Caister Infant With Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Caister Infant, Nursery School and Children's Centre Kingston Avenue, Caister-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR30 5ET

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Inspection dates: 16 and 17 November 2021

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Outcome

Caister Infant, Nursery School and Children's Centre continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly, polite and welcoming. They have positive relationships with adults and each other. Pupils are kind to each other. They know what qualities make a good friend. Children in nursery enjoy playing and learning together. Children are being prepared well to start their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning and try hard in lessons. The youngest pupils are encouraged to develop independence, resilience and determination. Pupils listen well and respond to the high expectations staff have of their learning and behaviour. They understand the school rules and show respect. As a result, pupils learn and behave well in a well-resourced environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

When pupils feel anxious or upset, they know staff are there to help them. They describe how going to classroom ‘calm corners’ can help them if they feel angry or sad. Older pupils know what to do to help keep themselves safe. Bullying is rare. Pupils say that adults will help them sort out any difficulties they may have in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the importance of helping others. They raise money for a range of charities. Pupils also enjoy a range of after-school clubs such as Zumba and yoga.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Detailed curriculum plans support pupils’ learning, which starts from the early years. Leaders have thought carefully about the important knowledge they want pupils to learn in each subject. As a result, pupils achieve well across their different subjects. They enjoy their learning and behave very well in lessons. Pupils are well prepared for junior school. 16 and 17 November 2021

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Teachers check what pupils know and remember. They revisit previous learning to help pupils apply what they have learned in new or different situations. Teachers quickly identify and support any pupils who need extra help. In subjects such as mathematics, pupils develop a deep and lasting mathematical understanding of number. Pupils have plenty of opportunities to practise their learning and understanding so they can become proficient. In personal, social and health education, pupils reflect on their own learning. They enjoy opportunities to say for how well they are doing, or what they need to improve.

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Children are taught to read from arrival in Nursery or Reception. They receive high-quality phonics teaching, so children get off to a good start. Staff are well-trained to teach phonics. They make sure children listen to stories to help them gain a love of books. Pupils in key stage 1 and early years read books that match the sounds they know. Leaders quickly identify any pupils who need help to keep up with learning their sounds. These pupils are provided with the support they need. As a result, pupils become confident, fluent readers.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support. Leaders identify pupils’ needs at an early stage often in early years. Teachers ensure that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Staff have the training they need to support these pupils. Because of this, staff know how to help them be successful.

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Children get off to a strong start to their education. Staff create a positive environment for children from the age of two to feel welcome, to learn and to play. Early years staff are well trained to teach all the expected areas of children’s development and learning. Adults provide highly effective support for children’s emotional and physical development. Staff are caring, consistent and quickly establish routines that early years children willingly follow. Children learn well and are provided with the activities they need to help them prepare for the Reception year.

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Pupils’ wider development is at the heart of the school’s work. Leaders see pupils’ well- being as paramount. Pupils celebrate diversity and can explain how they value difference and uniqueness.

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Leaders check that pupils in key stage 1 attend school. Leaders work closely with families to help them understand the importance of sending their child to school. However, a small number of pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. Their attendance is not yet improving. Leaders continue to address this issue, so pupils develop good habits of attendance.

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Governors are supportive of leaders and the school community. Governors’ work in recent months has focused on the school’s response to the pandemic and safeguarding. Although governors discuss curriculum development, they are too accepting of leaders’ information without seeking further assurances, or asking further probing questions. As a result, they do not know enough about the quality of education the school provides for pupils.

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Leaders support staff well-being. Staff appreciate their caring attitude. 16 and 17 November 2021

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Parents are very positive about the work of the school. Many parents’ comments reflect the view that nothing is too much trouble for the staff, and their children thrive as a result.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make safeguarding a high priority. Staff at the school are vigilant and receive regular training to support their understanding of child protection. All staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders have well-established and strong systems for following up concerns. They work effectively with external agencies. Records for safeguarding are detailed and well maintained.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know that adults will listen and act if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online. Children in nursery demonstrate that they have positive relationships with adults. Leaders have rigorous checks on the suitability of staff to work with young children.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of pupils in key stage 1 continue to be routinely absent. This results in these pupils having gaps in their learning and knowledge. Leaders should continue to work with families to ensure that all pupils attend well.  Governors do not know enough about the quality of education because they are too accepting of what leaders tell them. Governors should ensure there are clear and robust systems in place to hold leaders to account for the quality of education being provided.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012. 16 and 17 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. 16 and 17 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10193972 Type of school Nursery/Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 June 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection in June 2016, Caister Infant and Nursery School has federated with the neighbouring junior school to form the Caister Primary Federation. In January 2022, a third school is joining the federation.  The vast majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average. The school has an on-site breakfast and after-school club which is run by the governing body.

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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. 16 and 17 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 history curriculum. 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 PSHE 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 one other governor.  The inspector considered the 87 responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey, the 87 free-text comments and the 24 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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

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Inspection team

Jo Nutbeam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 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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