Elmsleigh Infant and Nursery School

Elmsleigh Infant and Nursery School Queen's Drive, Swadlincote, DE11 0EG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Outstanding leadership and management have sustained high-quality teaching and learning since the previous inspection.  From low starting points, pupils make excellent progress. By Year 2, attainment is average in reading, writing and mathematics.  The management of the performance of teaching and support staff is very robust, and staff readily help each other to secure the pupils’ best possible progress.  Pupils’ work is always marked. Marking comments regularly praise what pupils have done well. They do not always show pupils how to improve.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and what it does for their children.  Behaviour is excellent. Pupils feel very safe in school and the school makes sure they know how to keep themselves safe.  All pupils have targets and they readily refer to their target cards. There are a lot of targets on the cards, and they are not all precise enough

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

to give pupils something concrete to aim for.  Subjects are brought together and taught in imaginative ways that foster real enjoyment of learning while promoting key skills and personal development  The school is successfully closing gaps in learning between pupils for whom it receives pupil premium funding and other pupils.  Pupils in Rainbows (the enhanced resource base) make excellent progress in learning and personal development, as do disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.  Actions taken by the school have improved attendance which is now average. The absence of a small number of pupils keeps it back despite the school’s efforts.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 21 lessons. Four of these were observed jointly with the acting headteacher. They also observed play and lunchtimes and an assembly.  Discussions were held with pupils, staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and the school’s link adviser from the local authority.  The team examined the work in pupils’ books as well as teachers’ planning, listened to pupils read and sampled sessions where they were learning letters and sounds (phonics).  The team considered the views of parents by talking to them in the playground and by analysing the 37 responses to Parent View, the on-line survey. They also took account of the views of staff, gathered through the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including information about pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour, the school’s self-evaluation document, the school improvement plan, minutes from meetings held by the governing body, and records and policies on safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Doris Bell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Herd Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This infant and nursery school has grown since the last inspection and is now similar in size to the average-sized primary school.  The school has specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs, covering autism and, increasingly, a range of complex learning needs. Known in school as ‘Rainbows’, the provision currently caters for nine pupils in the Reception to Year 2 age range.  The school shares its expertise in teaching children with autism and/or complex learning difficulties with other schools.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding, known as the pupil premium, is above average. This funding is for children in local authority care, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, and children with a parent in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action is well above average, as is the proportion supported at school action

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Information about this school

