Henry Hinde Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Henry Hinde Infant School Grenville Close, Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7JQ

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Outcome

Henry Hinde Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Henry Hinde enjoy their learning. They are enthusiastic and like solving problems. Leaders and staff help them to develop curiosity and resilience. They encourage pupils to be independent from the start. Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. They want pupils to be ready for a ‘world of possibilities’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work well together. They understand how to take turns. They are respectful and kind and follow the school rules. Pupils know that ‘a good friend takes care of you’. Staff deal with any incidents of bullying quickly. Pupils feel safe at school and are very well looked after.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on responsibilities such as play leaders or becoming a buddy for a child in Reception. They take these jobs seriously. They talk enthusiastically about after-school clubs like dodgeball and craft club.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers speak positively about the school. They appreciate meetings about how to support their child at home. Many say that staff go ‘over and above’ to help their children.

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

Leaders are determined to improve the life chances of pupils. They have high ambitions for every pupil to develop the essential skills needed for the next stage of their education. They have designed a curriculum that is relevant to pupils’ needs and experiences. There is a clear focus on developing communication, reading and mathematics.

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

Adults in the early years prioritise speaking and listening. They focus on developing children’s speech and vocabulary so that they can express themselves clearly. They model good language at every opportunity and expect children to do the same. They teach new words linked to topics and encourage children to use them. For example, children talk about the pelvis, skull and ankle while labelling a skeleton. 29 March 2023 The teaching of early reading is a strength of the school. Teachers help pupils quickly learn the sounds that they need to read independently. They make sure that the books pupils read match the sounds they are learning. Pupils new to the school are assessed without delay. Support is quickly provided for any pupil in danger of falling behind. Pupils get lots of opportunities to read. As a result, pupils gain the skills they need to become fluent readers.

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

A great emphasis is placed on developing a love of reading. Staff regularly read to pupils. Pupils talk about favourite authors such as Oliver Jefferies and Roald Dahl. They enjoy voting for the book the teacher will read next.

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

Subject leadership is strong. Curriculum plans are appropriately sequenced. These, combined with effective teaching, ensure that pupils make strong progress across the curriculum. Teachers explain subject-specific vocabulary carefully so that pupils understand. Teachers make sure that they keep revisiting prior learning so that pupils remember more. They use effective strategies to help pupils learn. For example, they encourage pupils to talk about what they know to their partner.

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

Leaders think about how to engage pupils in learning. They make sure that pupils study a wide range of subjects from the early years. They build in trips to give pupils first-hand experiences of castles and zoos. On occasions, the focus is on ensuring that pupils enjoy what they are learning rather than ensuring that they learn the key knowledge they need to be successful. For example, pupils talked enthusiastically about the science week activities but struggled to remember the concepts they were learning about.

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

Pupils’ books show that they make strong progress from low starting points. Sometimes, pupils who join the school part way through Year 1 or 2 do not have sufficient time to catch up to where they need to be. Leaders are aware of this. They monitor this group of pupils carefully and provide additional support. They are determined to close the gaps that exist.

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

Staff provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They adapt their teaching effectively so that pupils can learn. Teaching assistants know pupils well. They help pupils with SEND to access the same learning as their classmates.

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

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They listen carefully and try hard in lessons. When one or two pupils with complex needs require help with their behaviour, they are very well supported by staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are acutely aware of the local risks pupils face. They work tirelessly to support children and their families who need help. They liaise with external agencies to ensure a timely response to any concern. Staff are well trained and know the signs that may 29 March 2023 indicate that pupils are at risk of harm. Record-keeping is robust and includes the actions leaders take to keep pupils safe. There is a vigilant culture of safeguarding.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to stay safe when using the internet. They know not to give out personal information such as their name and address.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, it is not clear what pupils are learning. The most important knowledge or concepts are not always made explicit in lessons or activities. Pupils enthusiastically remember the experience or the activity they have done but not the learning. Leaders should continue to refine the curriculum so that teachers know exactly what they want pupils to learn and remember in different subjects.  Leaders have been successful in reducing the gap in outcomes for many disadvantaged pupils. However, some gaps remain, especially for those disadvantaged pupils who arrive part way through key stage 1. Leaders should continue to support these pupils effectively so that they can catch up as quickly as possible.

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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 school to be good.

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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. 29 March 2023 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. 29 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256969 Type of school Infant

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School details

Website www.henryhindeinfantschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Transforming Lives Educational Trust.  The principal was appointed on 1 January 2019.  The school does not use alternative providers.

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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.  The inspectors met with the principal, assistant headteacher, senior leaders and a range of teaching and non-teaching staff. The lead inspector held a meeting with the chair of the trust, a trustee, the chair of the Academy Improvement Management Board and the chief executive officer for the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and science. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 29 March 2023  Inspectors observed pupils in lessons, at breaktimes and met with a group of pupils to

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Information about this inspection

discuss aspects of the school.  A range of documentations was scrutinised, including leaders’ plan to improve the school, curriculum plans and the school website. Minutes of governor meetings and reports of external advisers were also checked.  When inspecting safeguarding, inspectors considered the school’s procedures for recruiting staff, the quality of staff training and the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe.  One inspector spoke to parents at the end of the day. 22 responses, including 21 free- text comments, to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, were considered. The lead inspector also took note of the 18 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Nicola Harwood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector 29 March 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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