Speedwell Infant School

Speedwell Infant School College Avenue, Staveley, Chesterfield, S43 3JJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  Children make an excellent start to their education in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The caring, supportive approach from adults ensures that children settle into learning quickly.  From starting school with skills and knowledge well below those expected for their age, the pupils reach levels of attainment in line with national averages by the time they leave in Year 2.  Almost all pupils, including those who are potentially vulnerable and the most able, make good progress from their individual starting points.  Most of the teaching is good and occasionally outstanding as teachers provide pupils with activities which are well matched to their individual needs.  Pupils are proud of their school and behaviour is good. Pupils respect each other and feel safe.  The school works hard to ensure that pupils, together with their families, are well cared for and supported.  The co-headteachers are dedicated and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

aspirational; they work in partnership with the governing body who are actively involved in monitoring the work of the school.  Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. One summed up their views by saying, ‘This is a fantastic school with approachable teachers who work hard to help our children.’

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching.  Although the most-able pupils make good progress from their starting points, not enough pupils achieve Level 3 at the end of Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils are not consistently challenged to apply their mathematical skills to problem solving.  Pupils do not have the opportunity to write for extended periods in order to develop higher levels of attainment.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons, of which seven were observed jointly with the co- headteachers.  Meetings were held with the co-headteachers and senior leaders, school staff, groups of pupils, three governors and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector attended an assembly and observed break time and lunchtime.  The inspector considered a range of evidence including the school’s improvement plan, self- evaluation, school policies, attendance records, minutes of governing body meetings, safeguarding information and records relating to behaviour and safety.  There were only two responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View but the inspector sought the views of parents and carers through discussions at the start of the day.  The inspector took account of the 17 questionnaires completed by members of the school staff.

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Inspection team

Wayne Norrie, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller than average-sized infant school.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding (which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or those who are looked after) is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special education needs supported through school action is in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus is below average. There are currently two pupils with a statement of special educational needs.  The school is led by two headteachers who both work part time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that more teaching is outstanding by:  improving the use of questioning in lessons in order to develop pupils’ thinking skills and help them to understand their work  ensuring that all teachers check how well all pupils are learning during lessons, use this information to address any misconceptions and provide further challenge to pupils to enable them to make more progress in their learning  making sure that pupils are clear about what they are expected to achieve in lessons so that they can check their own progress  using the school’s outstanding teachers to coach colleagues and model lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment so that an increasing proportion of pupils achieve Level 3 in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 1 by:  ensuring that pupils have better reading comprehension skills enabling them to gather information from a wide range of different texts and demonstrate a greater understanding of what they have read  ensuring that pupils are given more opportunities to write longer pieces of work across the different areas of the curriculum  increasing opportunities for pupils to solve more complex mathematical problems using and applying skills they have previously learnt.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The skills and knowledge of the children when they enter the Early Years Foundation stage are well below those expected for their age, especially in speaking, reading and writing. High quality teaching and good opportunities for independent learning ensure that children make good progress by the end of Reception.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieved below the national average in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 in 2012. Leaders have taken effective action to improve the teaching of letters and the sounds they make (phonics) across the school. This is having a very positive effect on pupils’ learning. There were good improvements in the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2013, with the results now in line with national average; this represents good progress from pupils’ low starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy reading. They read with confidence, expression and fluency. They are able to use their knowledge to read unfamiliar words. The school has focused on raising the profile of reading through reading challenges, and supporting parents and carers to read with their children. As a result, reading is improving strongly across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The standards pupils reach in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 are rising. Pupils make good progress from their starting points and leave the school with attainment in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. The majority of the most able pupils make good progress from their starting points but not enough of them achieve the higher Level 3 at the end of Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress from their starting points as a result of teachers’ high expectations, carefully targeted support and strong partnership working with parents and carers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pastoral care for any pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable is good. This means that they build up confidence and have positive attitudes to learning. The gap between the achievement of pupils who have special education needs and their peers is narrowing, and is smaller than the gap found nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 School leaders are using pupil premium funding very effectively by targeting support for individuals and groups of eligible pupils who need the most help. As a result, this group of pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics throughout the school. Their attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 was above their peers and above their national counterparts last year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school is using its primary school sport funding to increase pupils’ participation in physical activities. It is too early for the impact to be seen.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Children get off to a very good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is due to teaching which is consistently good and occasionally outstanding. Children quickly settle into the Nursery and are eager to learn. They thrive on the wide range of stimulating activities offered and quickly develop independent skills and good attitudes to learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teachers have high expectations of what children can achieve during lessons. A particular strength of teaching is the focus on improving pupils’ use of language. Pupils are given plenty of opportunities to speak during lessons; this builds their confidence in expressing their ideas. In an outstanding phonics session in Nursery, all children were encouraged to participate and, as a result, made rapid progress in a short space of time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching meets the needs of all pupils due to careful consideration of the levels at which pupils are working. In a mathematics lesson in Year 2, pupils were exploring lines of symmetry at a variety of levels which allowed all of them to make good progress as the teacher provided a good range of tasks matched to individual needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In lessons where pupils of all abilities are challenged to work independently, they make rapid progress and grow in confidence. For example, in the Reception class children made good progress in understanding the differing properties of shapes due to the challenging and interactive nature of the activities they were asked to do by the teacher.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants offer highly effective support to identified pupils. They encourage pupils to become independent learners while offering appropriate support to ensure they can access the work set by the teacher. This was particularly evident in the high quality support for pupils with special educational needs in a Year 1 lesson; the teaching assistant provided a gentle steer to enable the pupils to complete the task without undermining their independence.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching effectively promotes pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils work well together from an early age, valuing and respecting the thoughts of others, especially when they work with their talk partners to develop their ideas.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a positive attitude to learning and work well together during whole class, paired work and group activities. Teachers work hard to develop relationships which support pupils to make good progress during lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Routines and high expectations are embedded well from when children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Independent learning and an enjoyment of learning are established at this early stage and pupils maintain these throughout the rest of their time in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 During break times and lunchtimes, pupils behave well and enjoy using the range of playground equipment. They play collaboratively and are considerate of the needs of others. Playground friends from Year 2 make a significant contribution to the harmonious feeling to break time and lunchtime.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of what is right and wrong. School assemblies help to promote good behaviour across the school. Pupils act sensibly around the school and on the playground; they are extremely polite and welcoming to visitors.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school meets all safeguarding requirements and provides pupils, and their families, with a high level of care and support. Consequently, pupils say they feel well supported and cared for. They say this helps them feel safe and happy at school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are aware of different types of bullying, but they say this is rare in school. They were all confident that an adult would help them to deal with any problems. Pupils reported that there is very little name calling in school. One parent said, ‘We have only ever had one minor concern over name calling which made our child unhappy; the headteacher saw us straight away and dealt with it.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils reported to the inspector that they enjoy coming to school which is reflected in the improving level of attendance which is now broadly in line with national averages. The school has worked very effectively with parents and carers to promote good attendance and has been particularly successful in rapidly reducing persistent absence rates for a group of girls.

