Setting

Miss Karen Scrivens Headteacher Langley Mill CofE Infant School and Nursery Sedgwick Street Nottingham NG16 4DT

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Short inspection of Langley Mill CofE Infant School and Nursery

Following my visit to the school on 3 March 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in November 2010.

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Short inspection of Langley Mill CofE Infant School and Nursery

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Langley Mill CofE Infant School and Nursery

Pupils at Langley Mill Infant School and Nursery really enjoy their learning. They make good progress as a result of imaginative teaching and a stimulating learning environment. You have a clear vision for the continuing development of the school. You put the pupils at the heart of everything you do and encourage every child to be innovative, ambitious and successful. A strong Christian ethos permeates the life of the school and ensures that pupils’ spiritual and moral development is very well promoted. The high levels of care and support offered to pupils and their families from the children’s learning supporter make a significant contribution to the school’s continued success.

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Short inspection of Langley Mill CofE Infant School and Nursery

The school’s mission statement, ‘Our school is full of SMILES’, captures the school’s vision for its pupils to be successful, motivated and valued as individuals, as well as to laugh, enjoy and be surprised each day. The school was buzzing with excitement on ‘World Book Day’ as pupils shared the magic keys that they had made and then used them to inspire their writing. They were also eager to share their knowledge of well-known stories in the picture quiz presented to them in assembly.

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Short inspection of Langley Mill CofE Infant School and Nursery

In each classroom, pupils were eager to talk about what they were learning. For example, some children in the Reception Year were excited to talk about the Ofsted

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Short inspection of Langley Mill CofE Infant School and Nursery

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted ‘Gruffalo potion’ they were concocting, which included sheep, hens and the farmer. Year 1 and 2 pupils were inspired by the effective use of music and illustrations to fantasise where their magic keys might take them. As a result of this consistent, good-quality provision, pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Their behaviour in lessons and around school is consistently good and makes the school a harmonious place to be. Pupils are rightly proud of their school.

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Short inspection of Langley Mill CofE Infant School and Nursery

At the last inspection, inspectors praised the school for providing a warm, caring and safe environment where pupils enjoy learning, make good progress and behave well. The school has maintained all of these positive aspects. Leaders were tasked with ensuring that the most-able pupils are always given suitably challenging work. This continues to be a focus for school improvement. Observations and pupils’ workbooks confirm that the most-able pupils are generally being more appropriately challenged with activities which extend their thinking, as well as through increasingly skilled staff interactions. Leaders were also asked to improve the quality of provision in the Reception class. This has been successful; in 2015, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year was above the national average.

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Short inspection of Langley Mill CofE Infant School and Nursery

You and your team have high aspirations for pupils and are continually striving to improve the school. You have identified the areas where more work is needed and leaders, governors and staff have the capacity to make improvements successfully. You are rightly aspiring to become an outstanding school and are making strides in this direction.

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Safeguarding is effective

You place a very high priority on keeping pupils safe. The school has kept up to date with changes in safeguarding requirements and consequently, all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. All staff have undertaken extensive training in all aspects of safeguarding, including the prevention of radicalisation and extremism. This has ensured that all staff have a clear awareness of potential risks and can identify and report early signs. Parents expressed confidence in the school to follow up any concerns about pupils’ safety swiftly and diligently, and the overwhelming majority of parents agree that the school keeps pupils safe and secure. The culture of safeguarding within the school is good.

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Safeguarding is effective

Pupils feel safe in the school and say that they are well cared for. They say that if they have any worries they know whom to go to for help. Pupils play well together, respect each other and follow the school’s rules. Pupils have a good, age-appropriate understanding of different types of bullying. The school’s records indicate that any issues are followed up promptly and comprehensively. The school responds quickly to absence and, as a result, attendance is above average.

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Inspection findings

You communicate an unswerving determination to provide the very best education for every pupil and this ambition is shared by all staff. You have created a culture of open professional dialogue and challenge where staff feel well supported and are held to account robustly for the performance of their pupils. As a result, most pupils make good progress from their starting points and leave Langley Mill Infant School well prepared for the next stage of their education. The governing body is strong and well trained. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development and provide you with good levels of challenge and support. For example, they are closely checking the school’s progress in narrowing gaps in attainment between pupils who are in receipt of the pupil premium and others in the school, and this is contributing to improved outcomes for this group of pupils, particularly in the early years.

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Inspection findings

The curriculum is extremely well planned and includes interesting and relevant topics for young children and promotes pupils’ basic skills very effectively. For example, Year 2 pupils talked enthusiastically about their current topic, ‘Chocolate and Easter’. They explained how they are learning about the history of chocolate and about the life and conditions of workers in the Bourneville village and how the Cadbury family improved these conditions. Teaching is consistently good and consequently pupils achieve well. However, pupils make more rapid progress in the early years than they do in Key Stage 1, particularly boys. Pupils are keen writers and enjoy good opportunities to write across the curriculum. Teachers plan good opportunities for writing linked to topic work. However, the quality of presentation, particularly pupils’ handwriting, is sometimes poor and limits their progress in writing. The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) is good and

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Inspection findings

as a result, pupils make good progress and use their phonic knowledge well to tackle unfamiliar words with confidence. Staff take every opportunity to encourage pupils to read. All classrooms have exciting and well-resourced reading areas. In addition, each topic identifies a number of books which are carefully chosen to engage and motivate the pupils. Children in the Nursery enjoy the vibrant learning environment, both indoors and outdoors. For example, children can select from a range of construction toys in the ‘Three Little Pigs Building Site’, which displays good language prompts and related books. An exciting curriculum, consistently good teaching and excellent relationships at all levels ensure that children make rapid and sustained progress. Teachers have a good understanding of how young children learn. They talk to them about their learning and support them so that they think, justify and explain their understanding and can take

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Inspection findings

the next steps. The vast majority of children move into the Reception class with skills across all areas of learning that are at, and sometimes above, that which is typical for a four-year-old. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year is steadily increasing and in 2015 was above the national average. A higher proportion of disadvantaged children and boys are now achieving a good level of development and attainment gaps are closing. This is ensuring that a higher proportion of children are well prepared for Year 1. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills are well developed. This is reflected in their positive attitudes to learning and the respect and care they show to each other. The school works hard to prepare its young pupils for life in modern Britain. The promotion of British values is firmly established within the curriculum, as well as permeating the school’s ethos and culture.

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Inspection findings

For example, pupils decide democratically on the weekly ‘Fabulous Friday Fun’ treat within each class. Although pupils have limited first-hand experiences of other cultures and diversity within their school community, they develop an early appreciation of these from visitors, assemblies and the celebration of cultural festivals. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. Parents place a high value on the support available from the children’s learning supporter. One parent described her experience of support as ‘going well beyond the call of duty’.

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Next steps for the school:

Leaders and governors should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school:

pupils continue to make accelerated progress throughout Key Stage 1, particularly boys pupils’ handwriting and the presentation of their work is of consistently high quality.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you and your assistant headteacher, five representatives of the governing body, two subject leaders, the early years leader, two representatives of the local authority and a group of pupils. We both visited all classes together to observe teaching and learning. I observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, at breaktimes and during lessons. I met a number of parents informally at the end of the school day. I considered a range of documents, including safeguarding records and policies.

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