Standhill Infants' School

Age group 3–7 Inspection date(s) 24–25 May 2011 Inspection number 359266 Carlton Standhill Infant School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 122530 Local Authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 359266 Inspection dates 24–25 May 2011 Reporting inspector Andrew Stafford

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 under pilot arrangements; it was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act .

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Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 128 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Patrick Astill Headteacher Sharon O'Connor Date of previous school inspection 17 October 2007 School address Standhill Road Carlton Nottingham NG4 1JL Telephone number 0115 8476787 Fax number 0115 8476787 Email address head@standhill.notts.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This pilot inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. Inspectors observed different aspects of the school’s work. They visited 10 lessons taught by six teachers. In addition, they held discussions with members of the governing body, groups of pupils, parents and carers, and staff and scrutinised a range of documentation including that relating to safeguarding practices, the school’s self- evaluation and development planning. They also evaluated questionnaire responses from 51 parents and carers, 18 pupils and 15 staff.

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Information about the school

Carlton Standhill Infants is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Most of the pupils are White British. The remainder come from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds. A few pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average. Most of these have moderate learning or speech and language difficulties. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage in either September or January. The school has recently gained a number of awards, including the Activemark Award, and is a member of the Wheldon and Gedling Extended Schools Family. The headteacher took up the post in January 2011. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety 2

Does the school adequately promote the pupils’ well-being? Yes Does the school adequately promote community cohesion? Yes Does the school provide value for money? Yes

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Key findings

 This is a satisfactory school that provides a safe, caring and happy atmosphere in which children are developing into confident young people, ready for the next stage of their education. The improving curriculum helps children to develop their interests and personal qualities well.  Most children make satisfactory progress from their starting points, so that their attainment is average by the end of Year 2. In the past, too few pupils have reached the higher levels in literacy and numeracy, and the quality of boys’ writing has been below the national levels.  Teachers plan interesting and relevant work that leads an increasing proportion of pupils to make good progress. While a number of good lessons were seen across the school, teaching overall is satisfactory. This is because it is not yet securing good progress for the great majority of pupils. The level of challenge in lessons is not always sufficiently fine-tuned to secure good progress. Typically,

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Key findings

this is because teachers do not always use assessment information well enough to plan work that matches closely the needs of different pupils in the class. The quality of marking and feedback to pupils is also inconsistent, which means that not all of them are clear about what they need to do to improve their work.  There is a positive ethos in the school where relationships are strong and pupils have positive attitudes to their work and try hard. Parents and carers, staff and pupils all say that behaviour is consistently good.  The new headteacher, and freshly motivated staff team, have provided fresh impetus in the drive to raise standards. They have identified and started tackling the current weaknesses. However, the strategic roles and responsibilities of some leaders are not defined well enough. This results in some inconsistencies in the improvement across different subjects.

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Key findings

Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory, and where leadership Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

and management is no better than satisfactory, may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching by making better use of assessment information to plan work that closely matches the needs of each pupil so they are fully challenged.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sharpen the quality of marking and other feedback to older pupils so that they better understand how to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by:  making clear the school’s expectations about the roles and responsibilities of subject leaders  ensuring that subject leaders have a consistent impact on pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Main report

Over the last two terms, determined leadership and management have brought about marked improvements in teaching and behaviour. This has led pupils to have better attitudes to their work, and improved their personal development and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils enjoy school more and many are starting to achieve more consistently.

