Parkland Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Parkland Infant School Brassey Avenue, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN22 9QJ

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Outcome

Parkland Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parkland Infant School is a vibrant, caring and happy school where there is a strong sense of community. Pupils and staff feel valued and love coming to school. Parents are very supportive of the school. They commented on the warm environment and the friendly staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the many extra-curricular activities such as the singing, football and science clubs. Many pupils say that the animal welfare club is their favourite. Pupils relish the opportunity to feed and care for the school ducks and chickens. They love walking and brushing the school llamas. Pupils eagerly participate in their interesting lessons. They are keen to learn. For example, pupils enjoyed making maps of their local area and finding out where Eastbourne fits into the United Kingdom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They recognise the importance of kindness and following the ‘rainbow rules’. Pupils feel safe in school. One pupil said, ‘We look out for each other.’ Pupils trust the adults in the school and know that they can talk to anyone if they are worried. Leaders have consistently high expectations. Pupils and staff respond well to these. Staff are exceptionally supportive of each other and work together for the benefit of all pupils.

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

Leaders and teachers view being able to read as ‘the gateway to learning’ and place it at the heart of the school and the curriculum. A well-planned and structured approach to reading is in place. As a result, pupils value books and stories. Children in Reception quickly learn the sounds that letters represent. They blend these sounds well to read words. This strong practice continues throughout the school and pupils swiftly learn to read fluently. Any weaker readers receive the right support to help them catch up, while maintaining their excitement about stories and books.

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

School leaders are supported by a local governing body and a multi-academy trust that are passionate about their roles. They recognise the dedication of staff and the speed at which substantial changes have occurred to provide pupils with an exciting learning 7 and 8 December 2021

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experience. They support leaders by regularly checking on the development of the curriculum. The right questions are asked to ensure pupils learn well. This means that school leaders feel well challenged and supported.

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Leaders in early years have clearly outlined what they expect children in Reception to learn. All adults in Reception contribute positively to children’s learning. They ensure an exciting and memorable start to the children’s time at Parkland. The provision is well equipped and children have access to a wide range of appropriate resources. Children are quick to select an activity and are able to concentrate and focus for extended periods. Reading and mathematics are promoted throughout the provision. Children actively select these activities for their independent learning. The outside provision is well equipped and provides additional opportunities for children to practise a range of skills and demonstrate knowledge.

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Learning is built upon in key stage 1. In many subjects, such as mathematics, geography and computing, the curriculum is well planned and sequenced. Staff receive high-quality training and support from leaders in the school and across the trust. As a result, the curriculum is well structured and subject knowledge is strong. This helps teachers deliver lively and engaging lessons with confidence. Pupils’ misconceptions are quickly identified and addressed. However, occasionally, the work given to pupils is not sufficiently demanding and new knowledge is not integrated into larger ideas. Leaders are aware of where these occasions occur and have a comprehensive approach in place to address these.

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Pupils concentrate well and show very positive attitudes towards their learning. Attendance is high within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff skilfully support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They ensure that these pupils’ needs are met and that they are fully included in all aspects of school life.

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Leaders plan carefully for pupils’ wider development. Pupils learn to respect and care about others through their involvement with commemorative events, such as Remembrance Day, and through collecting for national and local charities. Pupils are taught to understand right from wrong. They respond well to praise, follow instructions and engage well with adults and their peers. Staff give well-being and behaviour support to pupils who need it.

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Staff are happy at Parkland. They are very complimentary about leaders’ support in managing their workload and supporting them professionally and emotionally. Staff are proud to work at this inclusive, caring school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture in the school. Staff receive suitable training and understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep pupils safe. Leaders quickly identify pupils who need help and support. When required, appropriate external agencies are contacted to support the needs of individual pupils and their families. 7 and 8 December 2021

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The school has well-trained safeguarding leads who support staff and give advice when necessary. Governors check that the school keeps detailed records on the suitability of staff to work in school. Through the curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While the curriculum intent is very clear, it is not yet being implemented consistently across all subjects. Sometimes, pupils do not always have opportunities to complete work that is sufficiently demanding. Leaders should continue their work to raise the implementation of the curriculum to an exceptional level in all subjects. This would ensure that work is increasingly challenging for all pupils and knowledge is integrated into larger ideas.

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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 predecessor school, Parkland Infant School, to be good in December 2015.

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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. 7 and 8 December 2021

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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. 7 and 8 December 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10203161 Type of school Infant

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School details

Chair of governing body Jane McCarthy-Penman

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School details

Headteacher Sally Simpson (Head of school) Julie Prentice (Executive headteacher) Website www.theparklandfederation.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Parkland Infant School converted to become an academy school in September 2017 and joined the Swale Academies Trust.  The school has a close partnership with Parkland Junior School. Together they make up The Parkland Federation.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with the school leaders, different subject leaders and a range of staff and pupils.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. These involved speaking to subject leaders, staff and pupils, visiting lessons and looking at samples of pupils’ work. 7 and 8 December 2021

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 The inspector met with representatives from the local governing body, including the chair of governors. She also met with the chief executive officer of the Swale Academies Trust.  The school’s safeguarding arrangements were reviewed. This included safer recruitment checks and record-keeping, as well as speaking to pupils and staff.  The inspector also reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and school development plan and information about the school’s curriculum.  The inspector took into account 31 responses from Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 20 free-text comments. In addition, 19 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey were considered. The inspector considered the views of pupils by speaking to them throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Tracy Good, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 December 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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