Telford Infant School

Telford Infant School Kelvin Road, Lillington, Leamington Spa, CV32 7TE

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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.  Pupils make good progress and, by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 2, attainment is well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. The most-able pupils attain particularly well in reading.  Teaching is good and a small proportion is outstanding. There is a strong, successful focus on making learning interesting and exciting. Pupils are provided with a good range of high-quality musical, sporting and artistic activities.  Pupils are well behaved, polite and considerate towards each other. They feel safe in school and display good attitudes towards learning.  The headteacher has very high expectations for the school community, and her commitment to improvement is shared by all members of staff. This has resulted in improvements in teaching and achievement since the last inspection.  Parents are extremely positive about the work that the school does with their children and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

speak highly of the care and support that is provided.  Governors provide a good balance of support and challenge for the school. They have successfully developed their skills in monitoring and evaluation since the last inspection and now have a good understanding of how well pupils are doing.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to ensure that all pupils make rapid progress.  Less-able pupils do not make enough progress in learning the sounds that letters represent and using them to read words.  Opportunities for writing are not sufficiently varied to challenge the most-able pupils.  Some leaders have not had enough opportunities or training to enable them to effectively monitor their subjects and check how well pupils are learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons or parts of lessons across the school. Five of these were observed with senior leaders. Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books, heard four groups of pupils read and met with two other groups of pupils to discuss their views.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including assessments and records of pupils’ progress, the school’s checks and records relating to safeguarding and child protection, minutes of the governing body meetings, records of how teaching is managed and the school improvement and self-evaluation plans.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior staff, five governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 33 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also spoke to several parents informally at the start of the school day and to staff during the course of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Adam Hewett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jenny Edginton Additional Inspector Huw Evans Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized infant school with 9 classes.  The very large majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is well below the national average. This is additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, those who are looked after by the local authority, and those with a parent in the armed services.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is broadly average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  A before- and after-school club operates every day.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching so that all pupils make rapid and sustained progress by:  providing more opportunities for pupils, particularly the most able, to write at length in a range of different styles  ensuring that the teaching of early phonic skills (the sounds letters represent in words) for less-able readers makes a greater contribution to their achievement in reading.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact of leadership and management by providing opportunities and time for all subject and year-group leaders to develop their skills in monitoring and evaluation to enable them to check on the quality of teaching and learning within their areas of responsibility.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in Reception with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress across the Early Years Foundation Stage due to good teaching and well-planned learning experiences. By the time they move to Year 1, their attainment is slightly above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the Reception class are provided with a good range of activities, both indoors and outdoors. Most learn to write sentences with increasing confidence and accuracy. They develop good knowledge of number and shape, and communicate well with each other and with adults.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The 2013 screening at the end of Year 1 showed that pupils’ knowledge of the sounds that letters represent (phonics) was below average. Current evidence shows that this is improving. Most pupils are confident readers by the end of Year 2. However, a small number of less-able pupils are reluctant to read as they have not been effectively taught the basic skills and knowledge that they require, and cannot use their knowledge of phonics to read unfamiliar words.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment in reading and mathematics has been above average for the past three years and was above average in writing in 2013. School data and work in books indicate that pupils currently in Year 2 are making good progress and are expected to reach above-average standards.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils show enthusiasm for reading and are able to read fluently across a wide range of books. The school places a high emphasis on encouraging reading and there is a very good range of interesting books available.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A greater proportion of pupils than nationally reach the higher Level 3 in reading. There has been an improvement in the standards of pupils’ writing over the past two years and school data indicate that this is being maintained across all classes in the current school year. However, not enough pupils reach the higher levels of attainment in writing by the end of Year 2. This is because there are not enough opportunities for more-able pupils to write longer pieces of fiction and non-fiction using different styles of writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress and achieve standards above similar pupils nationally. This is because their needs are identified early and additional one-to-one or small-group support is provided to help them catch up. There is close monitoring of their progress and, where necessary, further help is provided.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small number of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding make good progress as the funding has been used well to provide high-quality support. Additional adults work closely with the pupils to address their individual needs. In 2013, the attainment of these pupils in Year 2 was behind that of their classmates by about five terms in reading, and four terms in writing and mathematics. Data for pupils currently in Year 1 and 2 who are eligible for pupil premium funding shows that they are making progress in line with other pupils in school and the gap in attainment is narrowing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from different ethnic minority backgrounds attain at least as well as other pupils in school. This shows the school’s success in ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because teachers have high expectations of pupils, have good subject knowledge and teach interesting lessons. In a Year 1 lesson, pupils were excited by the idea of travelling outside of the classroom on a magic carpet to find ‘Duncan the Bear’ and this inspired them to write high-quality questions related to the activity. There is not, however, much outstanding teaching in school and this limits teachers’ opportunities to learn from the best practice of others.