Shalford Infant School

Inspection of Shalford Infant School Shalford Infant School, Station Row, Shalford, Guildford, Surrey GU4 8BY

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Shalford Infant School as an academy school under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection of the predecessor school. 7 and 8 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to attend school and are confident and inquisitive. Leaders make sure that the school values, such as empathy and resilience, shine through their work like a golden thread. Pupils and staff hold these values at the heart of their learning and behaviour. By Year 2, they are able to define the values in their own words and praise them in others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well around school and in lessons. Leaders have established clear routines and expectations for behaviour that everyone understands. They do not tolerate bullying. Teachers encourage pupils to say ‘Stop it! I don’t like it!’. Pupils are positive about the help they receive and are safe here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff share high expectations for all pupils to achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have prioritised the importance of pupils learning to read as well as providing interesting learning across a full range of curriculum subjects. Pupils enjoy their learning and talk with enthusiasm about what they have learned. For example, this includes learning about interesting people from history, such as Mary Anning and Mary Seacole.

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better?

Leaders have designed a broad and balanced curriculum. They have identified what they want pupils to learn right from the start of early years to the end of Year 2. In some subjects, teachers design activities which enable pupils to remember this important knowledge well. In these subjects, pupils build knowledge systematically and achieve well. However, some subjects are not as well developed. In these subjects, pupils are not always able to recall what they have learned or make connections between concepts. This means that pupils do not always achieve as well as they could.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. They have clear expectations that all pupils will learn to read as soon as possible. Leaders have adopted a well-structured phonics programme to make sure that even more pupils achieve well in reading. Adults skilfully identify gaps in pupils’ learning to provide any extra support that pupils need to do well. Adults take care that pupils read with fluency, expression and comprehension as soon as possible. Pupils love the attractive library and the high- quality books it contains.

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better?

Nursery is an important part of the school. Children get off to a good start because activities are well planned and relate to their individual needs. When children move into Reception, time is taken to ensure that each child is well known, with adults showing thoughtful care and attention. However, the curriculum is not always implemented to the same high quality. Leaders know this and are providing support and guidance to ensure that the early years curriculum is consistently delivered so that children learn even more. 7 and 8 February 2023

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Adults support pupils with SEND well. They adapt lessons effectively, for example by pre-teaching essential vocabulary. This helps to ensure that pupils with SEND achieve well. Leaders work closely with parents and carers and external agencies to identify pupils’ needs and to put effective support in place.

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Leaders use a restorative approach to help pupils to manage their behaviour. This enables pupils to develop their understanding of what is right and wrong. Pupils’ responsibilities, such as being on the school council, help them to understand democracy and the importance of expressing their views. Pupils are keen to come to school and have positive attitudes to their learning. They appreciate the opportunities to go on trips and visits that have now been reintroduced after the disruption caused by COVID-19.

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Teachers each have several responsibilities in this small school. They carry them out with enthusiasm and work as a team. Leaders value their staff and are mindful of their workload and well-being. Staff are proud to work here. However, the subject leadership of some subjects is at an earlier stage of development. Leaders know this and are providing support to ensure that the full curriculum is implemented to the same high standard across the school.

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Those responsible for governance know the school well and provide the right balance of support and challenge to school leaders. The trust also provides effective support to sustain ongoing improvements. Parents are highly positive about their children’s time at the school. They find the workshops and opportunities to share their children’s work helpful.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. The headteacher keeps safeguarding firmly on the agenda. All staff are well trained about signs of harm and potential risks to pupils, including for the very youngest children. Staff report concerns without delay. Leaders work well with external agencies to make sure that pupils get the help they need. Leaders carry out the necessary pre-appointment checks to ensure that staff are safe to work with children.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are confident that adults listen to any concerns they share with them. They have an age-appropriate understanding of how to stay safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not yet fully implemented in all subjects. Some subject leaders are also at an early stage of their development. This means that pupils do not yet learn as much as they could in some subjects as they do in others. Leaders need 7 and 8 February 2023

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to provide the required training and support to ensure that all subjects are implemented to the same high standard.  The implementation of the early years curriculum is variable. This means that some children do not achieve as well as leaders expect them to. Leaders need to continue to develop the knowledge and expertise of staff to implement the curriculum consistently.

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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256325 Type of school Infant

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Shalford Infant School converted to become an academy school in November 2019. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  The school is a member of the Learning Partners Academy Trust.  The school has added a Nursery class which has provision for two-year-olds since the last inspection.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher. The lead inspector met with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors and the 7 and 8 February 2023

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chair of the multi-academy trust. She also met with the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust and had a telephone conversation with a school improvement adviser employed by the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke with curriculum leaders, held discussions with pupils and looked at their work, visited lessons and spoke to teachers and other staff. The lead inspector also held discussions with leaders of some other subjects and looked at pupils’ work in those.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors reviewed a wide range of safeguarding documentation, including the school’s record of recruitment checks. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and her deputy. Inspectors also spoke with pupils and staff.  Inspectors took account of parents’ responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted

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Parent View, including parents’ written comments. An inspector also spoke to parents on the morning of the first day of the inspection.  Inspectors gathered pupils’ views throughout the inspection, including during lesson visits and at breaktimes, and took account of pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s confidential pupil survey.  Inspectors met with a range of staff to gather their views of the school and took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s confidential staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Joyce Lydford, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Small Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 February 2023

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