Onslow Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Onslow Infant School Powell Close, Onslow Village, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7DD

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Inspection dates: 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Outcome

Onslow Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff live up to the school’s values of ‘friendship, respect and responsibility’. These values help pupils to know right from wrong. Pupils are polite and kind towards each other. They behave well. The positive relationships between staff and pupils ensure that learning and playtimes are enjoyable for all.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know about cultures and religions that are different from their own. One pupil, typical of many, commented, ‘We’re all different and that’s good.’ Staff ensure that pupils know the difference between bullying and falling out. Pupils say that if another pupil were to be unkind, staff would help them sort it out. Pupils feel safe and happy in school. Parents and carers describe the school as ‘nurturing and welcoming’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the wider opportunities that are on offer to them. There are a variety of clubs, activities and sports teams. Pupils are proud to attend their school. They are enthusiastic about leadership opportunities, such as being on the school council or ‘eco’ committee and helping at lunchtime. Staff cater well for pupils’ all-round development and nurture their interests and talents. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Adults are ambitious for them. Pupils believe in themselves and work hard.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. They have established a suitable curriculum for pupils to follow. However, in some subjects, leaders have not yet identified the precise order in which pupils will learn new knowledge. Where this is the case, pupils do not consistently connect all their learning with what they already know. Leaders are continuing to refine the curriculum and providing staff with training that helps them to build a secure knowledge of the areas that they teach. Teachers are overwhelmingly positive about this professional support.

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

Leaders prioritise and promote a love of reading. Teachers read high-quality texts to pupils regularly. Pupils join in enthusiastically with familiar rhymes and readily share their 28 February and 1 March 2023

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opinions of books. Children begin to learn to read almost as soon as they start in Reception. The books pupils read in school and at home match the sounds that they have been taught. Pupils who need extra support to read fluently receive appropriate help from teachers and support staff. Despite this, some pupils at the early stages of reading find sounding out and putting words back together tricky. Currently, they do not have enough opportunities to use and apply this knowledge.

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In the early years, children approach their learning with enthusiasm and curiosity. They try their very best and are proud of what they achieve. The early years curriculum appropriately reflects the way young children learn. It is effective in laying strong foundations for children to flourish as they move through the school. Children delight in the well-planned activities that help them to learn well.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have the support that they need to learn well. Their needs are identified early. Additional resources and adult support ensure that pupils with SEND are able to learn alongside their peers. Leaders check that provision for pupils with SEND is effective.

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Relationships are strong at this school. Leaders strive to ensure that any unacceptable behaviour is dealt with fairly. Adults understand how to support pupils who need additional help to regulate their own behaviour. During lunchtimes, pupils play respectfully alongside younger pupils. Some pupils act as playground ‘buddies’ and read to children in Reception.

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Leaders ensure that all pupils have opportunities to attend extra-curricular activities, including those who are disadvantaged. Pupils enjoy their positions of responsibility, such as being on the ‘eco’ committee. The school council helps pupils to understand that their views are valued. Pupils have many opportunities to engage in and discuss diversity. For example, during the inspection, pupils spoke passionately about the importance of welcoming new children who are from overseas. Through the curriculum, pupils learn about a wide range of faiths. They are respectful and tolerant of views and opinions that differ from their own.

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Most staff believe that workload is reasonable. Leaders support staff with their work and check that they know what to do in different situations. Governors understand and fulfil their roles effectively.

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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 complete all appropriate checks on staff. All staff know exactly what to do if they have a concern about a child. Comprehensive systems for recording concerns ensure that leaders identify pupils at risk of harm promptly. When necessary, leaders make swift referrals to external agencies. This ensures that pupils and their families get the help they need quickly. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Pupils learn age-appropriate knowledge about keeping safe online. They know to talk to a trusted adult if they see or hear something online which upsets or worries them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that all staff follow the school’s early reading curriculum as intended. As a result, some pupils do not learn to read as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that all staff receive the training and support that they need to enable them to deliver phonics effectively.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not identified precisely enough the sequence of new content that pupils need to learn. This sometimes means that pupils are not able to build on previous learning well enough. Leaders need to continue their work to refine the curriculum and ensure that they identify and sequence the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember.

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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 June 2017.

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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. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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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. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10241688 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 and 8 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school roll has increased since the previous inspection. There are now two classes in each year group.  At the time of the inspection, the school’s permanent headteacher was on maternity leave. The school is currently being led by an acting headteacher who joined the school in February 2023.  The school operates a morning club that provides childcare before school each day.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils 28 February and 1 March 2023

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about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to pupils from Years 1 and 2 read to a known adult.  The inspector met with the permanent headteacher (for the safeguarding discussion only), the acting headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair. She held a separate meeting with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector also observed pupils during lunchtimes and spoke with pupils about their personal development and their experiences of school.  The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding documentation, including records of safeguarding checks carried out on staff working at the school. She considered how well the designated safeguarding lead acts on concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare. The inspector also spoke to pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding

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practices.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. She also spoke with some parents during the inspection. The inspector took into account the views of staff and pupils during meeting with them and through their responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Mineza Maher, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 February and 1 March 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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