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching in Reception is good. Teachers and other adults plan a range of activities that encourage children to work well with each other and that interest them; for example, in writing for a specific purpose. Children were able to put instructions into a programmable toy so that it followed a set route and engaged in high-quality discussion about what they needed to do.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Classrooms and other areas around the school are attractive learning spaces that use thought- provoking displays well to assist pupils in their work and to celebrate their achievements. Pupils are confident in making choices about which resources to use in their learning, including netbook computers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use questioning well to challenge pupils to think deeply and to assess how well they are progressing. Questions are chosen to match the abilities of different pupils so all are able to answer and make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of many aspects of reading is usually good. Teachers work successfully with groups of pupils to explore parts of a book and so increase pupils’ understanding of the text. Teachers read stories to the pupils with great expression. This engages pupils’ interest in reading. The effectiveness of this can be seen in the way that pupils are keen to choose their own books.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Some teaching of reading to pupils with weak phonics skills requires improvement. This is because there has not been a clear whole-school approach as to how this aspect of reading should be taught, and not all staff make sure that pupils understand how to join the sounds together to accurately read words.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. They work closely with class teachers and school leaders to plan and teach activities for small groups or individual pupils, and are successful in helping them to develop particular skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking and feedback to pupils are good. There is a clear and agreed approach to marking that provides information to pupils on how well they are doing and tells them what they need to do to improve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning and are interested and involved in their lessons. They are polite and well mannered, and are courteous to each other and adults. There is consistent behaviour management by all staff that results in a calm and hard-working atmosphere across the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Bullying of any kind is extremely rare in school and pupils are confident that, if it was to occur, it would be dealt with swiftly and effectively by staff. Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The school places a strong emphasis on safeguarding all pupils and ensures that all statutory requirements are met.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe in school and know how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school encourages everyone to show consideration for others and this is reflected in the way that pupils play together. They are actively and enthusiastically involved in raising money for local charities, including Guide Dogs for the Blind and a local hospice.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents have very high levels of trust in the school and are confident that it keeps their children safe and happy. Parents are encouraged to help their children with their learning through small homework tasks. Parents are able to share their views with the school though involvement in a parents’ forum, which has helped improve methods of communication.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is above average. The school works closely with families to ensure good and regular attendance. The well-run before- and after-school club helps in the process of maintaining good attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has been a strong force in bringing about improvements in the school that have increased learning opportunities and achievement for the pupils. She has built an effective leadership team who are all actively involved in school improvement planning. These plans focus on how all pupils can make rapid progress and achieve high standards.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders have developed good systems for monitoring how pupils are progressing and use this information well to set challenging targets for attainment for all groups of pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers’ performance is managed well and there are secure links that tie teachers’ pay awards to their performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject and year-group leaders are beginning to be involved in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of teaching within their subjects. However, they currently do not all yet have sufficient skills or time allocated to carry out these roles. They require further support and training.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has developed an exciting curriculum that allows pupils to apply skills across a range of subjects and to extend their knowledge and experiences. During their time at the school, all pupils learn to play the violin and have drumming lessons. Pupils across the school have recently all read the book The Bog Baby, and this has been used to encourage work in technology, writing and science. Learning is supported through a range of visits and visitors, including a whole-school trip to the Snowdome.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is a strong and effective focus on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school works well with local faith groups, including the local Sikh Gudwara, to extend pupils’ understanding of different beliefs. All pupils were involved in working with other local schools to celebrate a day of the African child.  The school is making good use of the primary sports funding to employ specialist coaches to offer additional high-quality physical activities to the pupils, including dance and games skills. This has increased opportunities for pupils’ involvement in a wider range of sporting activities and is also proving effective in staff training.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides light-touch support to the school, as it recognises that it is successful in bringing about good achievement for its pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have successfully developed their knowledge of and involvement in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school since the last inspection. They have a good knowledge of the data available to them and know how pupils are achieving in comparison with pupils in other schools. They regularly receive reports from school leaders on aspects of the school’s work and they ask challenging questions. Governors understand how teachers’ pay progression is linked to their performance. They ensure that the resources available to the school, including the pupil premium, are effectively managed and that all statutory requirements 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 125562 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 440626

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 264 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dave Valente Headteacher Alison Foster Date of previous school inspection 16 May 2011 Telephone number 01926 425544 Fax number 01926 313835 Email address admin2326@welearn365.com 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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