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The leadership and management are good

 The co-headteachers work very effectively together to drive improvements throughout the school. There is a clear focus on improving the quality of teaching. Leaders demonstrate a good capacity for improving the school further as they have had considerable impact in improving the Early Years Foundation Stage and the quality of the teaching of phonics. They show a strong commitment to ensuring that all pupils achieve well from their relatively low starting points.

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The leadership and management are good

 All staff share the vision of the co-headteachers. They are a small and close knit team who work together effectively to ensure that outcomes for pupils continue to improve. There is a shared approach to learning with the ‘golden thread’ of developing language running through the work of the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s curriculum is good and offers a wide range of opportunities for all pupils to experience first-hand learning through a regular programme of visits and visitors to school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Performance management is used very effectively by the school to improve the quality of teaching and raise standards. All teachers have targets to work towards; they meet regularly with the co-headteachers to review the impact their teaching has on improving the progress of pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The latest school development plan includes appropriate actions for improvement but, as yet, lacks sufficient criteria against which to measure success for when the governing body holds leaders to account.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders responsible for English, mathematics, the Early Years Foundation Stage and special educational needs provide strong leadership. Detailed evaluations of provision in their subject areas have led to an increase in the achievement of pupils and improvements in teaching. They work well together and have identified very appropriate actions to continue to improve the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders and governors are using the new primary school sports funding provided by the government to improve opportunities for sports development for the pupils. The school is employing a wide range of specialist coaches to work with pupils on a variety of activities including dance, tennis, Tai Chi and circus skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are very strong and effective relationships with parents and carers who are overwhelmingly supportive of the work of the school. In conversation, one parent of a Year 2 pupil said: ‘My child is very happy here, the school does everything it can to ensure that they make good progress. I shall be very sorry when my child leaves the school at the end of the year.’

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has confidence in the school’s leadership team to drive improvements, resulting in the school having a ‘light touch’ approach from the local authority adviser. The school has worked in partnership with the adviser to ensure its self-evaluation is accurate and governors have worked with the adviser to develop their skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body plays an important role in driving the school forward. Governors and senior leaders have a shared vision to continue to improve the school further. Governors challenge the school to ensure that pupils achieve well and are actively involved in monitoring the work of the school. They have made good appointments to leadership and have a good understanding of how well the school is performing. Members of the governing body make regular visits to monitor areas of the school’s work. For example, recent visits have focused on the teaching of phonics across the school, the quality of provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and the impact of the activities to support pupil premium pupils. The governors, supported by the local authority adviser, set challenging targets for the co-headteachers; there is a strong performance management system in place

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The leadership and management are good

to measure the effectiveness of the co-headteachers. Governors are very familiar with the appraisal of the school’s staff and how pay progression is linked to their performance. Finances are managed effectively and governors ensure that all statutory requirements for safeguarding are met.

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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 112629 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 427409

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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 142 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julie Bacon Headteacher Janet Ridsdale and Rowena Hicks Date of previous school inspection 6 May 2010 Telephone number 01246 472336 Fax number 01246 280415 Email address info@speedwell.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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