Ashbrook Infant School

Ashbrook Infant and Nursery School Victoria Avenue, Borrowash, Derby, DE72 3HF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The determination of the headteacher to improve all aspects of the school has ensured that pupils’ attainment is rising and achievement is good.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes settle quickly and make good progress because learning is made exciting for them.  Senior staff keep a close check on how well lessons are taught and give teachers good advice about how to make them even better.  Pupils’ good behaviour and attitudes to learning contribute to the strong sense of community in the school.  Governors are very supportive of the school and expect good teaching and achievement, which leaders and managers deliver well.  Parents and carers are very pleased with the school and the progress their children are making.  The school is good at helping pupils to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Attainment in writing at the end of Year 2, particularly that of boys, is not high enough.  In a few lessons, teachers’ explanations are sometimes too long and the best use is not made of the support available from teaching assistants.  The marking of pupils’ work does not always provide clear guidance on their next steps in learning.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 13 lessons, two of which were joint observations with the headteacher. They also made a number of other short visits to classrooms.  The inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, other staff and pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, a local authority representative and some parents and carers at the start of the school day.  Inspectors heard groups of pupils of different ages reading.  Inspectors took account of 13 responses to the staff questionnaire and 17 responses from parents and carers to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Inspectors looked at the school’s policies, teachers’ plans, school improvement planning and records on behaviour and safety, together with samples of pupils’ work. They also looked at tracking documentation on individual pupils’ progress, pupils’ statements of special educational needs, information on how the performance of staff is managed and documentation and minutes

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Inspection team

Kenneth Thomas, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Alan Chaffey Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Ashbrook Infant and Nursery School is below average in size compared with schools of a similar type.  The overwhelming majority of pupils are of White British heritage. Very few pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds or speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and those with parents in the armed forces) is below the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  All pupils are educated on site. The school does not use alternative provision to support any of its pupils.  Privately run breakfast and after-school clubs operate on the school site.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 To enable pupils to make even faster progress in their learning make sure that:  teachers’ introductions and explanations of learning to the whole class are brief and sharply focused  teaching assistants are always actively involved in supporting pupils’ learning  the marking of pupils’ work provides clear guidance on the next steps in learning and communicates high expectations of the quality that pupils should aspire to achieve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment in writing at the end of Year 2 by:  providing more opportunities for pupils to write at length and for different purposes in a wider range of subjects  providing more opportunities for pupils to structure their own writing by reducing the use of worksheets.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement has improved since the last inspection. From starting points that are mostly below those expected for their age, particularly in their communication, language and literacy, and social and emotional development, pupils make good progress. As a result, attainment has risen to be above average in recent years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes because they are provided with a good range of stimulating activities, both indoors and outdoors. Their progress has improved since the previous inspection because there is now a much better balance between activities that are led by an adult and those that the children choose for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Good progress continues through the rest of the school, although, because of some inconsistency in the quality of teaching, at a slightly slower rate. Nevertheless, attainment in reading and mathematics is above average at the end of Year 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment in writing is closer to average, largely because the gap between the attainment of boys and girls is wider than that seen nationally and because pupils do not have enough opportunities to write for different purposes and audiences.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Good progress in reading is underpinned by the daily teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) which helps to ensure that pupils acquire essential basic reading skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because teachers and teaching assistants know the pupils exceptionally well and ensure that support is carefully matched to their needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium make good progress. This funding is used well to enhance provision through, for example, additional support staff and small-group activities. As a result, these pupils’ attainment is above similar pupils nationally and the gap in attainment between these pupils and other pupils in the school is smaller than the gap seen nationally.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Because teaching is predominantly good and occasionally outstanding, pupils of all abilities and backgrounds make good progress and achieve well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good classroom management, coupled with high expectations, ensure that all lessons proceed in a calm and purposeful learning atmosphere. Pupils are frequently asked to share and explain their thinking to others. This develops their speaking and listening skills effectively and promotes their respect for the views of others.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Nursery and Reception classes, adults take every opportunity to encourage children to talk about their learning. In one outdoor session in the Nursery, for example, children were earnestly experimenting with the snow lying on the ground while adults took every opportunity to extend children’s language skills through questioning about the conditions they were observing.  Reading is taught well. Daily sessions are carefully structured, brisk and well paced, and activities are made interesting for the pupils so that they focus well on the sounds of letters and groups of letters. This is helping them to develop both reading and writing skills. However, the over-use of worksheets restricts opportunities for pupils to structure their own writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants ensure that the work given to pupils who need extra help is carefully sequenced so that all make good progress towards their learning targets. This includes disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and those eligible for the pupil premium.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In a few lessons, the best use is not made of the support available from teaching assistants because they are passively listening while teachers talk to the class for too long.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Assessment is accurate and used well by most teachers to plan challenging learning tasks and to track individual pupils’ progress. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and provide comments that are positive and encouraging. However, comments do not always show pupils how they can improve the quality of their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Homework is used well to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning. Parents, carers and pupils said that the right amount is given and that it helps their children to make progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school places a strong emphasis on the development of good behaviour from entry to the Nursery onwards. As a result, the vast majority of children quickly learn and accept the school’s expectations of behaviour in lessons and around the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents, carers, staff and pupils confirm that behaviour is typically good. This is reflected in a calm and purposeful atmosphere in lessons. Pupils from all backgrounds get on well with each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils work cooperatively in small groups and respond well to the requests of adults. For example, pupils in Year 1 worked well in groups as they developed their understanding of the use of adjectives in descriptive writing and responded positively to the teacher’s support and encouragement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are keen to take on responsibility and play a constructive role in the life of the school through the school council or as ‘mini-leaders’ in the playground, for example.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils report that they feel safe, secure and happy in school. Parents and carers agree. Pupils display a good sense of how to stay safe, and are knowledgeable for their age about risk and danger.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are confident that any issues they raise will be dealt with promptly by the school. They understand the difference between bullying and falling-out, and the pupils with whom inspectors spoke were unaware of any bullying in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Arrangements to support children whose needs are complex and make them potentially vulnerable are effective. This includes the good use of specialist external agencies. Parents and carers appreciate the good quality of care that the school provides.  Attendance is average and the vast majority of pupils arrive on time.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher communicates a clear vision and ambition for the continued improvement of the school. Her commitment, with the strong support of the deputy headteacher, has been the driving force in the improvement seen in the school and demonstrates the school’s capacity for continued improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Regular checks are carried out to improve teaching further. Teachers and other staff are well supported through training to achieve the targets set for them to improve their practice and are closely linked to teachers’ progression through the salary scales.

