Talavera Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Talavera Infant School Gun Hill, Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 1RG

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Outcome

Talavera Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many new pupils arrive during the course of their infant years. A warm welcome awaits every one of them. They very quickly find friends, including pupils who are new to the country. Relationships between staff and pupils are mutually respectful. The adults understand that, when a parent in the armed service is deployed, pupils often need a little extra support. One parent described the school’s inclusive ethos as feeling like ‘a home away from home’. Leaders manage this caring culture while maintaining the very highest ambitions for all pupils to achieve success in learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school day is constantly purposeful. Pupils like learning. They often visit exciting places or meet interesting visitors, such as the farm animals who came to see Reception children during the inspection. Pupils learn to be proud of their local community. They celebrate the town’s important historic role and their own cultural backgrounds through events, including Armed Forces Day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils keep to the school’s rules. They know that these help to keep everyone happy and safe. Pupils behave well in class and during their breaktimes. School records confirm that hardly any incidents of bullying occur. If they do, staff quickly make it stop.

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

Leaders have planned the curriculum with their pupils’ needs in mind. Each subject aims to build knowledge as pupils move through the school. There are lots of opportunities to revisit and revise previous learning. This approach is helpful because there is always a proportion of pupils moving in or out of the school.

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

Learning to read is the top priority. Leaders make sure that all staff are experts in developing pupils’ language and vocabulary. Staff are confident to teach phonics and develop fluency. Pupils work hard at their phonics. It quickly becomes their main strategy when meeting an unfamiliar word. Reception children make strong progress so that by summer the vast majority can read and spell familiar words. Pupils regularly read books that match the 17 and 18 May 2022

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sounds they have learned. This supports them to develop fluency. Pupils enjoy using the well-stocked library, where they choose books to share at home with their family. In class, pupils enjoy listening to stories.

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Teachers go to great lengths to understand each pupil’s reading development. Staff assess pupils’ skills within their first few weeks at the school. This ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not slip through the net. Pupils who have fallen behind have extra teaching to help them catch up. Leaders think carefully about how best to support pupils’ learning in each subject. They reflect upon whether curriculum content needs to be adapted. They also consider if arrangements for support should be changed.

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Teachers use assessment effectively in mathematics. They identify any gaps in knowledge and address these as a priority. Pupils are enthusiastic about working with numbers. Teachers are thorough when modelling new procedures that pupils then try out for themselves. They use practical apparatus to support their thinking. Teachers support pupils to learn the mathematical vocabulary that will help their later learning. Role play in Reception offers interesting spaces, such as the builders’ yard. Here, children develop their ideas about number and measures. An ice-cream shop has supported pupils to exchange money. Learning builds upon the skills and interests that pupils develop in the Reception classes.

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Pupils are interested in the foundation subjects they learn. Inspired by real artists, they enjoy designing and making in their art lessons. Their artwork includes sculpture and printmaking. In history, pupils find out about important people, such as Florence Nightingale. They discover her close link with their local area.

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Subject leaders are knowledgeable and well equipped to share their expertise. There is a clear rationale for selecting curriculum content. Sometimes there is too much to learn, given the particular nature and needs of most of the school’s cohort. Throughout the school, pupils are developing the ability to talk about and explain their learning. Leaders know this and promote supportive strategies. On occasion, these are not consistently implemented.

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The school provides well for pupils’ personal development. Teachers ensure that pupils access opportunities to cooperate well with each other. They help pupils to find out about and appreciate the different cultures that make up the school’s community. Participation in c lubs and events gives pupils opportunities beyond the school day. Tailored support from well-trained staff helps vulnerable pupils to manage their feelings.

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School leaders, including governors, share a continuing drive to improve the school’s provision. Their aspirations are strongly supported by the staff team. Staff enjoy working at the school. Teachers say that their workloads are manageable. If they encounter difficulties, leaders readily provide them with the support and time they need. 17 and 18 May 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are alert to the specific safeguarding needs of their school community. Staff throughout the school receive useful training in how to keep children safe. They know exactly what to do should they have a concern. Leaders act quickly on any concerns. They work effectively with parents, carers and support agencies to identify the support that pupils and families need. Staff keep an eye on the welfare of any vulnerable pupils.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum provides pupils with strategies to help them stay safe. They are taught to tell a trusted adult if anything makes them feel uneasy, including when they are online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils do not find it easy to remember and articulate some important learning. This makes it hard for them to deepen their understanding. Leaders need to be clear about the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember in each subject. Staff need to implement with consistency supportive pedagogies to develop pupils’ talk. This will help pupils to remember more of their learning.

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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 December 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. 17 and 18 May 2022

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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. 17 and 18 May 2022

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School details

School category Community Age range of pupils 4 to 7

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous section 8 inspection, there have been several changes to leaders. The current chair of governors was appointed in December 2017. The headteacher took up her post in September 2018. The remaining members of the senior leadership team arrived more recently.  The school does not currently use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives into these subjects: reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and considered samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects. 17 and 18 May 2022

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 The lead inspector met with senior leaders, subject leaders and three governors, including the chair of the governing body. The inspector talked to a representative of the local authority.  The arrangements for safeguarding were reviewed at a meeting with the designated leader to explore how the school identifies and supports pupils at risk of harm. The inspector reviewed checks on the safer recruitment of staff.  A meeting took place with the special educational needs coordinator to discuss provision for pupils with SEND.  The lead inspector looked at a range of documentation either on the school’s website or provided by the school. This included the school improvement plan and self- evaluation, policies, curriculum documents and minutes of governing body meetings.  The views of 32 staff, 13 parents and 41 pupils were considered in response to the Ofsted surveys. The inspector met parents at the end of the day and gathered the

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views of staff and pupils during the course of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Linda Jacobs, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 May 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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