This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

 

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors

This is an above average sized infant school and nursery that mainly serves a large housing estate, an area of significant social disadvantage. Attainment on entry is below average. Most pupils are of white British descent, although the nature of the intake is changing with an increasing proportion of pupils, currently seven%, who speak English as an additional language. Many have recently started at the school and are at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils with educational difficulties and disabilities is average. The school has an assessment unit of ten pupils, many of whom are brought in from a wide area. They are taught mainly in the unit, although the school includes them increasingly in its mainstream programme.

 

This is a good school that is valued highly by parents and pupils. Children get off to a very good start in the Nursery and Reception classes and this is built on successfully throughout the school. Pupils behave well and clearly enjoy learning. Their achievement is good as a result of consistently good teaching, their desire to learn and the good quality support they receive. Pupils attain average standards overall by the end of Year 2 with many having started school with weak language and literacy skills. Their attainment in creative subjects is good. Teachers make good use of assessments to track pupils' progress closely and to meet their learning needs. They identify how pupils can improve their work, although this is not consistently effective in each class. The school provides a caring and supportive ethos and works hard to ensure that all pupils are included fully in its work and daily life. The school views itself as good, which reflects a clear understanding of its strengths and areas for development. A key factor in the school's success is the very strong leadership of the headteacher, working in an effective partnership with an influential deputy and a good staff team. The school has made good progress since the last inspection and provides good value for money. With the good leadership and management supported by recent improvements in the effectiveness of governing body, the school is well placed to continue to do well.

Grade: 2

- Improve pupils' understanding of what they need to do to improve their work by giving more consistent feedback and time and support for pupils to read and act upon teachers' comments. - Improve the outdoor play facilities for Reception classes to extend opportunities for physical development.

Pupils make good progress. Many start in the Nursery with lower than expected attainment and make good progress overall, although the attainment of those children who move into the Reception classes is below average, especially in communication, language and literacy. Reception children make good progress overall, although physical development is limited by inadequate outdoor facilities. Progress is at least satisfactory in communication, language and literacy, and recent initiatives have led to significant improvements. Most children attain the standards expected by the time they enter Year 1 except in communication, language and literacy. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well. They achieve the targets set by the school and attain average standards in reading, writing and mathematics compared nationally and with similar schools. The effective use of ability sets in literacy and numeracy has contributed to pupils' achievement. Pupils attain good standards in creative subjects, for example, dance. Pupils with learning difficulties benefit from high quality individual support and make good progress towards their learning targets. The school provides well for gifted and talented pupils. The increasing numbers of pupils who speak English as an additional language make satisfactory progress overall. They make good progress in their personal development and the school has worked very hard to provide additional support to promote their basic English language skills. However, the lack of available specialist language support has restricted the achievement of some pupils, especially in literacy.

Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well being are promoted well in every aspect of the school. Pupils are effectively taught to recognise their worth as individuals. Relationships are outstanding and behaviour is consistently good. Teachers value pupils highly and this contributes strongly to developing high self esteem and positive attitudes to learning. As a result pupils enjoy coming to school and most attend regularly because they want to succeed. Particularly good attention is given, from an early age, to encouraging pupils to become independent. They are given an effective voice in the running of the school through the school council; older pupils take greater responsibility for their own learning, for example, when they are asked to assess how well they think they have achieved at the end of a lesson. The spiritual, moral, social, cultural and physical development of pupils is good. All aspects are taught effectively through a rich and varied curriculum and additional activities such as educational visits and specialist visitors. Pupils learn to be safe, healthy and economically aware. There is good emphasis on cultural diversity through learning about different faiths, music and art and when participating in Arts Week and other festivals.

Grade: 2

 

 

The quality of teaching is consistently good across the school. Lessons are lively, well planned and resourced and use a range of styles to ensure pupils of all abilities learn well. This leads to enjoyment of learning and good progress. Teachers have high expectations that all pupils can succeed. Support staff are effectively used, the pace of lessons matches pupils' learning needs and questioning challenges pupils well. In some lessons more able pupils could be further stretched by being asked more complex questions. Pupils work together very well. In all lessons teachers use 'talking partners' or work in small groups to contribute strongly to their learning of basic skills. Assessment is well focussed and is leading to the development of clear targets for learning. At the end of some lessons pupils are being encouraged to assess how well they think they have achieved. Teachers' marking is always positive and frequently refers to learning objectives so that pupils know how well they are doing and how they can improve. However, this is not yet consistent across classes and pupils are not always given sufficient time or support to read what has been written. This results in the same comments being written several times and slower progress in some aspects of learning.

Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad and provides a rich range of experiences that meet pupils' needs well. Provision for those with learning difficulties is a strength. A strong emphasis is placed on developing pupils' literacy skills to help bring up their low skills on entry. The curriculum in the nursery and reception classes is rich and well planned. The very strong emphasis on children's personal, social and emotional development prepares them well for their next stage in learning. However, inadequate outdoor facilities constrain the curriculum for children's physical development in Reception classes. Pupils acquire a good range of work and life-skills, especially in learning how to work independently and in groups. Their information and communication technology (ICT) skills are developed well through the efficient use of the school's extensive resources. Good use is made of the wider community to enrich the curriculum through visits and visitors, particularly to enhance the creative and performing arts, with many pupils contributing to drama and musical events. The school's well-planned programme of personal, social and health education helps pupils learn to stay safe and to adopt healthy life-styles. Extra-curricular activities include sports and dance and are well attended.

Grade: 2

Good quality care and guidance are provided for pupils. There are robust systems for ensuring their safety and security, for example, through the school's rigorous child protection procedures and its vetting of all adults that work in the school. Pupils say that they feel safe and happy at the school and that there are few incidents of bullying or harassment. The school takes these very seriously and has effective procedures for dealing with those few that arise. Pupils are guided well in their emotional and personal development, and, where necessary, individual counselling is provided. Looked-after children are closely monitored by a designated teacher. Strong partnerships with outside agencies bring expert advice to the assessment and planning for the needs of those with learning difficulties. The school's staff are also well-trained to assess and support these pupils. The very effective assessment unit draws pupils with multiple learning difficulties from a wide geographical area and helps many of them gradually to integrate into mainstream classes. Provision for those few children who are at an early stage of learning English is satisfactory. Additional support from outside agencies is currently being sought as most of them are new to the school.

Grade: 2

The headteacher provides very good leadership that is valued highly by parents, pupils and staff. She works in a very effective and influential partnership with her deputy headteacher. They are supported well by a strong staff team who ensure that all pupils are included fully in the school's programme and achieve well. Good arrangements for self-evaluation mean that the school has an accurate picture of how it is doing and what it needs to develop further. These have helped the school to make good progress since the last inspection. The views of parents and pupils are used effectively to inform aspects of improvement planning. Good subject leadership and management in English, ICT, the Foundation Stage and special educational needs help pupils to achieve well. The procedures to evaluate and target improvement in some other subjects are not as rigorous, although planned for further development. A re-organisation of the governing body has resulted in governors becoming increasingly involved in monitoring the quality of education provided and targeting improvement. They are kept well informed by the headteacher, and monitor how funds are used, although they do not as yet rigorously evaluate their effect on teaching and learning. The effective management along with improvements in the governing body, puts the school in a good position to improve further.

Grade: 2

 

Dear Children Thank you for being so friendly and making us feel welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you, looking at your work and watching you learn. What we liked most about your school: You are all helped to feel special and important. Your teachers and other adults care for you very well and make sure that you are safe. You get on well together and are kind to each other both in lessons and in the playground. You behave well and listen carefully. This means that teachers can get on with the job of helping you learn. All the adults put a lot of effort into helping you do well and try to make your lessons interesting. You enjoy your work and try hard to do what your teachers ask. We think you learn well. The school invites many visitors into school and puts on a lot of extra activities and trips out of school. We know you enjoy these very much. Mrs Harbour, the teachers and the governors who run your school are doing a good job and they want to make your school even better. Your parents think it is a good school, and we agree. What we have asked the school to do now: Help you to know and understand what you need to do to improve your work. Make sure that children in the Reception classes have a better area in which to play outside. We hope that you continue to be happy at school and learn well. Very best wishes Colin Henderson

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