Gorse Ride Infants' School

Inspection of a good school: Gorse Ride Infants’ School Gorse Ride South, Finchampstead, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 4EH

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Outcome

Gorse Ride Infants’ School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Gorse Ride Infant School receive a good start to their education. Pupils are happy because they feel safe and secure. They know that adults in the school are ready to help them when they need it. Pupils and staff appreciate the ordered, well-equipped environment and make good use of it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about the lessons that teachers plan for them. Staff make sure that they use pupils’ interests and school values as a basis for learning. Lessons interest pupils and are well taught. As a result, pupils learn and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The early years provision is a strength of the school. The indoor and outdoor areas are creatively resourced. Children make the most of the carefully chosen activities and have lots of opportunities to practise their reading, writing and number skills. Well-trained adults support them. Children who need extra support are quickly identified, and help is put in place.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across the school, staff have high expectations of behaviour, and pupils respond to these. Pupils arrive at school eager to learn, and the school buzzes with purposeful activity. Parents and carers are very positive about their children’s experiences and describe the school as a place where children thrive.

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

Over the past year, senior leaders have prioritised the teaching of English and mathematics across the school. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable leaders lead these subjects well. In some areas, leaders have sought outside support, and the school has benefited from the input of a headteacher adviser.

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

The mathematics curriculum is well established. Pupils enjoy their lessons and can explain how their learning builds on what they have covered before. Teachers use a variety of teaching methods to support pupils’ learning and revisit concepts taught earlier in the 26–27 November 2019

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year. A range of resources are used effectively. Pupils learn well and can often work independently.

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Although standards in reading at the end of Year 2 are below those seen nationally, the teaching of reading is rapidly improving. Across the school, the teaching of phonics is well sequenced. A relatively new approach is helping pupils to learn quicker and remember what they have learned. The leader has ensured that all staff have received comprehensive training and are well supported.

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The school promotes reading in many ways, including close involvement with the local library and inviting parents in to hear pupils read and share books. This has increased pupils’ enthusiasm about reading and sharing stories with their friends and adults at school and at home. Leaders have invested in providing good-quality books that pupils can read alone.

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Leaders have a clear understanding of how they want to link learning in the early years with key stage 1 and prepare pupils for learning in key stage 2. However, in some subjects, the curriculum is not fully developed. Content is well taught, and pupils enjoy their lessons. However, not all lessons naturally build upon each other to provide the knowledge that pupils need to learn more in the future. Senior leaders are well aware of which subjects are weaker. Whole-school training and excellent coaching from the acting deputy head are taking place to support leaders and teachers further.

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Pupils’ behaviour is superb. Pupils are kind and caring towards each other and focus on their learning. The use of ‘silent signals’ and carefully embedded routines ensures that pupils and teachers make the best use of lesson time. Minor disruptions in lessons are dealt with quickly. Teaching assistants sensitively support a range of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Lessons are well adapted to allow all pupils with SEND to succeed. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a detailed knowledge of the pupils in the school who need additional support. She supports teachers and leaders in implementing plans and organising extra learning for pupils.

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The local area is currently undergoing regeneration and this has led to fluctuations in school numbers. Pupils often leave or join the school during the school year. Leaders want the best for the pupils, and the headteacher and chair of governors work tirelessly to engage other agencies to assist pupils and families. Staff work hard and are positive about their workload and the support they receive. Staff are passionate about teaching and giving all pupils in the school the opportunity to do the very best they can.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff take pupils’ welfare and safety seriously. Staff are well trained to quickly identify pupils who are at risk of harm or need early help. Records are efficiently kept and checked. 26–27 November 2019

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Designated safeguarding leaders make timely referrals. Leaders are quick to offer support to families and are prepared to challenge agencies if pupils are not getting the help they need.

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Pupils feel safe in school and state that there are adults they can talk to if they are worried. Adults help pupils to look after themselves by sensitively teaching them to stay safe in the community and online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some areas of the curriculum have been effectively developed over the past year by experienced and enthusiastic leaders. However, some leaders are less experienced. Established leaders need to ensure that those new to leadership are given the support that they require to plan and fully introduce a sequenced and well-structured approach to the teaching of specific subject knowledge.  All pupils are ready for the next stage of education in terms of the experiences they have had and the learning opportunities that are offered to them. However, teachers and leaders need to ensure that pupils’ gaps in core knowledge, due to mobility and historically weaker teaching, are addressed quickly and effectively.  The changing demographic of the school cohort has put increased pressure on leadership, resources and staff. The school should continue to seek external support in order to address pupils’ changing needs and strive to maintain a secure leadership

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

team structure that can support staff, families and pupils.

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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 February 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. 26–27 November 2019

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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.

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Further information

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. 26–27 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111349 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.gorseride-jun.wokingham.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 March 2016

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Information about this school

 Gorse Ride Infants’ School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. It was federated with Gorse Ride Junior School in 2012. The schools are led by an executive headteacher and operate under the same governing body. Some staff work across both schools, for example the SENCo and the school business manager. However, the schools are financed and inspected individually. Pupils have to apply to transfer from the infant school to the junior school.  The proportion of pupils who receive special educational needs support is above the national average .  The housing around the school is currently undergoing regeneration. This is leading to a much higher level of mobility, due to families being either temporarily or permanently moved out of the area and some existing homes being used as emergency housing.  The staffing structure and leadership roles were recently reorganised, and changes were introduced in September 2019. The deputy head is currently on maternity leave

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Information about this school

and the foundation stage leader is acting deputy.

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Information about this inspection

 The subjects considered as part of this inspection were reading, mathematics and 26–27 November 2019

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history. I carried out deep dives into these subjects. This included meetings with senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers. I looked at curriculum plans and pupils’ work, visiting lessons and speaking with pupils from those lessons about their learning. I also heard pupils reading to adults in school. In addition, meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, the SENCo, the school business manager and teaching assistants.  I met with four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. I also met with a member of the local authority school improvement board and the school’s learning alliance partner.  Several documents were scrutinised, including records relating to behaviour and attendance and safeguarding information.  I took account of the 66 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, including over 30 written comments. I also met informally with parents.

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 I took account of the 30 responses to the Ofsted staff survey and 46 responses to the pupil survey.  During many of these activities, I spoke to pupils and staff about the culture of safeguarding in the school and whether they felt safe and cared for. I checked that all safeguarding documentation was complete, up to date and regularly checked. I also spoke to leaders about their work with outside agencies to support pupils and families.

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Inspection team

Tracy Good, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 26–27 November 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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