South Wootton Infant School

Inspection of a good school: South Wootton Infant School 9 Church Lane, South Wootton, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 3LJ

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 2021

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Outcome

South Wootton Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel safe and are friendly and polite. They respond well to the high expectations staff have of their learning and behaviour. Classrooms are calm and purposeful places in which to learn. From an early age, pupils develop their independence and resilience. Pupils told inspectors that they understand what bullying means. They said that they believed it does not happen here. Pupils are confident staff will help them if they are worried.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop healthy lifestyles. There is a good range of sports activities open to all pupils. Pupils told the inspector how much they enjoy ‘fit Friday’ when there is a focus on exercising and being healthy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils support a range of charities and understand the importance of helping others. They know what showing respect means and why their school needs to have rules. Pupils enjoy the responsibilities given to them by staff, such as being on the student council or reading to the whole class.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Many parents’ comments reflect the view that the staff at the school go ‘above and beyond’ to support pupils and their families.

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

Since the previous inspection, leaders have rewritten the curriculum plans for all subjects. These plans set out precisely what pupils should know in all subjects from early years to Year 2. There are clear and ambitious learning goals for pupils to achieve by the time they transfer to the next stage in their education. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are able to access the same curriculum as their peers. Effective assessments help staff check what pupils know and remember. 9 and 10 November 2021

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Curriculum plans support pupils’ learning. The mathematics curriculum, for example, is designed to help pupils develop a deep and lasting mathematical understanding. Pupils are challenged and achieve well. Support is readily available for any pupils who need it. Regular opportunities to revisit prior learning are included in planning. These help pupils to apply what they have learned in new situations.

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In some subjects, leaders have checked the implementation of the new curriculum plans and know pupils remember more. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some subject leaders have not had the opportunity to check how well the new curriculum plans are delivered or how effective they are.

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Opportunities to discuss learning using important subject-specific vocabulary are built into the curriculum design across all subjects. For example, in art, pupils can discuss mixing colours using appropriate vocabulary and then demonstrate their understanding by accurately mixing colours in their artwork.

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Leaders and staff promote a love of books and reading throughout the school. Reading areas are inviting spaces. Pupils spoke with enthusiasm of their twice-weekly visits to the school library. Younger pupils enjoyed sharing books they had made. Older pupils spoke about the books they are reading in class. For example, pupils described how author Anthony Browne puts secrets in his books to make them exciting.

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There is a well-planned phonics scheme. Most pupils learn to read well. Teachers make regular checks on the sounds pupils have remembered. Pupils who need extra help with early reading, including pupils with SEND, get support in class to keep up with their peers. Many pupils access appropriate books to help them with their phonics knowledge. However, on occasions, some pupils do not receive books that match the sounds they know. This makes it difficult for these pupils to read these books fluently.

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Leaders understand the needs of pupils with SEND. They have ensured that staff have the training and expertise to accurately identify and support pupils with additional needs. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well alongside their peers.

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The school is a safe and nurturing environment. Leaders ensure that pupils’ well-being is at the heart of the school’s work. Younger pupils can use the ‘Colour Monster’ to show how they are feeling. This helps them listen to each other and care for the children around them. Older pupils are confident that there is always an adult who will listen to any worries they have and help them.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They are valued and well supported. As a result, staff morale is high.

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Governors are proud of the school. Some of their usual monitoring visits have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Governors are aware of this and know that they need to work with leaders to continue to develop an evaluation of the effectiveness of the school’s curriculum. 9 and 10 November 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is given the utmost priority. Staff at the school are vigilant and receive training to support their understanding of safeguarding. Leaders ensure that staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil. Leaders have established secure systems for raising and following up concerns.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say that they feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. For example, pupils learn how to stay safe online. They can apply what they have learned, such as telling an adult if they are worried and blocking people online who they do not know.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that all of the weakest readers receive reading books that match the sounds they know. As a result, some pupils are not developing the skills to become fluent readers. Leaders should ensure that all books chosen for pupils are well matched to the sounds pupils have learned.  Leaders have reviewed and rewritten the curriculum since the previous inspection. In some subjects, leaders have not had the opportunity to monitor how effectively plans are being implemented. As a result, leaders do not know whether all foundation subjects in the curriculum are as effective as they should be. Leaders should ensure that all subject leaders are able to check the effectiveness of all plans so they know how well pupils are achieving throughout the curriculum.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2016. 9 and 10 November 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 9 and 10 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10193991 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.southwootton-inf.norfolk.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 and 23 June 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average school.

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Information about this school

 The vast majority of pupils are White British.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding is below the national average.

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Information about this school

 The school has an on-site breakfast club which is run by the governing body.

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation. 9 and 10 November 2021

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other school leaders. The inspector also met with a range of teaching and support staff.  The inspector evaluated the quality of education by looking in detail at the early reading, mathematics and art curriculums. The inspector visited lessons, spoke to pupils, looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and spoke to staff. The inspector also discussed curriculum plans for humanities with the subject leader.  The inspector evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding. The school’s single central record was reviewed. The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and spoke to pupils and staff.  The inspector spoke with the chair of governors and three other governors.  The inspector took account of the 57 responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey, the 57 free-text comments and the 17 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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 The inspector met with pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to pupils informally about the school.

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Inspection team

Jo Nutbeam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 November 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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