Wincobank Nursery and Infant Academy

Inspection of a good school: Wincobank Nursery and Infant School Newman Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S9 1LU

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Outcome

Wincobank Nursery and Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this school. They are polite and well mannered. They enjoy learning. Leaders have created a welcoming and calm atmosphere. Parents say that staff ‘genuinely want pupils to succeed’, knowing each of them as individuals. They value the family feel of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have placed talk at the centre of the curriculum. They want pupils to learn ‘through talk’ and ‘to talk’. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. This focus begins from the first days in the ‘Ducklings’ two-year-old provision. Pupils are articulate and confident to talk about learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have focused on improving the curriculum. In subjects, such as reading and mathematics, teachers plan lessons which enable all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to challenge themselves and be successful. In these subjects, leaders have ensured that learning begins from the early years and builds over time in the school. Leaders are currently reviewing and improving other subjects in the curriculum. They aim to ensure that pupils are well prepared for future learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in lessons is excellent. Pupils focus well on the interesting and exciting learning that teachers plan for them. Pupils also behave well when moving around school or playing outside. They say that bullying does not happen in this school and any unkindness is dealt with quickly by adults.

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

Leaders have high expectations for pupils. They have planned to ‘inspire an enthusiasm for learning’. In some subjects, they have linked learning from the early years to the end of Year 2, to ensure that pupils build knowledge over time. This learning is organised into exciting topics such as ‘enchanted woodlands’, where pupils visit local woods to make artwork. Similarly engaging is the topic ‘amazing astronauts’, where pupils learn about the 12–13 May 2022

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life of Sheffield astronaut Helen Sharman. In other subjects, there is further work to do to identify the key knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn and to ensure that learning builds over time.

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Leaders focus on developing pupils’ confidence to speak and listen. This starts from children’s earliest days at Wincobank. Children in the provision for two-year-olds learn through exploration and play, with the support of skilled adults. Stories and talk form a big part of each session. This learning is built on in the Nursery, where staff teach children to hear sounds in words, retell stories and play co-operatively. The environment is bright and welcoming. It is used effectively to develop independence and to support focused learning.

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Leaders see learning to read as the top priority for pupils. Leaders have a well-embedded approach to teaching phonics, having organised learning to ensure that all pupils can achieve. Pupils read books which are well matched to their ability and enable them to practise regularly to improve their fluency. Pupils who are finding reading difficult are well supported by skilled adults. They have extra lessons in order to make rapid improvements. Leaders want to develop a love of reading. This can be seen in the recently opened, inviting library.

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Adults know the individual needs of all the pupils well, including those with SEND. They identify further support if it is needed and work well with external partners to understand how to help all pupils to succeed. Leaders have recently introduced new systems to ensure that support plans, for pupils with SEND, are more focused.

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In the past, pupils have had many interesting opportunities to develop their interests and experiences of the wider world. They baked bread, performed dances and attended arts and sports clubs. Leaders are aware that there is an urgency to begin these activities again following the COVID-19 pandemic. There is also more to do to promote pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values. Pupils do have some understanding of tolerance and respect; however, this understanding is not building over time.

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Leaders have made pupils’ attendance a priority. They have worked to support parents and have implemented systems to manage absence. However, there are still too many pupils not attending school regularly.

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Trustees work supportively with the school. They are committed to ensuring that the school continues to improve. They hold leaders to account and look for ways to support staff’s well-being and workload through collaborative approaches with other trust schools and the use of external support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are experienced and knowledgeable about safeguarding. They have a secure understanding of the risks that pupils face in their local area. Staff have been trained to identify and report any concerns. Leaders work hard to build relationships and trust with 12–13 May 2022

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families. They offer support when needed and work well with a range of external agencies. Pupils are well cared for in the school.

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Pupils are taught about how to keep safe online. They can explain the risks with online ‘friends’ and how to report any concerns to adults.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some curriculum plans do not have sufficient detail of the specific subject knowledge that leaders want pupils to know and remember. This means that, in some subjects, teachers do not plan lessons which are sequenced progressively across year groups or build on prior learning. Leaders should prioritise the completion of all plans to ensure teachers are clear about what to teach and in what sequence.  Opportunities for pupils’ wider development are not planned for sufficiently. This means that some pupils do not have meaningful opportunities to learn about fundamental British values and diversity, or to discover their wider talents or interests. Leaders should ensure that the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum is developed further so that pupils have opportunities to learn more about themselves and are fully prepared for life in modern Britain.  Attendance for some pupils needs to improve. Leaders work hard to ensure that pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

want to attend school regularly. However, too many pupils do not attend regularly, and their learning is impacted because of this. Leaders must continue to support families to understand the importance of attending school regularly and punctually.

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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 school to be good in January 2017. 12–13 May 2022

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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. 12–13 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211147 Type of school Infant

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 and 11 January 2017

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Information about this school

 There are more pupils with English who speak English as an additional language than the national average. Many of these pupils enter the school at different points of the school year.  A higher-than-average proportion of pupils have been identified as requiring additional support for their special educational needs and/or disabilities. A minority of these pupils are attending this school due to specialist provisions in Sheffield being full. The school has an average proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school has provision for two-year-old children.  There is a breakfast and after-school club operating at the school.

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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. 12–13 May 2022

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 The inspector met with the executive principal, the associate principal, the director of education for the trust and wider school leaders. There were also meetings with the special educational need’s coordinator, subject leaders and teachers. There were meetings with trustees and representatives from the trust.  The inspector carried out deep dives into early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector met 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. The inspector also listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector also looked at some curriculum planning for other subjects.  The inspector evaluated a range of school documents and looked at information on the school’s website.  The school’s single central record was checked, and the inspector met with the school’s

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safeguarding leader.  The inspector considered the responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses and to the staff questionnaire. She talked to parents at the school gate and discussed school life with the pupils.

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Inspection team

Andrea Batley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 12–13 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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