Queensway Infant Academy and Nursery

Inspection of Queensway Infant Academy and Nursery Queensway, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 3DR

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 27 and 28 April 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Queensway Infants is a happy school. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils make lots of wonderful and great friends during their time at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They understand what bullying is. Bullying rarely happens but when it does, staff sort it quickly . Pupils are confident that staff will help them if they have any worries. Pupils behave well in lessons, during breaktimes, and when moving around during the day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn in a caring environment. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other and their teachers. Pupils listen carefully to the views of their classmates.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the extra-curricular opportunities on offer, such as football, multi-skills, reading and cookery clubs. They also like going on trips. These opportunities help to broaden their learning experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are taught a broad curriculum. However, in some subjects the curriculum is not taught effectively. This means that pupils do not achieve consistently well in all subjects.

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better?

Leaders have identified what should be taught for each subject in each year group from the time pupils start school to the end of Year 2. The curriculum for reading and mathematics is established. However, the curriculum for some subjects is new this year. In these subjects, there are some inconsistencies in how well staff teach the curriculum.

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better?

Equally, some subject leaders are new to the role. They are still getting to grips with leading their areas of responsibility effectively. In the early years, leaders have not made sure that staff joining the school know and understand how to teach the planned curriculum. This has led to inconsistencies in how well some children learn. Not all children make good progress from their starting points.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised teaching pupils to read. Phonics is taught systematically from the start. Staff are knowledgeable and well trained in the teaching of reading. Children who attend the nursery have many opportunities to learn and practise the sounds they are learning. Pupils read books that match the sounds they are learning. Staff make regular checks on pupils’ phonics knowledge. They identify pupils who fall behind and provide extra help quickly. Consequently, most pupils learn to read fluently. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils enjoy reading and being read to. They like voting each day to decide which books they want their teachers to read to them. A range of 27 and 28 April 2022

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interesting and high-quality texts are linked to topic work. These support the development of pupils’ reading enjoyment and wider learning.

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In some subjects, such as mathematics and reading, teachers check what pupils know and understand. They use this information to identify what pupils need to learn next. For example, in the early years, staff practise and check children’s counting skills. However, in other subjects, teachers do not make the same checks. This means that teachers do not know what gaps pupils have in their learning, nor how well pupils are achieving in subjects that are not English and mathematics.

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In general, the provision for pupils with SEND is effective. Leaders identify individual needs early and accurately. Leaders put appropriate support in place to ensure that these pupils can access the same quality of education as their peers.

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Pupils behave well. Clear and consistent routines are established from the moment children in the early years join the school. Pupils respond well to teachers’ high expectations. They develop positive attitudes to learning.

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Personal development is well planned and taught. Pupils learn how to keep healthy and develop positive relationships. They learn how to recognise their feelings and how to manage them appropriately. Pupils learn to be tolerant, respectful citizens. Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to extend their experience and understanding of the world. Pupils take on leadership roles, such as being part of the school council. They develop their interests through a range of clubs, including for sport. Pastoral support is a strength of the school.

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Leaders have developed a shared vision for school improvement. They know what is working well and what needs further work. Staff appreciate the training and support they receive.

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The multi-academy trust works closely with the governors. It provides appropriate support, and regularly checks the impact of leaders’ improvement plans.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a robust and vigilant culture of safeguarding. Staff are well trained, and they report concerns promptly. Staff are alert to the signs that could indicate that a pupil may not be safe.

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Safeguarding

Records of concerns are appropriately detailed. Leaders respond swiftly to ensure that pupils are kept safe. They refer cases to external agencies promptly when they have concerns. 27 and 28 April 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum design is new in some subjects, such as geography and PE. Teachers are still developing the knowledge and skills to teach the curriculum well. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the right training so that they are confident to deliver all areas of the curriculum equally well.  Staff do not check or use information consistently well across all subjects to identify what pupils know and understand. This means that teachers do not ensure lessons build on what pupils have already learned. Leaders should ensure that teachers routinely check pupils’ understanding so they can address misconceptions and support all pupils to achieve well.  Some subject leaders are new to their role. They do not yet have the necessary skills they need to carry out their responsibilities successfully. Leaders should ensure that these staff receive the training and support they need to be effective in their role.

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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. 27 and 28 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227591 Type of school Infant

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This is the first inspection since the predecessor school of the same name was inspected in September 2016. At that time, the school was judged to require improvement.  The school reopened as a new school, as part of the Eastern Multi-Academy Trust, in September 2017.  There have been changes in leaders and teaching staff since the school joined the trust.  The headteacher was appointed in January 2022, having been the acting headteacher since October 2020.

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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. 27 and 28 April 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, and physical education to evaluate the quality of education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, considered curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and scrutinised samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also checked curriculum provision for pupils’ learning in other subject areas.  Pupils read to staff and talked about their reading.  Inspectors spoke with representatives of the multi-academy trust, the chief executive officer, governors, leaders, teachers and teaching assistants.  The views of parents were considered at the start of the school day, together with 10 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and free-text comments.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons around the school and at lunchtimes and play times. Inspectors met with groups of pupils to seek their

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views of the school. They also spoke to pupils informally in class, around the school and at breaktimes.  An inspector met with the trust leader in charge of SEND, the school pastoral lead and scrutinised documentation for SEND. Inspectors observed support for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s information on behaviour, bullying and attendance. They reviewed safeguarding records and spoke with leaders, staff and pupils about safeguarding arrangements. They scrutinised the single central record to check the safe recruitment of adults.  The 10 responses to Ofsted’s staff’s survey and 20 responses to Ofsted’s pupils’ survey were considered.

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Inspection team

Joan Beale, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Ashley Best-White Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 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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