Summerhill Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Summerhill Infant School Clouds Hill Road, St George, Bristol BS5 7LE

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Outcome

Summerhill Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Summerhill enjoy learning. They know the values of the school and show these in the way they conduct themselves. Positive relationships between pupils and adults are strong. Parents and carers praise how staff nurture their children. The school community works well together to help strengthen pupils’ experiences in all aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created an inclusive environment, where everyone is equal and respected. Pupils and parents value this. Leaders have high expectations of pupils. They work to ensure that pupils achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are clear about the attitudes to learning that pupils should show. As a result, pupils demonstrate positive learning behaviours. They strive to ‘persevere and rise to the challenge’ and gain prized house points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ conduct and apply the behaviour code consistently. As a result, pupils are polite and courteous. They play well together at playtimes and behave well around the school and in lessons. Some pupils need extra help to meet expectations of them. Leaders provide additional support for these pupils to be successful. Pupils report that bullying is rare. However, they know who to speak to if they have any concerns.

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

Leaders, including governors, are ambitious for all pupils. Governors provide valuable support and challenge to leaders in their drive to achieve this. Leaders have designed a curriculum that meets the needs of pupils well. Senior leaders ensure that subject leaders are effective in checking on the quality of education within the school. This helps leaders know how well pupils are learning. 19 and 20 April 2023

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Leaders focus many aspects of the well-sequenced curriculum on the local area. This provides pupils with a sense of place and belonging. In history, pupils learn about the city of Bristol during the nineteenth century. Teachers devise learning activities that engage pupils, providing first-hand experiences to enrich pupils’ learning. These aid pupils’ recall of their learning. However, in mathematics, pupils are not able to remember as much as they need to. This is because teachers do not always provide learning that revisits important mathematical concepts.

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In most subjects, pupils with SEND are supported well. Leaders ensure that staff who work with pupils with SEND have the relevant expertise to help meet their needs. Teachers use assessment to help them design learning that enables pupils to achieve success. Pupils are fully involved in the life of the school. However, leaders are aware that some pupils with SEND, as well as disadvantaged pupils, are not provided with learning that helps them to apply their knowledge well in some subjects. In these subject areas, pupils do not have the appropriate vocabulary to be able to explain their thinking.

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Leaders understand the importance of reading. They have created a curriculum that encourages pupils to enjoy and have a love of reading. Pupils say that reading helps them to extend their learning and fuel their imagination. Pupils thoroughly enjoy listening to the stories their teachers read to them. Children in the early years learn the sounds that letters make from the start of their schooling. Teachers provide learning that helps children develop their knowledge of spoken language. This means they are soon ready to learn to read. Leaders ensure there is a consistent approach to the teaching of reading. Teachers check that the books pupils read match their knowledge. Staff use the same strategies to support pupils in knowing and applying their phonics knowledge. Staff support those pupils who struggle to improve their reading. By the end of Year 2, most pupils are fluent readers. Teachers use skilful questioning to extend pupils’ understanding

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Leaders have robust systems in place to support pupils who do not attend school enough. This is an ongoing issue for the school. Leaders provide extra work for these pupils to help them keep up. They work hard to engage parents in making sure they send their children to school.

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Children in the early years are well supported to know the routines of school quickly. Leaders have focused on developing children’s personal and social education. Leaders prioritise pupils’ wider personal development. This helps pupils to know their place in the world as citizens. There are many opportunities for curriculum enrichment, such as extra- curricular clubs and trips. Leaders are conscious that there are few green spaces surrounding the school. They ensure that pupils have opportunities to visit parks and other locations. Pupils are proud to be members of the school council and house captains.

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Staff work well as a team. They acknowledge that leaders consider their workload and well-being.

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Leaders make sure that all members of the school community are highly vigilant and know their roles and responsibilities to keep pupils safe from harm. Regular training and updates provide staff with the tools to spot any concerns and pass these on in a timely manner. Leaders work with families to provide them with early help and guidance. They liaise effectively with external support agencies.

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Leaders make the necessary checks when staff are appointed. Governors make regular visits to ensure safeguarding procedures are secure.

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Pupils feel safe in school. They know how to keep safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not always provide opportunities to revisit what pupils have previously learned, particularly in mathematics. Therefore, pupils are not always able to recall the key knowledge in some subjects. Leaders need to ensure that all teachers systematically revisit and check pupils’ prior learning. This will enable pupils to know and remember more.  In some subjects, learning does not always deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding. There are few opportunities for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils to apply what they know. This results in pupils not having the vocabulary to explain their thinking, and their application of knowledge is weak. Leaders should make sure teachers have the knowledge and expertise to support all pupils to use and apply their knowledge consistently well.

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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 on 22 and 23 January 2013.

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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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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. 19 and 20 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268622 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.summerhillinfantschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is an infant school. Leaders work with junior schools in the local area to support transition from key stage 1 to key stage 2.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This is 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.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers, special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, a group of staff and representatives of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. The inspector met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work . 19 and 20 April 2023

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 The inspector looked at curriculum documents and samples of pupils’ written work in a range of subjects.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including leaders’ self-evaluation of the school and those relating to safeguarding and behaviour.  The inspector considered the 39 responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, and comments made by parents, online and face to face, during the inspection. The inspector took into account the 18 responses from the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Paul Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 April 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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