Village Infants' School

Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher, well supported by governors, leaders and staff, has successfully improved the school since the previous inspection.  This is a vibrant, happy, caring school where children are nurtured and thrive as a result.  Teaching and learning are now good. Teachers plan lessons which interest and motivate pupils so that they achieve well. The broad curriculum is enriched by excellent music and drama lessons.  Pupils make good progress from their starting points. In 2015, pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics was broadly average.  In 2015, results in the Year 1 phonics (the sounds that letters represent) screening check were well above the national average.  Children in the early years benefit from high- quality provision and strong teaching. As a result, they make good progress and enjoy their learning. Children who speak English as an additional language make very rapid progress in language

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This is a good school

and communication skills in the Nursery class.  Pupils behave well. They are polite, friendly young learners who are proud of their achievements and keen to share them with visitors.  Pupils are looked after extremely well across the school. They are kept safe and know how to keep themselves safe.  Highly skilled governors contribute well to the life of the school. They ask the right questions to hold leaders to account.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Middle leaders do not make the best use of the information available to them to help teachers improve their skills further. Leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching do not consistently pinpoint exactly what teachers need to do to improve pupils’ outcomes.  Pupils are sometimes given tasks which do not meet their needs. Occasionally, teaching assistants who work with groups or individuals are unsure of how to help pupils take the next steps in their learning.  Progress in mathematics is not as consistently strong across the school as it is in reading and writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership by ensuring that middle leaders take a greater lead in improving teaching by developing their confidence and skills in: using assessment information to analyse outcomes for pupils checking the quality of teaching and identifying exactly what is needed to further improve pupils’ outcomes.  Strengthen teaching by continuing to share good practice across the school so that: pupils’ progress in mathematics matches the consistently rapid progress pupils make in reading and writing teaching assistants receive the training and support they need to strengthen their subject knowledge in reading and mathematics in order to move pupils on to the next stage in their learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher has worked well with leaders, governors and staff to ensure that the school has improved since the previous inspection. She is very well respected by staff, pupils and parents, who share her high expectations and vision for the school. Teaching is now consistently good and pupils achieve well. Leaders have ensured that the extensive building works have not had a negative impact on pupils’ achievement or on their enjoyment of school.  The school provides a safe, nurturing environment for pupils. Pupils’ happiness and well-being are at the heart of the school’s work. All staff care deeply about pupils. Relationships between adults and pupils are strong. This is evident in lessons, in the playground and in the dining hall.  Pupils enjoy and benefit from a broad, rich curriculum. Specialist music and drama teaching enhances pupils’ learning. Pupils enjoy ‘thrilling Thursdays’ when they work on subjects such as science and history.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Curriculum plans carefully weave reading, writing and mathematical skills into a range of subjects. Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is strong because the day-to-day curriculum is underpinned by the school’s values such as ‘resilience’. Pupils feel very safe at school and show a very good understanding of how to keep themselves safe outside school. The school ‘e-safety’ song reinforces this very well. Pupils perform the song with enthusiasm and are able to talk confidently about the messages it contains. Adults are consistently intuitive and thorough when dealing with pupils’ care and safety.  Pupil premium funding has been spent effectively. Gaps between the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others are rapidly closing.  The sports premium funding has been spent well to provide pupils with a wider range of sports and equipment and to fund after-school sports clubs. This has been beneficial in developing many pupils’ self-

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

esteem as well as their physical fitness.  The local authority has brokered support for the school from a national leader of education. The school has reflected well on this support and has used it to improve the teaching of writing, which is now good. It is now using the support to focus on further improving outcomes in mathematics.  Leaders’ actions to improve attendance are rigorous and effective. Attendance is average and improving. The school’s attendance plan is thorough and incisive and has ensured that the incidence of persistent absenteeism for groups and individuals has been reduced this year.  The school has implemented the local authority’s new assessment system and all staff are using it well to inform planning and teaching.  Middle leaders have taken effective action to improve aspects of teaching and learning in their area of responsibility since the previous inspection. However, they do not analyse information about pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

progress in their subject or phase group to help identify priorities for improvement. The headteacher is sharp and accurate in her monitoring of teaching. She provides precise feedback to enable teachers to focus exactly on what they can do to improve pupils’ progress. Other leaders are not as confident or as skilled in doing this.  Leaders’ actions to improve teaching, learning and assessment have had a strong impact on pupils’ outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics. However, there are pockets of weaker progress in mathematics which remain. While leaders have supported all staff with professional development and training to improve teaching, some teaching assistants need further support to help them to understand how to move pupils on to their next steps in mathematics.  The governance of the school Governance is a strength of the school. Governors are highly skilled. They have an accurate and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