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Main report

All groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make satisfactory progress and their achievement is satisfactory and improving. The progress of more-able pupils, and that of boys in writing, is accelerating and their progress is now closer to the levels expected nationally. Pupils who are at an early stage of learning English make rapid gains in the language because of the expert help they receive from staff. Pupils’ attainment in reading at the age of six is average, and those leaving the school this year also reached broadly average standards. Pupils are keen to learn and take pride in their work. Their research and planning skills are quickly improving and many are becoming proficient as independent learners. Pupils enjoy discussing ideas in small groups and with their class, which promotes their self-confidence, communication skills and understanding. The school’s robust use of its tracking system to identify quickly any pupils making

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Main report

slow progress is helping to improve outcomes. The school is tackling any underachievement through effective improvement plans and the determined leadership of the headteacher. Improvement is particularly evident in Year 1 where many pupils now make good progress. Occasionally, pupils find their work either too hard or too easy and this slows their progress. Boys and girls in the Early Years Foundation Stage make satisfactory progress in most areas of learning because teaching is satisfactory. Their attainment in writing is not as high as, for example, their development of number skills. Children are well behaved and polite to each Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main report

other and to adults and their personal development is good. Parents and carers feel well informed about their children’s progress and are happy with the advice they are given about how to help their learning at home. Children are very safe and well cared for in the stimulating classrooms and large outdoor learning area.

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Main report

The leaders’ drive to improve the school is clearly articulated and enthusiastically embraced by staff, especially in literacy and numeracy. Leaders’ very rigorous monitoring of the school’s performance provides them with secure and accurate information for self-evaluation. Their subsequent actions, including improving the curriculum, have brought about significant improvement. This effective self- evaluation and strong leadership record show the school has a good capacity to improve further. Leaders have accurately identified needs and, supported by good partnerships with other schools, have provided successful training that has sharpened teachers’ skills. One example of this is teachers’ better understanding of how to make English and mathematics lessons interesting and relevant. The school puts its commitment to equal opportunities at the centre of its ethos and the success of its plans to remedy previous gender differences in progress shows that its policies

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Main report

are having an impact. The thorough way that the school carefully checks the progress of different groups of pupils reflects its strong commitment to promoting equal opportunities and tackling discrimination. The governing body is developing the support it gives to the school. Its members are able to challenge the school over its performance and hold leaders to account. Through improving links with subjects and staff, the governing body has an up-to-date view of what is happening in the school and this is helping to improve provision.

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Main report

Teachers have developed skills that enable them to plan interesting and relevant work that leads to increasing pupil engagement, and especially in reading. Generally, they are raising their expectations of the effort and progress that pupils need to make. They make good use of resources, such as electronic whiteboards, to develop learning. The impact of this strengthening of teaching is evident in the good progress shown by the more able in mathematics in the recent Year 2 tests. In Year 1, teachers’ questions and the tasks they set make pupils think deeply; the challenge provided by teaching is inconsistent in Year 2. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, teachers’ planning ensures there is an appropriate balance of adult-led and child- initiated activities which promotes satisfactory learning. For example, children develop their speaking skills as they play outside on the wheeled toys, acting out the

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Main report

roles of drivers and characters from stories, demonstrating their independence and their skills of collaboration. In a number sessions, children happily added and subtracted animals and fruits on their worksheets as they developed their appreciation of number. Nevertheless, progress slows when teachers’ input and expectations do not fully extend the opportunities for learning.

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Main report

Staff use their detailed knowledge of each pupil to provide them with good pastoral care. Pupils with a concern turn confidently to an adult knowing that it will be quickly resolved. The tracking of academic progress gives accurate information that teachers use to give good individual support. This enables the school to provide effective support, through one-to-one tuition, for pupils who are falling behind and help them Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main report

catch up. Safeguarding arrangements are good and the high level of care and relationships between staff and pupils give pupils high levels of confidence in their safety and security in school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive sympathetic support and individual learning programmes that mean they join in with all that the school offers. The school works closely with many external agencies and its targeted support for the small number of pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable is very effective. The level of attendance this year shows that the school’s strong focus on this and its effective work with pupils, parents and carers to improve attendance is proving successful.