plus or who have a statement of special educational needs.  The school has a breakfast club that operates every morning during term time.  The school has an acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher. A new headteacher is due to take up post in September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality and impact of teachers’ marking and pupils’ targets by:  making sure marking comments include next steps in learning, and helping pupils to understand that the comments are there to show them how to improve  making pupils’ targets more precise so that pupils can see exactly what they are aiming for  showing pupils how to recognise when they have achieved their targets.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Find ways to improve attendance further by impressing on parents the importance of regular attendance in securing their children’s best possible progress at all times.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 On entry to Nursery, children’s skills are low, in some years exceptionally so, for their age. There are particular weaknesses in language and communication, and personal development. The excellent progress seen throughout the school begins in Nursery and Reception and results in children starting Year 1 slightly below, but very much closer to where they should be for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The school sets ambitious targets for Year 2, and it usually meets or exceeds them. Consequently, by the end of Year 2, attainment is average and, in some years, above in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment varies depending on the make-up of each year group, but achievement has risen steadily in the past three years.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils enjoy reading. They use their knowledge of phonics well, although they sometimes rely too much on only the initial sound, for example, mistaking ‘butterfly’ for ‘bird’. This happened as they created their own alphabetical lists and learned how to use dictionaries. Grammar and punctuation become increasingly accurate as pupils learn to listen, and to speak and write in complete sentences. They use their writing skills well in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils improve their use and understanding of mathematical language and symbols well as they learn to order, add and subtract numbers. They thoroughly enjoy doing this in the many exciting mathematical activities that enable them to use and apply their developing knowledge in different ways.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are making the same outstanding progress as other pupils. Their learning is very carefully targeted to their individual needs, and skilled support staff help them break it down into the little steps they need to achieve success.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding are rapidly closing gaps in their learning as a result of recent initiatives and additional resources that are helping them to catch up. Most have moved from being a year or more behind other pupils to being only one term behind.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The staff working with pupils in Rainbows provide highly skilled support that enables the pupils to make excellent all-round progress. Learning is broken down further for these pupils so they can experience success at every step. All of this very successfully promotes their learning, including their ability to listen, communicate, take turns and persevere to complete tasks.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Excellent relationships, in-depth knowledge of every pupil’s needs, and the ability to adjust learning quickly in lessons are key features of the successful teaching and learning in this school. All staff have high expectations of their pupils’ learning and behaviour, and they make sure every pupil has an equal chance to succeed.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers plan together, but their planning is flexible so that they can alter the level of challenge in each activity to suit different groups within their class. Very occasionally, a pupil finishes a task quickly and hesitates as to what to do next, but a member of staff usually picks this up and makes the task harder or moves them on to another task.  Typically, learning proceeds at a fast pace because teachers use their excellent subject knowledge to question and probe pupils’ thinking and help them to learn more. This was noted in English and mathematics lessons and also in a highly successful art lesson where the interest of pupils in Year 2 was captured by William Morris’s use of nature in art.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The information gathered from marking and other assessments is used really well in planning and to set targets, but marking rarely gives pupils guidance on improvement. Although pupils’ work is discussed with them, they were very vague as to how much marking helps them to improve, or how they know when they have reached their targets. Targets are not precise enough. For example, they talk about ‘improving writing’ rather than defining precisely what it is pupils need to work on to improve their writing. This limits the effectiveness of target setting.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is very effective as is the teaching of overall communication skills. It extends to teaching relevant pupils to communicate using sign language to help them gain independence in, for example, making requests, responding to questions or showing what they have learned.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Highly skilled, specifically trained support staff are really well deployed. They contribute greatly to the progress made by disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs throughout the school, including in Rainbows. Rainbows pupils’ learning benefits greatly from pictorial representations of the ‘jobs’ they have to do each day, and the pupils quickly learn to follow routines and complete tasks in order.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Parents are unanimous in saying the school keeps their children safe and teaches them to behave well. The school can pinpoint a number of pupils whose behaviour it has been highly successful in modifying so they can take a full part in lessons and not disrupt others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and they thoroughly enjoy school. They are justifiably proud of it and eager to do well. They say, ‘School is amazing,’ and praise the staff highly for their help and support if they are hurt. They say that staff help them with learning new things and that they make the work neither too hard, nor too easy, but just right. They also say, ‘Our friends are there for us,’ and they feel very safe because adults look after them and the gates and doors are locked so no-one can get in.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour is exceptionally well managed throughout the school, and excellent attention is paid to their health, welfare and well-being, for example, through nurture and basic life skills provision. Pupils are adamant that there is no bullying in school. They know the different forms it can take, and what to do should they know of any. They have complete trust in the staff to help them with any concerns.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school makes skilful use of Rainbows staff. Most pupils in Rainbows become an integral part of the school each afternoon as they work alongside their peers. At this time, the school uses Rainbows staff to support other pupils who need help to improve their behaviour. This highly successful strategy benefits both sets of pupils. It contributes greatly to the excellent relationships pupils have with each other, and their ability to accept and respect each other’s differences.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Encouraged by adults, pupils play games and use all play equipment safely. They also help and support each other, for example, in getting across the trim trail. They are proud to accept responsibility as register monitors or members of the school council, and have a developing understanding of the world beyond school as they raise money for different charities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The breakfast club gives the many pupils who attend it a positive start to their day. It has helped to improve attendance and punctuality, although the attendance of a small number of pupils is still not good enough.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The senior leadership team’s drive and determination to keep the school moving forward has successfully sustained high-quality teaching and learning for all pupils. Leaders at different levels understand their roles well and play a valuable part in supporting improvement. The management of the provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is excellent.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school provides high-quality support for its staff, not least through the management of their performance which includes astute and rigorous checks on teaching and learning. As with pupils, areas for improvement are quickly picked up and addressed. Objectives set for staff, from the headteacher down, arise out of the priorities in the school improvement plan, which is informed by accurate and well-founded self-evaluation.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority provides only light-touch support for this outstanding school, which it increased slightly from January to support the acting leadership team. It knows the school really well and recognises its strengths, including its strong capacity for further improvement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Excellent teamwork among the staff means relationships are open and supportive as staff learn from each other. Outstanding teaching is shared across the school to give the pupils the best possible chance to succeed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school promotes equality of opportunity exceptionally well. As different subjects are brought together in themes, they include opportunities for pupils to learn about different faiths, cultural diversity, and disability, and to understand that to discriminate against anyone is wrong.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Safeguarding requirements, including for child protection, meet current requirements. The school is especially vigilant in protecting pupils whose circumstances make them more vulnerable. It works exceptionally well with families and external agencies to do this.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governing body receives high-quality information from the school, which it then questions to ensure everything possible is being done to help pupils succeed. Governors know the school well and they undertake regular training to ensure they are always up to date. They know about teachers’ performance, and support the headteacher in making sensible decisions about pay to ensure good teaching is rewarded and shared throughout the school. Governors gain first-hand information through visits that have clear purpose and enable them to question what they see. They understand the wide range of data available to them, and check that pupil premium funding is being used wisely to help raise standards.

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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 112694 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 412196

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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 215 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alan Wileman Headteacher Katy Latchford Date of previous school inspection 13 November 2008 Telephone number 01283 216883 Fax number 01283 216883 Email address info@elmsleigh.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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