Stanley Green Infant Academy

Inspection of a good school: Stanley Green Infant Academy Stanley Green Road, Oakdale, Poole, Dorset BH15 3AA

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 February 2023

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Outcome

Stanley Green Infant Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love to learn at this inclusive and nurturing school. They take pride in being friendly, kind and welcoming. Pupils enjoy taking on special jobs such as ‘Stanley stars’ and ‘playground pals’. Through these jobs, they keep the school tidy and take care of children in the early years. They also organise playground games to ensure that everyone is included when playing outside.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high aspirations for all. They strive for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve their very best. Pupils rise to this challenge well. They work hard in lessons and take their learning seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between adults and pupils are warm and respectful. Pupils play well together at playtimes. Bullying is not tolerated. Leaders have clear systems in place to resolve any bullying incidents quickly when they occur. Pupils feel safe in school. They trust staff to help them if they are worried or upset.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders seek to inspire pupils through enriching experiences. For example, visits from professional sportspeople motivate pupils to stay fit and healthy. Furthermore, a recent trip to a local art gallery enabled pupils to experience high-quality artwork on public display.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious and carefully crafted curriculum. For most subjects, the precise knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn is clearly set out right from the start of Nursery to the end of Year 2. Effective sequencing enables pupils to review and apply their learning regularly. For example, in design technology, pupils in Year 1 use scientific knowledge about materials to select appropriate fabric for a textiles project. Leaders’ ambition for pupils with SEND is high. They have clear systems in place to identify and meet the needs of pupils with SEND well. In most subjects, the curriculum is 21 and 22 February 2023

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well established and all pupils, including those with SEND, remember their learning and achieve well.

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Teachers’ expectations of pupils are high. In the strongest subjects, such as design technology and mathematics, teachers design activities that ensure all pupils, including those with SEND, develop deep and detailed understanding. In lessons, teachers check what pupils’ have learned routinely and address gaps in pupils’ understanding swiftly. For instance, in Nursery, expert adult interactions enable children to build and refine knowledge when drawing human figures and building sandcastles. In mathematics, pupils deepen their understanding by using existing mathematical knowledge to justify whether calculations are right or wrong.

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In a very small number of subjects, the curriculum is at an earlier stage of development. In these subjects, the sequence of learning is not detailed enough to ensure that teachers know exactly what to teach. Sometimes, teachers design activities that do not enable pupils to learn the curriculum as well as they could. However, leaders know exactly what they need to do to refine and embed the curriculum so that all pupils achieve highly in all subjects.

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Leaders prioritise reading. They have acted decisively to improve phonics teaching following weak phonics screening check results in 2022. Children learn phonics right from the start of Reception using a well-sequenced programme. All staff follow this programme consistently well. Pupils practise reading using books that are matched closely to the sounds they know. This enables them to read with confidence and fluency. Adult support for those who are finding reading more difficult is planned systematically and is effective.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are confident and articulate. In lessons, pupils are eager to learn. Low-level disruption is very rare, but when it does happen, it is dealt with quickly and appropriately.

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Leaders provide various opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. Extra-curricular clubs in art, sport, dance and gardening enable pupils to use their imagination, keep physically fit and grow and cook food. Leaders also ensure pupils’ mental health is supported effectively through the work of a well-established team of specially trained staff and volunteers.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They value the support they receive to help manage their workload and well-being. The headteacher and senior leaders have worked tirelessly to improve the school. All members of the school community have benefitted from this strong leadership. However, trustees do not fully understand their role in holding leaders to account for the quality of education. Therefore, while trustees ensure that the school’s finances are well-managed, they do not work well enough with senior leaders to set the school’s strategic direction and to improve the school. 21 and 22 February 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of vigilance. They have ensured that there are clear processes in place to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Leaders act swiftly to ensure that pupils and their families get the help they need. Leaders always act in the best interests of pupils. This includes carrying out all appropriate checks to ensure that the adults in school are safe to work with children.

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Safeguarding

Pupils have a clear age-appropriate knowledge of how to keep safe online. They know not to share personal information online or talk to people they do not know.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Trustees do not have sufficient clarity about their roles. This hinders their ability to further improve the school. Academy governance needs strengthening so that all trustees understand their role clearly and are empowered to carry out their duties effectively.  The curriculum in some subjects is not embedded as well as it is in others. In these subjects, pupils do not always achieve as well as they could. Leaders need to continue their work to refine and embed the curriculum so that all pupils achieve highly in all subjects.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Stanley Green Infant School, to be good in July 2012. 21 and 22 February 2023

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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. 21 and 22 February 2023

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School details

Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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School details

Inspection number 10211013 Type of school Infant

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School details

Chair of trust Chris Hardy (Acting chair of trust)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a three-form-entry larger-than-average infant school.  It is a single academy trust.  Since the previous inspection, the school has added nursery provision to the early years foundation stage with places for two-, three- and four-year-olds.  The headteacher joined the school in January 2022.

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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.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher and senior leaders. The inspector also met with members of the board of trustees, including the chair of trustees.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and design technology. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their 21 and 22 February 2023

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learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also discussed planning and documentation from a range of other subjects with leaders.  The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records and interviewing staff, and through discussions with pupils.  The views of parents and carers were considered through their responses to Ofsted Parent View. Further views of pupils and staff were gathered through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspector reviewed a range of the school’s documents, including self-evaluation reports, minutes of trustee meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Sue Keeling, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 21 and 22 February 2023

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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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