insightful knowledge of the work of the school and they hold leaders to account extremely effectively. They have a precise understanding of the impact of the use of pupil premium funding. Their innovative practice of shadowing a pupil who is eligible for pupil premium funding is impressive. They visit the pupils’ classrooms, work alongside pupils and provide detailed feedback for teachers and leaders. Governors monitor all spending carefully. They make sure that the sports funding is spent well and they find creative solutions to budgetary constraints. Governors make sure that they take advantage of any appropriate training to improve their skills further. They work well together. They challenge and support each other to make sure that they are as effective as they can possibly be. Governors ensure that the appraisal of the headteacher’s performance is rigorous and they support her in ensuring that all staff are held to account for pupils’ progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Governors are well trained in safeguarding issues and carry out their duties effectively.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good.  Teachers plan interesting lessons which pupils enjoy. Teachers work hard to anchor tasks in real-life, meaningful situations and make effective links between subjects during ‘thrilling Thursdays’. They are well supported in this by the specialist drama and music teachers. During the inspection, pupils came to school dressed as Victorian children and experienced lessons from a ‘Victorian’ teacher. Pupils were inspired and motivated throughout the day and made excellent progress in their understanding of Victorian Britain. Teachers skilfully used this understanding to help pupils to reflect on Britain today and to share their thoughts on the European referendum.  Reading is taught well across the school, and as a result, pupils make good progress. They confidently use their phonics knowledge when they are reading and writing. During group reading sessions, teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

skilfully question pupils to deepen their understanding or to help them to apply their phonics skills accurately. Teachers use high-quality literature to teach pupils reading skills in lessons. This inspires pupils, who are developing a love of books and stories. Pupils are motivated and keen to talk about what they have been reading at home and at school.  Progress in writing is consistently strong. Teachers have worked hard to improve their teaching of writing since the previous inspection. They have used the training and support they have received well. The most able pupils are writing at levels which are well above those expected for their age.  Not all teachers are as confident in teaching mathematics as they are in teaching reading and writing. As a result, there are pockets of weaker progress in mathematics when tasks set are not at the right level. However, leaders have ensured that the most able pupils consistently make good progress in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

mathematics because teachers’ planning always includes a specific mathematical challenge for them.  Teachers’ marking and feedback to pupils help them to understand the next steps in their learning.  Teaching assistants work hard to support and help pupils, but occasionally they do not have the subject knowledge to help with tasks effectively. They sometimes lack confidence in challenging pupils to help them extend their learning in mathematics or to deepen their thinking or apply their phonics skills in reading. The feedback they give to pupils occasionally lacks the necessary precision to help them make good progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Positive, caring relationships underpin all aspects of the school’s work. Adults care about pupils. They want pupils to be happy and successful and they enjoy working with them. This is evident in all aspects of school life. For example, in the dining room pupils chat happily to mid-day meal supervisors who show them genuine kindness and affection.  Adults in the school provide good role models of how to be kind, friendly and welcoming. As a result, pupils welcome visitors warmly. They are polite, respectful and keen to talk about their lives and their school.  Because of the sharp focus on values throughout the curriculum, pupils not only know about British values such as tolerance and respect, but consistently demonstrate them when working with each other or with adults. School council members talk positively about their work to help improve the school.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils’ attitude to their work is typically very positive. They settle quickly to learning in lessons. Very occasionally, when tasks do not meet their needs or when teaching doesn’t stretch or challenge them effectively, their attitudes are less positive.  The majority of parents who completed the online questionnaire Parent View and those who spoke to inspectors felt that their children were safe and that behaviour was good.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well in lessons, in the playground, in the dining room and as they move around the school. A lunchtime recorder group showed how typically good pupils’ behaviour is. Pupils from different classes listened carefully to the teacher’s instructions throughout the session. None of the pupils played their instruments until the teacher gave the signal. Pupils performed enthusiastically and happily together and celebrated each other’s success.  Pupils understand the importance of attending school regularly. Attendance has improved this year.  School records show that the rare incidents of poor behaviour are dealt with swiftly and effectively by staff.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Children make good progress from their starting points when they enter the early years. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception Year has been slightly below the national average for the past two years. However, the school’s assessment information and first-hand inspection evidence show that children will achieve better results this year.  Standards following the previous inspection were significantly above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2015, they were not as good but were broadly in line with national results. Standards this year are set to rise as pupils in Year 2 are making rapid progress in reading and writing. Progress is not as consistently strong in mathematics in all classes, but most pupils are still on track to achieve what is expected by the end of Year 2. They are well prepared for the next stage of their

