Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School Longslow Road, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 3BA

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 September 2022

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Outcome

Market Drayton Infant & Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Market Drayton Infant School is a warm, welcoming community. There is a strong ethos of looking out for each other. The core values of collaboration, positivity, respect and aspiration are at the centre of school life. Pupils are happy and safe. Bullying is not tolerated and staff act swiftly to resolve any issues.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Leaders make sure that the curriculum and pupils’ well-being are the most important priorities. Pupils love reading and the new phonics teaching programme is helping them learn to read fluently and quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well. They show respect and kindness to one another. Playground buddies help pupils make friends if they are lonely. They are involved in events in the community, including a calendar competition. Pupils recently went on a trip to Llandudno.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers say that, although this is a large school, it feels like a big family. One parent said, ‘It is all these little things they put in place that help to build my child’s confidence but make sure every child has a safe place.’ Parents talk about the extra support they have received from school and how it has made a difference to their lives.

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

Leaders are ambitious for pupils to achieve well. They have revised the curriculum and prioritised the important knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn. The curriculum’s structure is designed so that pupils revisit topics to make sure important concepts are learned and rehearsed. Teachers have created ‘learning journeys’ with the junior school. Teachers make sure knowledge in each subject fits together so that pupils learn more and remember more. Teachers make explicit the important vocabulary that pupils need to know. Teachers use quizzes to check what pupils have learned. They use this information to plan further lessons. 14 and 15 September 2022

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In most subjects, teachers have good subject knowledge. They use this well in their teaching to help pupils develop their vocabulary and make rapid progress. For example, in science, pupils use words like ‘rigid’ and ‘flexible’ confidently. However, in a few subjects, where leaders have revised the curriculum, teachers are less confident in implementing the new plans. New leaders monitor their subjects, but their feedback to teachers on how they can improve their lessons is not precise enough.

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The teaching of early reading is a strength. The new teaching programme has been implemented rigorously with comprehensive training for all staff. This has meant that the teaching of phonics is consistent and supports pupils in learning new sounds quickly. They read books by different authors and inspiring life stories to promote an understanding of diversity and equality. There are some inconsistencies in teaching spelling. Leaders have recognised this and introduced a new scheme of work this term.

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In the early years, close relationships between staff and parents mean that children from the age of two settle quickly and play well together. The environment is well organised and there are lots of appealing activities for children to explore and develop their independence. Communication and language are at the core of the well-planned curriculum. The welfare requirements are comprehensively checked and implemented.

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Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. All staff are well trained and supported through close ties with external support services and specialist teaching assistants. Teachers set clear targets and adapt learning to ensure that all pupils with SEND can participate in a broad and balanced curriculum with their peers. Support plans are reviewed regularly. Pupils take part in whole-class lessons because they are given the resources they need to learn in class.

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Everyone has high expectations for behaviour. Staff make sure vulnerable pupils get the help they need; this might include play therapy, nurture and family support. Pupils helped create a child-friendly anti-bullying policy, so they know what to do and how to get help.

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There is strong provision for pupils’ wider development. They love physical education lessons as well as clubs, including jujitsu and musical theatre. They can learn a musical instrument, join a choir and perform at a local theatre. They have a gallery in school and raise funds for endangered animals.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. They say everyone works together as a team. Leaders have made changes to help with teachers’ workload, and this is much appreciated.

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Governance is effective. The academy trust provides valuable school improvement support and ensures school leaders are held to account. The local governing body has a range of skills to help develop curriculum and well-being provision that is right for the local community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 September 2022

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There are rigorous processes to make sure that safeguarding is everyone’s priority. Well- trained staff know what to do if they have any concerns. A family worker provides valuable support for vulnerable families, and this has had a strong impact on pupils’ attendance and well-being.

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Safeguarding is interwoven through the curriculum. Leaders have introduced an age- appropriate approach to harassment and child-on-child abuse using the ‘Talk PANTS’ system. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in different situations, whether outside school or online using social media.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject leaders are new to role. They have implemented new schemes of work that identify the most important knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to learn. However, they do not provide teachers with the precise feedback they need to further improve their teaching. Leaders need to ensure that, in a few subjects, they have a greater impact on helping teachers to improve their practice.  There are inconsistencies in the teaching of spelling. This means that some pupils do not always apply their knowledge of spelling to their writing. Leaders should ensure that the teaching of spelling is effective and check that the new scheme of work is having the impact it should.

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Market Drayton Infant and Nursery School, to be good in November 2013.

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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. 14 and 15 September 2022

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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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. 14 and 15 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241461 Type of school Infant

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 November 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Market Drayton Infant and Nursery School is a larger than average school in north-east Shropshire.  The school offers provision for children aged two to four in the early years setting.  There is a breakfast club managed by the school that is shared by Market Drayton Junior School.  The executive headteacher also leads Market Drayton Junior School.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, the assistant headteacher and the foundation stage manager. 14 and 15 September 2022

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, art and science. 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 looked at samples of pupils’ work. Other curriculum documents from a range of subjects, including plans and pupils’ ‘learning journeys’ were also reviewed.  There were meetings with pupils and the inspector heard pupils read to familiar adults.  A range of documents were reviewed in relation to safeguarding and behaviour, including the school’s single central record.  There were 37 responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and 35 responses to the staff survey. The inspector also met parents and carers before school.  Representatives from the Empower multi-academy trust, the school improvement adviser and members of the local governing body also attended meetings.

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Inspection team

Johanne Clifton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 September 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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