Dunchurch Infant School

Inspection of Dunchurch Infant School School Street, Dunchurch, Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 6PA

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 October 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding 11 and 12 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a buzz of enthusiasm all around Dunchurch Infant School. Leaders and staff have high expectations and, throughout the school, pupils are keen to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of forgiveness, honesty, kindness, patience and respect shine through in all that staff and pupils do. There is a real sense of community. Staff know the pupils and their families well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They play together and look out for each other. Pupils are polite and talk proudly about their school. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. If it does, staff quickly sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are provided with a range of enrichment opportunities. These change in nature as pupils move through school. For example, children in Nursery walk to the local library. Pupils in Reception map the village, and older pupils travel further afield to Rugby Art Gallery.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents speak very highly of the school. One said, ‘Staff are caring, knowledgeable and are truly invested in ensuring that every child develops to their full potential.’

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better?

Children in Nursery get off to a strong start. They quickly learn routines and expectations. Children listen carefully to their teachers and classmates. They enjoy playing and learning both indoors and outdoors. Leaders plan engaging activities to help children hear sounds in the environment. For example, children listen to the sounds of pebbles rattling in a bowl and keys jingling. This gets them ready to start learning phonics.

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better?

As soon as pupils move into Reception, they begin learning to read. Leaders ensure that pupils practise reading using books matched to the sounds they know. They also ensure that pupils develop a love of reading. Leaders carefully choose books for teachers to read to pupils. Leaders ensure that they regularly assess all pupils who are learning to read. Any pupils at risk of falling behind are quickly identified. Extra support is put in place. As a result, pupils become fluent readers.

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better?

Across the curriculum, leaders have identified precisely what they want pupils to learn. Curriculum planning starts in Nursery. As a result, pupils build on what they learn over time. For example, in art, children in Nursery learn about colour through leaf printing. By Year 1 and Year 2, pupils proudly say, ‘We are artists!’ They can talk about a range of printing techniques and primary, secondary and tertiary colours. They talk about famous artists and compare their own work to that of Vincent Van Gogh and Piet Mondrian. In mathematics, there is a similar approach to building knowledge and skills. Teachers check on what pupils have learned. They use this 11 and 12 October 2022

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information to plan any extra teaching or intervention. As a result, pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully immersed in all that the school has to offer. Leaders quickly identify any additional need. They ensure that pupils with SEND are supported well. Leaders engage specialist support, where needed. They check that this has the impact leaders want, for pupils to enjoy success. In classrooms and at playtimes, pupils with SEND work and play happily alongside their peers.

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In lessons and around school, pupils are polite and behave well. They live up to the high expectations set for them. Pupils actively seek to display the values they are taught. Pupils develop character and resilience. For example, pupils in the breakfast club accept when they are ‘out’ in games. They enthusiastically support their peers still playing the game.

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Leaders ensure that clubs and enrichment activities are accessible to all pupils. From maypole dancing to taekwondo and museum visits, there is plenty on offer. Pupils also play a part in the community. For instance, they collect harvest food for a local food bank and walk to raise money for the village fete.

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Leaders ensure that staff have access to development programmes and receive regular safeguarding training. However, leaders, including those responsible for governance, have not ensured that their safeguarding and safer recruitment systems are as thorough as they need to be. Staff feel supported and listened to by leaders. They say that leaders are caring and mindful of their workload. Staff are proud to work at Dunchurch Infant School.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff know pupils and their families well. Leaders ensure that staff receive safeguarding training and know how to spot signs that pupils might be at risk. However, the processes for recording and following up safeguarding concerns are not strong enough. There is a risk that concerns or patterns might be missed and actions not followed up. Governors are aware of the need to carry out all the required checks on adults working in school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught to keep themselves safe through the curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While safeguarding is effective, leaders have not made sure that all checks on staff and recordings of safeguarding concerns are as detailed as they ought to be. 11 and 12 October 2022

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Because of this, there is the potential for some safeguarding actions to be missed. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, should ensure that all actions and checks are recorded systematically, enabling them to make sure that they have taken the right actions to keep pupils safe, and to challenge each other accordingly.  There has been a recent restructure of leadership, and some leaders are new to the school or new to specific leadership roles. Some roles are across the federation. In some roles, including around safeguarding, there is a lack of clarity about responsibilities. Leaders should ensure that they fully evaluate recent decisions around the structure and deployment of leaders and review these as necessary, in order to achieve the best impact for all pupils at Dunchurch Infant School.

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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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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. 11 and 12 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10199447 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.dunchurchinfantschoolandnursery.c o.uk/ Date of previous inspection 22 and 23 September 2015, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Dunchurch Infant School is designated as having a religious character.  The school is within the Coventry Diocese. It has not yet been inspected under Section 48.  The school is federated with Dunchurch Boughton C of E (VA) Junior School.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors met 11 and 12 October 2022

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with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans where they were available, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, heads of school, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector held meetings with the chair and representatives of the governing body.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at lunchtime. The inspectors spoke to pupils about pupils’ behaviour.  To evaluate safeguarding, the inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead, looked at the single central record of recruitment checks, looked at safeguarding records and talked to pupils and staff.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’

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free-text responses. The inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The inspectors talked to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Rachel Henrick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rob Hackfath His Majesty’s Inspector 11 and 12 October 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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