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Outcomes for pupils are good

education.  Year 1 pupils’ attainment in the phonics screening check has been above the national average for the past three years. Pupils in Year 1 are making good progress in phonics skills and the majority of them are working at or above what is expected for their age. School assessment information shows that attainment in the phonics screening check will rise again this year.  Gaps in the attainment of disadvantaged pupils compared with others are closing rapidly as a result of good teaching and careful planning.  The most able pupils are making good progress in all subjects because teachers have high expectations and set tasks which make them think deeply and challenge them.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making progress which is line with their classmates in reading and writing. Progress for these pupils in mathematics is less strong in Year 2. The attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has been a cause for concern

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Outcomes for pupils are good

in the past and has had a negative impact on their achievement. The school has taken effective action and as a result overall attendance is now improving.  Lower attaining pupils and those who need to catch up sometimes make less progress than they are capable of because tasks are not set at the right level or adults do not support them effectively.

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Early years provision is good

 Leadership of the early years is good. Leaders ensure that provision meets the needs of learners and that all areas of learning are planned for effectively, both inside and outside the classrooms. Leaders ensure that individual children’s progress is carefully monitored so that teaching can meet children’s needs. Children are interested and excited by the learning environment. They are keen to explore everything that the staff have carefully planned and prepared for them.  Strong teaching leads to rapid progress across the early years. Gaps between disadvantaged children and others are closing. Teachers, teaching assistants and nursery nurses are highly skilled in getting the best out of the young learners they work with. They use questioning effectively to challenge children to think for themselves and develop their reasoning skills. Children leave the early years well prepared for their time in Year 1.

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Early years provision is good

 Adults link areas of learning very effectively. For example, children made paper aeroplanes which they were very proud of. The adult working with them then helped them to use their early number skills to decide the order in which they would fly their aeroplanes. She then asked them to aim for shapes which were on the floor.  The teaching of phonics is good. Children are taught their sounds quickly and learn to apply them in reading and writing.  Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in the early years benefit from good teaching and excellent care so that they make good progress. Adults are sharply aware of the needs of all the individuals in their care and they do their best to help children achieve what they are capable of.  A strong feature of the early years is the support children give to each other. They help each other to behave well and to learn together. One child was seen negotiating sensitively with another who was

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Early years provision is good

chewing a model car. He explained to his friend that it wasn’t clean or safe.  Children are kept safe and secure in the early years. There are warm, nurturing relationships between adults and children. Adults are noticeably moved when children make significant leaps in their learning or understanding.  Children who join the early years speaking English as an additional language make very rapid progress in English because adults work hard to model language and explain vocabulary to them. They also receive excellent support from a member of staff who also speaks English as an additional language.  Transition arrangements are strong. Parents value the visits they make to school before their children start at Village Infants’ School, and home visits ensure that children get off to a good start and staff know them well. Parents are very positive about their children’s time in the early years and are keen for

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Early years provision is good

younger siblings to get a place at the school.

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School details

Unique reference number 101223 Local authority Barking and Dagenham Inspection number 10011908

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School details

This inspection 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 311 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jo Archer Headteacher Jayne Meech Telephone number 0208 270 6589 Website www.villageinfants.com Email address office@village.bardaglea.org.uk Date of previous inspection 12  13 June 2014

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Information about this school

 Village Infants’ School is larger than the average-sized infant school.  Extensive building works were taking place at the time of the inspection.  Since September 2015, the school has received support from a national leader of education and his staff.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is above average. Pupil premium funding is additional government funding to support the achievement of those who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average. The largest group of pupils are of Black African heritage and the next largest group are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.  Children in the early years are taught in two part-time Nursery classes and three full-time Reception

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Information about this school

classes.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all classes. Observations were undertaken with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with governors and with a representative of the local authority. Inspectors spoke to the national leader of education who has supported the school this year.  Meetings were held with pupils to discuss their learning and their views on the school.  All leaders met with inspectors to discuss their roles and the impact of their work.  Inspectors heard pupils read and talked to pupils in the lunch hall, in lessons, in the playground and as they moved around the building.  Inspectors attended a class assembly and a singing assembly.  Inspectors examined a range of school documents, including information on pupils’ progress across the school, improvement plans, curriculum plans and checks on the quality of teaching. They also examined school records relating to safety and behaviour.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors scrutinised books in every classroom to see what progress pupils make and to look at the impact of the guidance teachers provide.  Inspectors took account of 10 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and of information gathered from discussions with parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Ruth Dollner, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Karen Matthews Ofsted Inspector Helena Mills Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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