Bilton Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Bilton Infant School Magnet Lane, Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7NH

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 September 2022

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and feel safe at Bilton Infant School. Leaders want the best for each pupil. Pupils try hard to live the school motto of ‘Be the best we can be’ in all aspects of school life. They enjoy coming to school. However, a small number of pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. This means they struggle to develop positive attitudes to learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well academically, in the main. They are polite and sensible. Leaders ensure that reading is well taught. Pupils benefit from wider experiences through activities such as trips and visits. For example, Year 1 pupils visit Thinktank in Birmingham to develop knowledge of structures. Children enjoy attending the range of clubs on offer, including dance, football and theatrical clubs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

On occasions, expectations of pupils’ behaviour in classrooms are not high enough. Positive attitudes to learning can drift, and children do not make the progress they should. Pupils play well together at social times. Play leaders help children to make friends and play games. Incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils are confident that staff will resolve any concerns or worries they have. Parents and carers are generally positive about the quality of education their children receive.

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

Leaders have carefully structured an ambitious curriculum. The knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to know and remember in each subject has been identified clearly. Teachers plan next steps carefully to meet pupils’ needs, based on what pupils know and can do already. They check frequently on pupils’ learning. Teachers recap prior learning to help pupils remember things they have learned before. However, expectations are not always high enough. This is because a few teachers do not have the subject knowledge 29 and 30 September 2022

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they need to teach well enough, particularly in mathematics. As a result, misconceptions are not always addressed and attitudes to learning drift. This means children do not make the progress they should.

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Leaders make sure staff are well trained to identify pupils’ individual needs. However, curriculum plans do not sufficiently consider the needs of all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This means that some pupils do not get the help and support they need in order to achieve well in school.

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Effective communication between home and school helps children settle quickly into school routines. Children learn to care for themselves and others. They are supported by adults to develop positive attitudes to learning. There is a strong focus on early language and communication skills. Teachers model these extremely well.

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Leaders prioritise reading. They make sure that staff are well-trained reading experts. As a result, phonics is well taught. Pupils read regularly to adults in school and have sufficient opportunities to practise using sounds they know when reading. This is because the books they read are carefully matched to the sounds they are learning. Leaders have ensured that teachers have a broad range of books and resources to teach reading well.

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Leaders provide a rich set of varied experiences to promote pupils’ personal development. The core values of care, honesty, perseverance, responsibility, cooperation and respect are at the heart of the curriculum. Opportunities such as being eco-leaders, online safety club members and play leaders allow pupils to take on responsibilities in school. Pupils develop their talents and interests through clubs and a range of sports activities. They develop an understanding of democracy, for example by voting for the school council. The school rules of ‘kind hands, kind words, kind feet’ help pupils to understand right and wrong, as well as how to keep themselves and others safe. Opportunities to learn about other cultures and religions, for example visiting speakers and visits to places of worship, help pupils to recognise and respect others’ differences. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Senior leaders, including governors, know what the school does well, and they identify the right priorities for improvement. They want all pupils to have the best possible start to their education. Together, leaders work well as a team, and make regular checks on the work of the school. However, they have not ensured that the needs of pupils with SEND are always met. Staff are positive about the support they receive from leaders to manage their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils’ welfare is prioritised by leaders. They make sure staff understand their role in keeping children safe. Staff record and report any concerns swiftly to safeguarding leaders. Staff recently updated their training on peer-on-peer abuse. 29 and 30 September 2022

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Leaders work well with external organisations to support pupils, and their families, to get the help they need. Leaders make the appropriate pre-employment checks when recruiting new staff.

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Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They learn about online safety, road safety and how to recognise potential dangers and seek help.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A few pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. This means that they struggle to develop positive attitudes to learning. Leaders should work closely with these pupils and their families to instil the importance of regular school attendance so that pupils develop positive attitudes to learning.  Curriculum plans do not sufficiently consider the needs of all pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils do not get the help and support they need in order to achieve well in school. Leaders should review provision to ensure that all pupils with SEND get the help and support they need to be successful in school.  A few teachers do not have the subject knowledge they need to teach subjects well enough, particularly in mathematics. Where this happens, expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough and misconceptions are not always addressed. Children do not make the progress they should. Leaders should support subject leaders

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

to ensure that staff have the subject knowledge they need to teach effectively, particularly in mathematics.

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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 school to be good in March 2017. 29 and 30 September 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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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. 29 and 30 September 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school is part of a wider federation called Bilton Community Federation.

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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 carried out deep dives in art, mathematics and reading. These included visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work, examining curriculum guidance and talking with pupils and staff. The inspector also looked at work from a sample of other subjects. The inspector also discussed the curriculum with subject leaders.  The inspector listened to pupils read and reviewed reading resources.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation on the school’s website. 29 and 30 September 2022

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 The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. This included examining the record of employment checks on school staff.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times during the day.  During the inspection, the inspector had formal meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead, representatives of the governing body and the local authority.  The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, the pupils’ survey and the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 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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