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Main report

Pupils enjoy school, feel well cared for and supported, and are proud to belong to it. Pupils report that bullying has reduced significantly since the new headteacher was appointed. Rare incidents are dealt with promptly and effectively through the clarity of the guidance in the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils do their best to eat a healthy diet and take plenty of exercise, and this is reflected in the school’s national recognition in this area. Pupils are keen to take responsibility. For example, the school council regularly passes its views to the headteacher so action can be taken. Pupils collect generously for charity. Positive attitudes and average standards in their basic skills mean pupils’ preparation for secondary school and future work is satisfactory. Pupils reflect maturely on their own feelings and those of others, for example, in the way they treat their less fortunate classmates. The vast majority of

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Main report

pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils, parents and carers are keen to say that behaviour has improved over the two terms since the introduction by the headteacher of a new behavioural system. Parents and carers say that they are extremely happy with the quality of care at the school, and how confident they feel about the safeguarding arrangements for their children. The multi-sensory room is particularly effective in getting agitated pupils to calm down. A strong moral code supports pupils’ good behaviour. Pupils work productively in teams. These opportunities contribute effectively to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The headteacher has been instrumental in establishing a shared vision for the school’s work and a striking feature is the positive morale amongst staff and pupils. Strong partnerships with parents and carers, and a range of visitors and

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Main report

community groups contribute to improving outcomes for pupils.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Carlton Standhill Infant School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 12 statements about the school. The inspection team received 51 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 128 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % Q1 My child is happy at school 33 65 18 35 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q2 My child feels safe at school 38 75 13 25 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q3 The school helps my child to achieve as well as they can 27 53 22 43 2 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q4 The school meets my child’s particular needs 26 51 16 31 5 10 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q5 The school ensures my child is well looked after 33 65 15 29 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q6 Teaching at this school is good 30 59 15 29 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q7 There is a good standard of behaviour at this school 25 49 19 37 6 13 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q8 Lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour 16 31 25 49 5 10 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q9 The school deals with any cases of bullying well 19 37 25 49 2 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q10 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 28 55 19 37 3 6 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q11 The school responds to my concerns and keeps me well informed 27 53 21 41 2 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q12 The school is well led and managed 31 61 17 33 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents a nd carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 48 6 0 Primary schools 6 47 40 7 Secondary schools 12 39 38 11

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 13 42 41 3 Special schools 28 49 19 4 Pupil referral units 14 45 31 10

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 December 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be:  The achievement of all pupils.  Behaviour and safety.  The quality of teaching.  The effectiveness of leadership and management. and taking into consideration  how well the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Carlton Standhill Infant School, Nottingham, NG4 1Jl

Thank you for being so polite and friendly when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed our visit and having the opportunity to talk to some of you and to see you in lessons and at play. I especially enjoyed joining a group in Year 1 learning to read, and seeing you singing heartily in assembly. You are rightly proud of the school’s happy atmosphere in which you all get on so well together. Carlton Standhill is a satisfactory school and it is improving. Here are some of the things we found out:

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Inspection of Carlton Standhill Infant School, Nottingham, NG4 1Jl

 your teachers ensure that you get off to a satisfactory start in Reception  you told us you enjoy school and feel safe and secure  you try your very best to eat a healthy diet and take plenty of exercise  your behaviour is good  you have good relationships with your teachers and you try hard for them  your school has good relationships with your parents and carers  the curriculum provides you with interesting opportunities, which you enjoy  adults look after you very well and are always ready to help you  the headteacher and staff are working hard to make the school get better.

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Inspection of Carlton Standhill Infant School, Nottingham, NG4 1Jl

We have asked the school to do three things to help you do even better in your learning:

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Inspection of Carlton Standhill Infant School, Nottingham, NG4 1Jl

 make sure teachers always provide you with work that is neither too hard nor too easy, so that you make better progress  provide older pupils with more information about how they can improve their work  ensure that all staff with responsibility for subjects have a good effect on your learning and progress.

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Inspection of Carlton Standhill Infant School, Nottingham, NG4 1Jl

All of you can help the school by continuing to try your best in lessons, behaving well and supporting your classmates. We wish you all the best in the future.

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Inspection of Carlton Standhill Infant School, Nottingham, NG4 1Jl

Andrew Stafford Lead Inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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