The Carlton Infant Academy

Inspection of a good school: The Carlton Infant Academy Garden Avenue, Foxhill Road, Carlton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG4 1QS

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Outcome

The Carlton Infant Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly school. Staff work closely with parents. They aim to help pupils to feel ‘happy, safe and ready to move on to the next stage of their lives’. There are high expectations of pupils. They enjoy learning in a caring, safe environment. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported by skilled staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a calm, purposeful atmosphere. Pupils are proud of the school’s four values, which encourage them to ‘be reflective, resourceful, resilient and work in reciprocity’. These values are at the heart of the school’s curriculum. They support pupils to manage their behaviour and develop their strength of character.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. Bullying is rare. Pupils say they feel safe. If pupils are worried, they can talk to adults. They know that the ‘worry monster’ is available if they don’t want to talk to an adult. They can use colour cards to communicate their moods. Adults provide appropriate support. Staff are clear with pupils that all behaviour is a form of communication. Pupils are confident that staff sort out any incidents of poor behaviour fairly. Academy ambassadors and playground leaders help pupils to make friends and play happily together. Pupils relish the variety of clubs and activities the school provides.

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

Leaders ensure the school’s curriculum is ambitious. Pupils develop their knowledge and skills in a range of subjects. Content is sequenced from the early years to Year 2. Topics of learning link together so that pupils can make connections across subjects. Pupils enjoy reflecting on their learning through key enquiry questions. Their class floor books help them to recall key knowledge. For example, pupils use these books to explain human and physical geographical features of their local area.

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

Leaders provide good-quality training for staff. Subject leaders are skilled. They have a thorough understanding of the subjects they lead. They work closely with junior school colleagues. They make sure that the curriculum prepares pupils well for key stage 2. 21 and 22 April 2022

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When and how teachers assess what pupils can remember is not clearly identified in all subjects. Some aspects of the curriculum are not revisited for periods of time. Pupils find it difficult to remember their learning in these areas of the curriculum.

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Leaders promote the pleasure and importance of reading. Children in the early years begin to learn the knowledge and skills they need to read from the start. Pupils enjoy and remember stories of relevance. For example, in early years, children learn the value of resilience through reading the story of The Little Red Hen. Pupils enjoy whole-class story times. The teaching of phonics is effective. Staff receive appropriate training. Teachers match the books pupils read to the sounds they know. Pupils become increasingly confident, fluent readers. Pupils who need help with reading, including those with SEND, receive timely support. Staff provide extra phonics and reading sessions to these pupils to help them to keep up.

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There is an inclusive culture. Pupils with SEND are well supported by skilled adults. Children in the early years receive caring, timely support. Teachers adapt their teaching to help pupils to access the curriculum. Staff provide personalised help and resources to meet pupils’ individual needs when necessary.

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There is a range of extra-curricular clubs for pupils to enjoy. They are well attended. They include different sporting activities, arts and crafts and board games. Pupils can take part in a variety of experiences which enrich their learning and develop their cultural capital. The school’s values remind them to be respectful of others. They learn about potential careers and to be aspirational. They hold roles of responsibility in school. These roles help pupils to develop collaboration and leadership skills.

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Staff value the support that leaders give to their workload and welfare. They enjoy working at the school. They appreciate the opportunities to improve their practice and develop their interests.

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Most parents are supportive of the school. Typically, they praise the way the school ‘recognises each child’s needs and achievements as individuals’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are vigilant. They prioritise the safeguarding of pupils. They ensure that staff are fully aware of the signs that a pupil may be at risk. Staff receive frequent updates about local and national safeguarding issues. They promptly report any concerns. Pupils learn about potential risks to their safety, including when they are online.

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Safeguarding

Trust leaders understand their responsibility to safeguard pupils. Governors maintain good oversight of safeguarding arrangements. Their checks on the safeguarding of pupils are a high priority. Leaders provide prompt, effective help for pupils and their families. They work actively with external services when they may be beneficial to pupils. 21 and 22 April 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment of knowledge is not specifically identified for all subjects in the curriculum. In some subjects, learning is not revisited for periods of time. Teachers do not have a precise understanding of how pupils’ knowledge is developing within some subjects. Leaders should make clear when and how teachers should revisit learning and check if pupils know more, remember more, and can do more across the school’s 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 predecessor school, Central Infant and Nursery School, to be good in October 2016.

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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. 21 and 22 April 2022

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Inspection number 10227105 Type of school Infant

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School details

Website www.thecarltoninfantacademy.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Carlton Infant School converted to become an academy school in November 2017. When its predecessor school, Central Infant and Nursery School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is a member of the Redhill Academy Trust.  The school provides nursery provision for children from three years of age.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school runs a breakfast club.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The headteacher was absent during the inspection.  The inspector met with the deputy headteacher, two senior leaders including the special educational needs coordinator, some subject leaders, several members of staff 21 and 22 April 2022

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and groups of pupils. The inspector met with the chair and one other member of the academy governing board, the primary director of the trust and the chief executive officer of the trust.  The quality of education was considered through deep dives into mathematics, geography and early reading. The inspector looked at curriculum plans for these subjects, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to pupils reading.  The inspector spoke to curriculum leaders and looked at planning and pupils’ work for other subjects such as science, computing and art.  To check the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the school’s policies and procedures, met with the designated safeguarding leaders and spoke with pupils and staff.  The responses to Ofsted’s questionnaires were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 21 and 22 April 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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