All Saints Church of England Aided Infant School

Inspection of a good school: All Saints Church of England Aided Infant School Brownlow Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 6NP

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Outcome

All Saints Church of England Aided Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this friendly, caring and welcoming school. Staff support pupils to follow the school’s motto of ‘learning with love and laughter’. The school is a happy, safe place and staff and pupils treat each other with respect. Staff and pupils describe the school as one big family. One parent said: ‘Over what has been a difficult few years, they have supported families very well. My child loves being at this school and is thriving.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff have high expectations for all pupils. Pupils are supported successfully to meet these high expectations. They are keen to do their best. Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are focused and calm in class. They get on with each other very well during breaktimes, happily joining in with activities such as playing football or using the climbing frame. Pupils know that adults will take appropriate action if bullying occurs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities the school offers. For example, they enjoy taking part in ‘bushcraft’ activities or attending the popular drama and multisports clubs. Pupils are understandably pleased with the school’s recent fundraising activities in aid of families in the Ukraine. They proudly proclaim themselves to be both ‘All Saints citizens’ and ‘global citizens’.

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

The assistant headteacher has developed a well-structured curriculum. It states clearly the knowledge that pupils need to learn from early years to the end of Year 2. The curriculum is ambitious and covers a broad range of subjects. It is adapted effectively for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ensures these pupils learn as well as their classmates. Effective teaching helps pupils to remember and understand what they are learning. Consequently, most pupils achieve well.

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

Leaders have given reading a high priority over the past year. Training has been used well to ensure that staff know how to teach phonics effectively. Children begin to learn phonics as soon as they join the school in Reception Year. By Year 2, most pupils read with 8 March 2022

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confidence and expression. Teachers make learning vibrant and fun. They ensure that the majority of pupils can remember and use the sounds that they have learned. Teachers give pupils extra help with their reading where needed. This means that pupils do not fall behind. Parents support the school’s work to teach pupils to read by listening regularly to their children reading at home. The school promotes a love of reading well. Pupils talk enthusiastically about books.

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Leaders have established a cohesive and carefully planned curriculum in mathematics. Teachers’ strong subject knowledge enables them to explain clearly the precise mathematical vocabulary and knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. Teaching assistants support learning well. However, some pupils are not as secure in mathematics as they could be. This hampers their progress.

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The headteacher is currently acting as the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). She is knowledgeable and experienced. Teachers are well trained and take steps to ensure that any additional needs that pupils have are identified quickly. They identify and implement the help pupils need to access the curriculum and to keep up with their learning.

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The school provides a comprehensive personal development curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to become positive citizens. For example, the school parliament provides opportunities for pupils to develop leadership and decision-making skills. The school teaches and promotes mental well-being positively through a series of special sessions led by a trained health and well-being practitioner. Assemblies and personal, social and health education lessons are well sequenced. They help pupils to explore values and to understand the world around them.

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Staff are proud to work at All Saints Infant School. They appreciate the attention leaders and governors give to staff’s workload. Governors are highly involved in the life of the school. They are effective in checking the school’s work and holding leaders to account. They are committed to meeting the needs of pupils and families in the community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep pupils safe. Staff and governors benefit from regular safeguarding training. They are knowledgeable about what to look out for and what to do if they are concerned about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders make sure that recruitment checks are carried out rigorously.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say that they feel safe in school, and parents agree. Pupils know how to stay safe online. They are also shown how to make friends and to respect the views of others. 8 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In mathematics, some pupils struggle to recall and apply what they have learned previously when solving mathematical problems. This means that pupils do not always make as much progress as they could. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are given further opportunities to strengthen their application of mathematical knowledge and skills.

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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 June 2012.

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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. 8 March 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher also leads the All Saints Junior School. The schools are not federated and have separate governing bodies.  Leaders have changed the way the school is organised since the last inspection. Pupils are currently taught in single-age year groups for part of the day.  The school is part of the Diocese of Oxford. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school took place in June 2017. The school’s next section 48 inspection is due to take place in the next academic year.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the SENCo, subject leaders, the designated lead for safeguarding and other members of staff. They met remotely with four governors, including the chair of governors. They also held 8 March 2022

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phone calls with a representative of the diocese and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, during lessons, in collective worship and at lunch and breaktimes. They also met with groups of pupils to hear their views.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the 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 looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans in other subjects and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors reviewed the policies and procedures that school leaders have put in place to keep pupils safe. They spoke to staff and pupils about these procedures. The inspectors also looked at recruitment checks completed.

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 Inspectors considered the views of those parents and staff who completed Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Felix Rayner, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Charlotte Wilson Ofsted Inspector 8 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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