St Michael and All Angels CofE Infant School

Inspection of a good school: St Michael and All Angels CofE Infant School High Street, Lyndhurst, Hampshire SO43 7BB

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Outcome

St Michael and All Angels CofE Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff are a united team, from the executive headteacher to the staff who provide lunches for pupils. All are determined to provide the best education for pupils. This is true for pupils’ learning and their personal development. Several parents recognised this. One said, ‘I really like that the school develops a strong moral character as well as good academic progress.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like coming to school. One said, ‘You feel safe and teachers help you learn a lot.’ Pupils enjoy learning and achieve well in a range of subjects. They are well prepared to move on to junior school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone cares for each other, including children for their classmates, and this leads to a happy community. Bullying is not tolerated. Staff deal with any bullying as soon as there are any signs of it. Pupils behave well. They are polite and respectful and work hard in lessons. Just occasionally, pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime is not as calm. Leaders are fully aware of this and are taking action to make sure that pupils behave well wherever they are in school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

There have been some big changes in the school recently, including a new executive headteacher. What has not changed is that everyone wants the best for pupils here.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have developed a curriculum that meets the needs of pupils at this school well. It is closely matched to the national curriculum. Teachers make sure that pupils can read, write and use mathematics confidently. The curriculum is interesting and appropriate for pupils. Where possible, topics are based on the locality. Leaders have sequenced the curriculum carefully so that pupils build on their previous learning. For example, in geography, pupils in Year 1 learn about the village of Lyndhurst. In Year 2, they go on to learn about the wider area and the lives and work of people in the New Forest. The same is true in other subjects. However, pupils have very few opportunities to make 15 October 2019

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connections between writing and mathematics and other subjects.

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Pupils learn to read well. From the moment that children start school in Reception, they begin learning phonics. Teachers plan carefully, so that most pupils can build their skills and become fluent readers quickly. The school has bought many new books for pupils to read and take home. However, books that some pupils take home are occasionally too hard for them to read confidently. They are not matched well enough to pupils’ capabilities in phonics.

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The curriculum meets the needs of all pupils. This includes the most able, disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers assess pupils’ learning carefully and use this information to plan next steps. Pupils with SEND have opportunities to practise and reinforce their learning. Similarly, when reading to the class, teachers ask probing questions. This helps all pupils to understand and be included.

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The curriculum provides well for pupils’ personal development. Pupils understand that friends can come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs. In an assembly, pupils learned that ‘although we are all so different, we all belong together’. Pupils enjoy doing jobs in the school. For example, pupils in Year 2 take turns to be play leaders. They check that other pupils are happy on the playground and have friends to play with. Pupils also raise money for different charities. This helps them to be aware of the needs of people outside of the school.

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Pupils generally behave well, especially in lessons. Just a few pupils struggle to behave, but their needs are well understood by teachers. These pupils receive effective support to manage their behaviour. At times, behaviour on the playground does not match the high standards seen in lessons. Leaders are fully aware of this and are working on it.

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Children in the early years get off to a strong start in school. They are happy and friendly, getting on well with adults and classmates alike. Staff make sure that children learn well across the early years curriculum. Teachers plan learning carefully, making sure that they consider each child’s needs. Children quickly become interested, inquisitive learners. By the end of their first year in school, children are well prepared to join Year 1.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have a thorough understanding of safeguarding. All the right policies and procedures are in place to make sure that pupils are kept safe in school. Leaders know the local area and the risks that children here face, making sure that pupils are kept safe. Adults who work in the school fully embrace their role in keeping pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that everyone who works at the school has up-to-date training. This covers all aspects of safeguarding. As a result, everyone understands how to recognise any concerns about a pupil’s welfare. Staff report any concerns promptly. 15 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have wisely invested in reading books so that there is a large selection for pupils to practise reading at home. When pupils have books with words that they can fully decode, they grow in confidence and fluency. The small number who do not have the right book struggle to read books that are too hard for them. Leaders should make sure that all pupils, especially those who struggle to read or are in the early stages of learning to read, have fully decodable books to practise reading.  The wider curriculum enables pupils to acquire subject-specific knowledge and skills. Pupils also achieve well in writing and mathematics. However, leaders should make sure that pupils have opportunities to make connections between subjects across the curriculum.  Behaviour on the playground does not always match the high standards seen at other times in school. Leaders should continue the work that they have started to make sure

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

that pupils behave equally well throughout the school day.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 2–3 March 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 15 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111259 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Mathew Bowen (executive headteacher)

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School details

Website www.oakscelearningfederation.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 January 2016

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Information about this school

 St Michael and All Angels is designated as a Church of England aided primary school.  The school is part of the Oaks CE Learning Federation. It comprises three infant schools in the local area.  There have been changes in the senior leadership of the school since the previous inspection. The head of learning joined the school in January 2019. The executive headteacher joined the federation in September 2019.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the executive headteacher and head of learning regularly throughout the inspection. Meetings were held with four governors – including the chair of governors. An inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority on the telephone.  Inspectors focused in depth on reading, mathematics and art. The deep dives consisted of a number of linked activities to gather evidence about how well pupils are helped to gain knowledge and skills. These included a discussion with the executive headteacher and meetings with the leaders of each of these subjects. Inspectors visited lessons in all classes. An inspector also spoke to pupils and teachers from these lessons and 15 October 2019

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looked at their work. These work scrutinies were carried out with subject leaders.  Inspectors spoke to pupils and staff throughout the inspection to reach an understanding of the school’s safeguarding arrangements. An inspector had a meeting with the headteacher to discuss how the school keeps pupils safe. Safeguarding was also discussed at the meeting with governors. An inspector also looked at various documents relating to safeguarding, including a case study of a vulnerable pupil.  Inspectors considered the 30 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey. In addition, the 17 responses to the staff survey and the 12 responses to the pupil survey were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Bruce Waelend, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kevin Burrell Ofsted Inspector 15 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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