James Peacock Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of James Peacock Infant and Nursery School Manor Park, Ruddington, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG11 6DS

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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 Previous inspection grade

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

This school was last inspected eleven years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 2 and 3 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leadership and staffing at the school are in a state of uncertainty. There has been considerable staff turnover in recent years. This has had a negative impact on the smooth running of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff do not set consistently high expectations for behaviour across the school. Sometimes, pupils lose focus in lessons. They do not always listen respectfully to each other, or to adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In most subjects, pupils do not consistently apply what they already know when learning new concepts. Staff do not keep a close-enough check on how well pupils remember what they have been taught.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school. They speak enthusiastically about the ‘Proud’ school values. They enjoy earning ‘peacock points’ for showing kindness. Pupils happily described the assemblies when achievements are celebrated by a seat on the ‘Proud’ chair.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they feel safe at school. They understand how to stay safe online. Pupils say that bullying does not happen. They feel confident that staff would step in if any problems were to occur. They say that the rules are fair.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get off to a strong start in early reading and phonics. Staff encourage a love of books and reading throughout the school.

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better?

Leaders introduced a new curriculum in January 2022. The previous curriculum was not fit for purpose. The new curriculum sets out what pupils should know in all subjects. However, staff training is not complete. Leaders and staff have not yet matched the curriculum to the precise needs of their school. In some subjects, staff are uncertain how the key content builds on what pupils have learned before. It is unclear how well the curriculum supports pupils to know and remember more over time.

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better?

Many curriculum leaders are new to their roles. They do not have a secure overview of their subjects. They have not yet checked the impact of the curriculum. However, senior leaders have a clear view of what needs to improve, and when, in how teachers deliver the curriculum. They have a systematic plan for addressing the weaknesses that exist across many areas of the school.

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better?

In mathematics, staff do not consistently match the curriculum to pupils’ needs. They do not always pick up on pupils’ mistakes straight away. 2 and 3 March 2022

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Leaders and staff foster a love of reading across the school. There is a range of high-quality books available in each class. Every week, pupils take home a ‘peacock book’ to share and a phonics reading book. All staff adopt a systematic approach to teaching phonics. Children begin learning to read as soon as they join Reception. They read from books that closely match their phonics knowledge. Pupils who are still in the early stages of reading receive well-planned support. These approaches support pupils to develop as fluent, confident readers.

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The curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is not sufficiently ambitious. Pupils with SEND do not always receive well-planned support that matches their needs. Staff care about the pupils and their well-being. However, staff have not received recent training. The targets set for pupils to achieve are too broad and hard to measure. Some pupils with SEND are not fully included in the life of the school. Leaders’ actions to address these concerns are in their infancy.

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Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are not consistently strong. Staff do not always set high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. This has a negative impact on pupils’ ability to focus on their learning.

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In the early years, the curriculum does not support children’s developing knowledge and skills well enough. The resources in the outdoor areas do not support children to access the curriculum. Leaders plan to provide staff training to address these issues. However, their actions are in the early stages of implementation.

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Leaders do not promote pupils’ broader development well enough in some areas. For example, pupils have limited understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles. Leaders and staff have not done enough to raise pupils’ awareness of different faiths and cultures present in modern Britain. Pupils speak confidently about treating everyone equally.

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Staff speak very warmly about leaders’ support for their well-being. Staff understand that significant improvements need to take place to support pupils’ best interests.

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Until recently, governors have not been effective in holding leaders to account for the school’s performance. They did not ensure that parents were consulted about the school’s policy for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). The policy is not published on the school’s website. Governors have now strengthened their oversight of the school, with the support of the local authority. They are working proactively with leaders to address the school’s weaknesses.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have rightly prioritised safeguarding as part of their recent actions. They have introduced significant improvements to safeguarding systems and policies, from October 2021. They have brought about a positive change in the school’s 2 and 3 March 2022

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safeguarding culture. Leaders have ensured that all staff understand the importance of noting any concern about a pupil. Records show that staff now alert leaders promptly in the case of concerns. Leaders act appropriately to ensure that pupils are safe. They work proactively with a range of external agencies such as the police and social care. Staff commented that there is strong and regular training and communication. Pupils spoke confidently about feeling safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In January 2022, leaders adopted a new curriculum. Staff have not yet received the full range of curriculum training. Leaders have not mapped out the curriculum and adapted it to the needs of the school, including in the early years. Staff do not have a firm grasp of how the curriculum content is sequenced in all subjects. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum sets out the precise knowledge and skills pupils should acquire, and when, and that this is known and understood by all staff.  Some subject leaders are inexperienced. They have not yet carried out any checks on the impact of the new curriculum. As a result, they have not ensured that the curriculum enables pupils to know and remember more over time. Senior leaders should ensure that subject leaders develop the necessary skills to have a secure overview of the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ long-term memory.  Staff do not set consistently high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

sometimes lose focus in lessons. They do not respond consistently well to adults’ instructions. This has a negative impact on others’ learning. Leaders should ensure that all staff know and apply the new behaviour policy so that pupils’ behaviour is consistently strong across the school.  The curriculum is not sufficiently ambitious to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. The targets set for these pupils are too general and lack precision. Leaders have not ensured that staff training is up to date. Some pupils with SEND are not fully included in the life of the school. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as highly as they should, including in their personal development. Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND receive high-quality support to access the full curriculum.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is not as well developed as it should be. Pupils do not have a secure, age-appropriate understanding of a

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

range of faiths and cultures. They do not understand the meaning of key values such as democracy. This means that they do not develop their understanding of contemporary society as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that they prepare pupils for life in modern Britain by encouraging informed respect for those who hold a range of faiths and beliefs.  Until recently, governors did not hold leaders to account for the school’s performance well enough. As a result, under their leadership, the school went through a period of decline. Governors did not ensure that the school fulfilled its legal duty to consult with parents about the school’s policy for RSHE. More 2 and 3 March 2022

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recently, there has been an improvement in governance. Leaders should ensure that this improvement is sustained, and that they carry out the required parental consultation and publish the RSHE policy online.

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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. 2 and 3 March 2022

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Inspection number 10217337 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 and 16 November 2010

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Information about this school

 At the time of the inspection, the headteacher was absent from the school. An acting headteacher and an acting deputy headteacher were appointed in October 2021.

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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 began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the acting headteacher, the acting deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders and a range of staff. The lead inspector met with the chair of governors.  The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and music. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with 2 and 3 March 2022

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subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum, visited lessons and reviewed samples of pupils’ work in some other subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times around school.  Inspectors evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding by reviewing the school’s record of pre-employment checks and holding discussions with leaders, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Christine Watkins, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Wendy Gordon Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 March 2022

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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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