Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Miss Michelle McNamee Headteacher Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseies Barley Mow Road Englefield Green Egham Surrey TW20 0NP

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

Following my visit to the school on 31 January 2018, 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 June 2013.

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

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

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

Since your appointment in September 2017, you have led the school with passion and a commitment to ensure that the school fulfils its core aim of providing ‘excellence in early education’. Your ambition and high expectations are shared by governors and staff. Parents and carers speak highly of your leadership and are appreciative of the new initiatives that you have introduced to support pupils’ learning at home. One parent commented that your, ‘passion for getting the best out of everyone was clear from the start’.

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

Pupils enjoy school and are enthusiastic about their learning. In early years, there is a plethora of indoor and outdoor activities available for children to explore. Children communicate well with each other during group activities and listen well to adult instruction. When asked what they most enjoy about coming to Nursery, one child commented that they enjoy Nursery because, ‘this is where we learn’. As a result, children in early years make strong progress in all aspects of their learning.

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

You and governors have successfully identified the school’s strengths and weaknesses through an accurate self-evaluation process. You have identified what the school needs to do to improve and have clear plans in place to address key areas. For example, you have identified the need to improve pupils’ outcomes in mathematics and improve the attendance of groups of pupils. You make good use of the support provided by your school improvement adviser. For instance, you have worked well together to develop middle leadership roles and leaders’ understanding of the subjects they manage.

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

Governors meet with you and other school leaders to challenge and question leaders about how well current pupils are performing. For example, they ensure that additional funding, including that for disadvantaged pupils, is spent effectively.

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

At the time of the last inspection, inspectors highlighted the many strengths of the school, including the quality of teaching and learning in Nursery and Reception. They also identified the need for leaders to ensure that the school’s assessment system for tracking pupils’ progress identifies quickly when pupils are falling behind and that teachers consistently correct errors in how pupils record their number work. Leaders have dealt with these matters successfully. Teachers accurately identify pupils’ misconceptions, and most pupils are making good progress across a range of subjects. Precise tracking of how well pupils are doing has ensured that leaders swiftly identify any pupil at risk of falling behind.

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

School leaders and governors have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Staff understand the importance of reporting any concerns and know how to take action if they are worried about the well-being of pupils. Leaders’ checks on staff members’ understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities ensure that pupils are safe at school.

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

You take your role as designated safeguarding lead incredibly seriously. You liaise effectively with external agencies to support vulnerable pupils and their families beyond the limits of the school gate, keeping meticulous records, which you review regularly. You have recently introduced changes to the way that staff record behaviour incidents. Consequently, staff consider any change in a pupil’s demeanour as a possible safeguarding concern.

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Short inspection of Englefield Green Infant School and Nurseries

Governors take their responsibilities to safeguard pupils seriously. They carry out regular, well-informed checks on the school’s safeguarding systems, and provide support and challenge to leaders when necessary.

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Inspection findings

 During this inspection, we agreed to look at: the effectiveness of safeguarding; the impact of leaders’ responses to the decline in standards in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 1 in 2017; how leaders are ensuring that disadvantaged pupils are supported to achieve well; and how the school is addressing pupils’ poor attendance.  Historically, pupils’ outcomes at key stage 1 have been broadly in line with the national average. However, in 2017, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics dropped below this level. Leaders have taken effective action to halt any further decline, and scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that most pupils are working at age-related expectations and making good progress.  Leaders identify that consistency in the quality of teaching across the school needs to improve, particularly in mathematics. Leaders have worked well with teachers to implement strategies to address this issue and have sought

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Inspection findings

appropriate training to support staff. For example, a recent review of the mathematics curriculum has led to a deepening of pupils’ knowledge, which is evident in the standard of work that pupils produce. However, teachers’ planning does not always meet the needs of individual pupils. Consequently, not all pupils make the progress of which they are capable, particularly in mathematics.  Leaders’ review of the school’s pupil premium strategy has ensured that disadvantaged pupils now receive the support they need in order for them to achieve well. Leaders’ use of additional funding enables staff to identify and tackle successfully the barriers to learning that disadvantaged pupils face. As a result, the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is closing in most subjects. In spite of this, you know that the rate at which these gaps are closing needs to continue to improve if disadvantaged pupils are to catch up quickly.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils’ attendance is improving. Leaders have high expectations and communicate these effectively to staff, parents and pupils. For example, the importance of attending school features regularly in school newsletters, and you have recently adopted a more rigid approach to authorising any term-time absence. Because of this, rates of attendance, particularly among girls, have improved. However, you are aware that there is still more to be done in order to replicate this improvement for disadvantaged pupils.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 leaders continue the relentless drive to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils so that they make rapid progress and attain better by the end of key stage

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Next steps for the school

 teaching is consistently effective and enables an increased proportion of pupils to reach the higher standard at the end of key stage 1, particularly in mathematics  pupils’ attendance, including that of disadvantaged pupils, continues to rise.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Surrey. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

I met with you and your deputy headteacher at the start of the day. We discussed your evaluation of the school’s effectiveness and agreed the key areas I would focus on during the inspection. During the day, I held further discussions with you, met with the chair and two other members of the governing body and spoke to the school’s improvement adviser. I observed learning and scrutinised pupils’ work with you and your deputy headteacher in a number of lessons. I took account of 18 staff survey responses and 64 responses by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. I spoke with parents before school and with staff and pupils throughout the day. I analysed a range of the school’s documentation, including leaders’ checks on pupils’ progress, that on the quality of teaching and learning, and safeguarding policies and procedures.

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