarity about what knowledge pupils must secure before moving on.
• In some subjects, the school does not check effectively how well pupils have understood what has been taught, which means that pupils' misconceptions or gaps in knowledge can go unnoticed.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.