Chandler's Ford Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Chandler’s Ford Infant School Kings Road, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO53 2EY

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Outcome

Chandler’s Ford Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel this is a friendly school where everyone is kind to each other. They love learning because their teachers make lessons interesting and fun. Pupils enjoy their lessons most when they can learn outdoors. Teachers make a point of doing this whenever it is helpful to pupils’ learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The headteacher and her team want the very best for each pupil. They value pupils’ individual differences. Teaching staff go to great lengths to ensure that all pupils experience success. Close home-school partnerships help pupils to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents say that the school feels ‘family-friendly’. They appreciate the extent to which teachers know their children so well and meet their needs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a settled environment where pupils feel safe to learn and play. Teachers expect pupils to behave well and they do so. Pupils understand the rules and keep to them. They say that there is no bullying. They learn how to talk about their feelings. This helps them to tell a trusted adult if there is anything that concerns them.

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

Senior leaders and governors set high standards in all aspects of the school’s work. The staff team enjoys working at the school. Teachers say that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. As a result, expert staff ensure that all pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. In these subjects, teachers make skilful day-to-day assessments of pupils’ learning. They make changes to lessons that help pupils to build upon what they already know and can do. Teachers do this particularly well in mathematics. It is not surprising that so many pupils say that mathematics is their favourite lesson.

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

The headteacher’s firm stance on teaching pupils to read means that the school’s approach is ambitious and thorough. All teaching staff are well trained to teach phonics. They expect children to know their sounds by the end of the Reception Year. In Year 1, pupils quickly 22–23 October 2019

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build on these to become fluent and confident readers. Where pupils are less successful, they receive extra help, for example by reading to an adult every day. Pupils love books and stories. They join in their twice daily story times with enthusiasm.

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In mathematics, teachers know each pupil’s next steps in learning. Reception children develop confidence with numbers by learning through well-designed play opportunities. Already, they can use mathematical apparatus to match the numbers they know. In key stage 1, teachers give pupils practical opportunities to extend their understanding. By Year 2, pupils can solve problems and give reasons for their answers. They have learned to record their findings in different ways. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make strong progress. They have similar tasks to the rest of the class, adapted to match their needs.

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Pupils learn well because, linked to the school’s agreed policy, teachers plan interesting and creative topics. They develop positive attitudes to learning. Following a visit to the church, for example, Year 2 pupils considered why it is a special place for Christians. They were articulate when asking questions and giving their views. They explained why the artefacts they saw are special to some people, including other pupils in their class, but not to others.

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Curriculum leaders have developed most subjects to make the planning as effective as it is in English and mathematics. Teachers are clear about the knowledge and skills that pupils will develop as they move through the school. The school’s work to develop the curriculum is not fully complete in all subjects. For example, a few leaders are new to their subject areas. They have not yet had the opportunity to lead training to help teachers to be expert in their subject.

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Interesting activities outside of the school day appeal to pupils’ interests. The school encourages disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND to take part. All pupils can take positions of responsibility. These include being monitors, school representatives and lunchtime ‘mini-chefs’.

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Learning activities in the Reception Year ensure that children get off to a good start. Children’s play helps them to practise their learning in reading, writing and mathematics. They are keen to explore and investigate in their well-planned environment.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders recognise the school’s role in keeping children safe. They work thoughtfully with vulnerable pupils and their families, helping them to get the support they need. Staff are well trained and are quick to identify and deal with concerns. They are vigilant and follow the school’s procedures for reporting concerns well. Governors check that staff training is effective and up to date.

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Safeguarding

During the inspection the school held an ‘unplugged’ week when technology was not used. This event marked the start of the school’s e-safety programme when pupils will learn how to be safe online. 22–23 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Senior leaders place a high priority on the opportunities that the wider curriculum subjects provide. Work to develop the curriculum is well under way. To implement fully the school’s vision of helping pupils to achieve future success, senior leaders need to continue developing subject leaders to have a greater influence over the quality and content of the learning that takes place.  Teachers are clear about the attitudes to learning that pupils should develop. In most subject areas, they have worked out which skills pupils will have the opportunity to apply. However, in a few subjects there is less precision about the knowledge that pupils will learn and be helped to remember as they move through the school. To support pupils’ achievement further, curriculum planning in each subject needs to help teachers to be clear about the skills, knowledge and understanding that pupils will develop.

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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 Chandler’s Ford Infant School to be good on 15 June 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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 22–23 October 2019

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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. 22–23 October 2019

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.chandlersford-inf.hants.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 January 2016

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher was appointed to the school in January 2017.  Since the previous inspection there has been a new chair of governors and several other new governors.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, I met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. One of them accompanied me on all class visits. I also met with curriculum leaders, teachers and talked to other staff.  I met with five members of the governing body, including the chair. I spoke on the telephone to a representative of the local authority.  I reviewed the school’s safeguarding processes. This included scrutiny of the school’s recruitment checks on staff, governors and volunteers. In addition, I discussed safeguarding with leaders and saw how they maintain their record-keeping.  In addition to speaking to a number of parents and carers at the end of the school day, I took into account 54 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 38 written comments. I also took considered responses from 22 staff who 22–23 October 2019

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completed Ofsted’s survey. There were no responses to the pupil questionnaire. To gain their views of the school, I spoke with pupils during break- and lunchtimes.  A wide range of school documents were considered, including some that are published on the school’s website.  I did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and religious education. I visited lessons in all classes, including for Reception children, and I looked at the way that the school supports pupils with SEND. I spoke to teachers and pupils about teaching and learning and I listened to a small number of Year 1 and 2 pupils reading to a familiar adult.

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Inspection team

Linda Jacobs, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 22–23 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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