Northfield Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of Northfield Primary and Nursery School Cox's Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG19 8PG

p.1

Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2022

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 15 and 16 November 2022

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Northfield Primary and Nursery School is welcoming and friendly. Pupils are happy and proud members of the school. As one pupil said, ‘I feel so happy here. The teachers are kind, and they keep us safe.’ Throughout the school, pupils engage positively with adults and their peers.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well around the school and in classrooms. They are polite. Playtimes are happy and friendly occasions. Bullying is rare. Pupils know that adults will help them if they are worried about anything. There are high levels of trust between staff and pupils. Consequently, pupils feel safe.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want the best for their pupils. They make sure that pupils experience a wide variety of trips and visits to support their learning. Pupils have enjoyed Royal Ballet workshops and Viking visits. Children in the nursery love their ‘Welly Wednesdays’. Pupils develop their interests and talents in after-school clubs, which include gardening and cooking.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard and want to do their best. They enjoy learning. Leaders have clear intents for their subjects. They have introduced an ambitious curriculum for pupils. This is helping pupils to learn. Leaders know there is more work to do to make sure the curriculum is delivered as intended.

p.2

better?

Leaders know their pupils well and the needs of the local community. They are committed to making the improvements needed to ensure all pupils receive the highest quality education. Leaders have identified the core knowledge and skills that pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6 in most subjects. This includes in reading and mathematics. In some subjects, including personal, social and health education, this is less developed. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

p.2

better?

Curriculum leaders are enthusiastic about their subjects. Pupils experience a broad range of learning activities. Some curriculum leaders have had limited opportunities to check the development of their subjects across the school. This means that they do not reliably know how well pupils learn across the school. The intended curriculum is not always delivered as leaders would like.

p.2

better?

Leaders make sure that pupils begin to learn to read as soon as they join the reception class. Children in the Nursery Year enjoy listening to songs and rhymes to develop their vocabulary. Leaders have introduced a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics. Staff have been trained, so that they can support children to get off to the best possible start in their reading. Staff check and put appropriate support in place for those who need to catch up. Reading is promoted well throughout the school. Pupils enjoy their daily reading lessons. One pupil, typical of many, told an inspector, ‘I love reading. I can get lost in a book for hours.’ Pupils 15 and 16 November 2022

p.2

3

enjoy their visits to the local library and going on the reading van to choose books to read at home.

p.3

3

Leaders understand the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They create useful learning plans for pupils to help staff meet their needs effectively. Teachers undertake regular training about SEND. Pupils with SEND access their learning in the classrooms with their peers. They enjoy school and feel successful.

p.3

3

Children in the early years settle well to school life due to the caring and supportive staff. They develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff have high expectations of children and have planned an ambitious curriculum. Staff model early language and communication skills well. As a result, children are confident to talk about their learning. Children are happy and cooperate well when learning together.

p.3

3

Pupils behave well in lessons and when moving around the school. Leaders place a lot of importance on pupils’ emotional development. They work with pupils to help them understand their emotions. Pupils value the school’s rewards system and love being the ‘star of the day’.

p.3

3

School leaders are innovative and seek opportunities for pupils to have experiences they may not ordinarily have. Pupils loved the recent visit from a British swimming champion. They take part in sporting competitions and raise money for charities. Pupils speak with respect when discussing differences in people. While pupils learn about the British values, their knowledge of these is not secure.

p.3

3

Governors know the school well. They provide appropriate support and challenge to leaders. They think carefully about how their decisions might impact on pupils. Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the consideration leaders have for their workload and well-being. Teachers who are at the early stages of their careers feel well supported.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Those responsible for safeguarding have put effective policies in place to identify pupils who might be at risk. Staff receive regular training updates to ensure they are knowledgeable and alert to any concerns. Safeguarding concerns are shared in a timely manner. Leaders work well with external agencies to support families to access and receive the help that they need. They carry out the necessary recruitment checks on adults to make sure they are suitable to work with children.

p.3

Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep safe, including when they are learning or playing online. 15 and 16 November 2022

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject leaders do not have a clear enough picture of how well the curriculum is enabling pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding in their subjects. The intended curriculum is not always delivered how leaders expect. School leaders need to ensure that subject leaders have the time and support needed to check how well pupils are learning in each subject. Subject leaders should use these checks to ensure that the intended curriculum is implemented effectively and to inform their improvement plans.  Staff check what pupils know, for example, by using quizzes at the start of lessons. They do not always use the outcomes well enough to inform subsequent teaching. Some staff are not using the information to identify pupils' different starting points. Consequently, work is not always closely matched to what pupils already know and can do. Leaders should ensure that teachers use the outcomes

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

of their checks when they plan lessons, so that pupils make good progress and remember their learning in the longer term.  While leaders promote British values, pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop a secure and deep understanding of these. This means they cannot explain these well or give examples of how they are lived out within school life and beyond. Leaders should review the curriculum to identify and maximise every opportunity to promote pupils’ understanding of British values within and across subjects.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 15 and 16 November 2022

p.4

School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

p.5

School details

Inspection number 10227826 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Website www.northfieldprimaryschool.co.uk

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 15 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school has 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.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and a range of staff.  Inspectors met with members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science, physical education and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, spoke with teachers, and spoke with pupils about their 15 and 16 November 2022

p.5

6

learning. They visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, inspectors reviewed school policies, procedures and records. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors also spoke with staff, governors, trust representatives and pupils about the school’s approach to keep- ing pupils safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text com- ments. Inspectors met with staff and considered responses to Ofsted’s staff sur- vey. Inspectors considered pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

p.6

Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Christopher Wheatley Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 November 2022

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7