Stourfield Infant School

Inspection of Stourfield Infant School Cranleigh Road, Southbourne, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH6 5JS

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 October 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Ofsted has not previously inspected Stourfield Infant School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Stourfield Infant School to be outstanding, before it opened as an academy. From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened in Stourfield Infant School’s effectiveness before and after it converted to academy status. 20 and 21 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers ensure there is a sharp focus on every pupil learning to read. As a result, pupils are starting to catch up and do better with their reading. In mathematics, pupils are learning what they should and keeping up with it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children experience a broad curriculum in Reception. Elsewhere in the school, pupils study a full range of subjects. However, pupils learn more in some subjects than others. Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. For some other pupils, however, the curriculum is not demanding enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. Many are attentive in class. However, sometimes pupils find it difficult to concentrate because the work they are being asked to do does not build well on what they already know and can do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and attend well. They feel safe and are adamant that bullying does not happen. Pupils enjoy the many resources to play with at lunchtimes. Staff extend the curriculum to include charity events and raise the profile of mental health. However, there are only limited opportunities for pupils to gain responsibilities in and around school.

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better?

The school is improving after a significant dip in its performance. The trust’s work is bringing about many school-wide improvements. Subject leaders are developing their leadership roles and responsibilities well. School leaders use their strong subject knowledge effectively to provide coaching and curriculum support to develop teachers’ skills. Consequently, more pupils are benefitting from a solid grounding in their education. However, some pupils do not learn enough across a range of subjects. The quality of education pupils receive is not good.

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better?

Leaders are taking the right actions to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Notably, leaders’ recent work is ensuring that these pupils study every curriculum subject. Leaders are proactive in seeking specialist advice and sharing their expertise with staff. Consequently, some teaching skilfully supports pupils with SEND in class. However, some teaching is not so successful in doing so.

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better?

Much work is underway to improve the curriculum. In Reception, as a result of recent training and support, teaching is beginning to secure the foundations of a full and rich curriculum. Training for support staff in early years, however, is at an early stage. These staff do not have all the necessary subject knowledge they need. There is too little focus on developing children’s vocabulary. In Years 1 and 2, staff appreciate the comprehensive training they receive. Nonetheless, the impact of this work is much more evident in reading and mathematics than in other subjects. Pupils do well in mathematics and enjoy it. 20 and 21 October 2021

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Many pupils entered Years 1 and 2 needing to catch up with reading. Leaders’ work to retrain all staff in the teaching of phonics is almost complete. Staff are reteaching the sounds that pupils did not secure previously, and this is increasing pupils’ fluency in reading. There are early signs that many pupils are catching up.

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In some subjects, curriculum plans include the correct content sequenced in the right order. Leaders’ recent work to upgrade subject plans in geography and physical education (PE) is taking shape. There is an appropriate emphasis on physical development in the early years. There are lots of opportunities for children to develop balance, core strength, and gross and fine motor skills. However, teachers are at varying stages of implementing new and better plans across many subjects. This means that pupils do not know and remember everything they should in every subject.

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Leaders are ensuring that staff’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour are on the rise. In many classes, there is a calm environment in which to learn. However, when teachers do not use their assessments of what pupils know and understand well enough, they do not ensure that sequences of work meet pupils’ needs consistently well. So, pupils’ concentration wanes or a few pupils get frustrated and interrupt learning.

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The curriculum develops pupils’ sense of right and wrong and the importance of being inclusive. Pupils learn about keeping fit and healthy. The pastoral support pupils receive is improving. Pupils’ understanding of life in modern Britain, however, is still developing.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Pupils learn about keeping safe, including online. Leaders and staff know how to spot signs when pupils are at risk or need help and support. Staff use the school’s recording systems proficiently to report concerns. Designated safeguarding leaders make timely referrals and work with determination to seek appropriate support to minimise pupils’ risk of harm. The Trust commissions additional safeguarding audits to assure itself that pupils are safe. However, staff are not as tenacious in their follow up when vulnerable pupils are absent.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not use their assessments well enough. Sequences of work do not always build on what pupils already know. Some pupils get stuck, others are not moved on in their learning when they are ready. Leaders need to ensure that all staff confidently adapt their teaching plans to meet pupils’ needs consistently well. 20 and 21 October 2021

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 Teaching, including in the early years, is not consistently based on strong subject knowledge across the curriculum. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that all teaching is built on strong subject knowledge in every subject.  Leaders’ work to revamp the content and sequencing of curriculum plans in many subjects is relatively new and, therefore, it is too early to see widespread impact. Pupils, including those with SEND, do not learn enough in every subject. Leaders need to ensure that pupils read well and gain the knowledge they need in every subject.  Some interactions with children in the early years do not support children’s language development well enough. There is too little focus on getting children talking and widening their vocabulary across the curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that children leave Reception as confident speakers, with wide-ranging

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vocabulary, and ready for Year 1.  There are inconsistencies in teachers’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour. While many pupils are attentive in lessons, some pupils find it difficult to sustain their concentration when sequences of work do not match their needs. Leaders must ensure that staff expectations of pupils’ behaviour are consistently positive in every class.  The school’s work to provide strong and effective pastoral support and help pupils become young and responsible citizens is developing. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum enables all pupils to develop as confident young citizens who have a consistently strong understanding of life in modern Britain.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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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.

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Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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Inspection number 10199361 Type of school Infant

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Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 There have been considerable changes to leadership and staffing since the school converted to an academy.  The executive special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) started working at the school in March 2021 in an advisory role. She took up post in September 2021. She also works at another school in the trust.  The Trust’s central school improvement team is providing internal school support to improve the school’s effectiveness  There is a local advisory board. The chair of the advisory board is a trustee.  The school is part of Twynham Learning. This is a multi-academy trust of two secondary schools and four primary schools in the local area of Christchurch.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation. 20 and 21 October 2021

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 Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, central trust staff, including the chair of trustees, chief executive officer, and members of the local advisory board.  Inspectors also talked to other school staff, including teachers who are early in their career.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, PE, and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning, and considered samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked more widely at subject plans and talked to the English, computing, history, science, and music subject leaders, to review their roles and responsibilities and ascertain whether pupils complete their programmes of study in a full range of subjects.  Inspectors met with the executive SENCo, to consider the quality of provision for

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pupils with SEND.  Inspectors considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  Inspectors considered 22 responses to the Ofsted staff survey alongside 109 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 77 free-text responses from parents and carers.

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Inspection team

Julie Carrington, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Debbie Tregellas Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 October 2021

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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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