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The leadership and management are good

 The systematic analysis of information on pupils’ progress and attainment enables senior leaders to evaluate teachers’ effectiveness and pupils’ performance. Through regular meetings at which pupils’ progress is closely analysed, teachers are held to account for pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The range of subjects promote pupils’ achievement well. They are enriched through the arts and visits to places of interest. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils are provided with many opportunities to apply the school’s values to their everyday lives. All have a good range of opportunities to contribute to the school community.

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The leadership and management are good

 Partnerships with other schools are particularly good. For example, the school has worked closely with other schools to confirm the assessment of pupils’ attainment and to support the training and development of staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good support from the local authority has, for example, contributed to the significant improvement seen in the Nursery.

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The leadership and management are good

 Surveys of parents’ and carers’ views, carried out by the school, show that they are very satisfied with the quality of education provided for their children.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is well informed about the quality of teaching in the school. They check the performance of the school, rigorously setting and checking the headteacher’s progress towards testing targets. They know how the school’s results compare with those of other, similar, schools and hold leaders to account for its performance. They ensure that all pupils have the same opportunities and there is no discrimination. The governing body oversees the management of teachers’ performance effectively and makes sure that pay and promotion are justified by pupils’ progress and achievement. It manages all aspects of the school budget conscientiously. Governors ensure that the income received through the pupil premium is spent to raise the attainment of the pupils for whom it is intended. Consequently, these pupils achieve as well as others. Governors undertake regular training in order to develop their roles.

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The leadership and management are good

They ensure that all statutory duties are met, including those relating to the safeguarding of pupils. All necessary checks are carried out to ensure pupils’ safety.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 112688 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 401292

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 155 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Margaret Smith Headteacher Angela Clarke Date of previous school inspection 7 October 2009 Telephone number 01332 662695 Fax number 01332 670573 Email address info@ashbrook-inf.derbyshire.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

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 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

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School details

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’.

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School details

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

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