Oakwood Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Oakwood Infant and Nursery School Waldene Drive, Alvaston, Derby, Derbyshire DE24 0GZ

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Outcome

Oakwood Infant and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this inclusive school. They say that staff make them feel welcome when greeted each morning. Everyone treats each other with respect and relationships are positive. Pupils hold their teachers in high regard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils respond well to these expectations. Classrooms are calm. Pupils usually behave well both in lessons and around the school. On the playground, pupils play well together. They enjoy spending time with their friends. In most lessons, pupils are enthusiastic about what they are learning. They enjoy discovering new things and supporting each other’s learning. Some pupils occasionally struggle with school life. When this happens, they are very well supported by adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and are well looked after. Parents agree. Pupils say that bullying sometimes happens. They are confident that staff would sort out any occurrence quickly. If pupils have a concern or a worry, they know how to report this. Pupils know that staff will listen and help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of experiences while at school. The children in Reception excitedly described how the ‘greedy goats’ ate all the food when they visited the farm.

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

The school provides pupils with a good quality of education. Leaders have a clear vision for how they want to develop the school. They have worked hard to improve the curriculum they offer pupils. They have a clear understanding of the needs of pupils in school. However, leaders have a little more work to do in a few subjects to make sure that pupils deepen their knowledge over time.

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

In subjects where the curriculum is well organised, pupils understand what they are learning and how it builds on what they already know. Teachers use their good subject 16 and 17 May 2023

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knowledge to explain new ideas to pupils clearly. They support pupils in lessons by modelling high expectations and addressing pupils’ misconceptions. In mathematics, teachers are skilful in their use of questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding of key concepts. Pupils are well supported in developing their vocabulary. Teachers model the use of subject- specific vocabulary, and pupils use it well when discussing their learning. Pupils have opportunities to think for themselves and to then explain their thinking. In physical education, children could explain and demonstrate how they could move safely around the room as a butterfly would in a rainforest.

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In a few subjects, leaders have not yet identified all the key knowledge pupils should learn or the order in which they should learn it. In these subjects, teachers decide the precise content for lessons. Therefore, the sequence of learning is not always in the right order.

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Leaders have made reading a high priority. Most pupils say they enjoy reading. Pupils and teachers enjoy story time at the end of each day. There is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Staff have high expectations and are well trained. Children settle well into the routines of learning phonics and are keen to join in. Staff pay close attention to how well pupils know their sounds. They support pupils who begin to struggle straightaway, and many catch up quickly. The books given to pupils to help them learn to read are typically well matched to the sounds they know.

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Children get off to a good start in the Nursery. There is a clear focus on the basic skills to support future learning. For example, they can quickly recognise the total number of objects in a group without counting them.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported to succeed in school. Parents and carers of these children agree. Staff use resources to quickly identify pupils’ needs and the most effective support to match them. Pupils with SEND receive the extra help that they need so that they can learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils’ mental health and well-being are priorities in school. Some pupils and parents spoke highly of the support provided. Pupils have a clear view about equalities. However, they have a fragile understanding of different world cultures and religions.

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Governors visit the school regularly. They ensure that leaders keep them well informed. Staff are proud to work at the school. They say they feel supported by senior leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have developed trusting relationships with pupils and families. Pupils say that school is a safe place. They know that adults in school care about them and look after them well. Many parents describe the school as ‘supportive’ and ‘nurturing’.

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Safeguarding

Staff work well with pupils and families to support them. They work closely with external organisations, and provide counselling. Pupils and families appreciate this. 16 and 17 May 2023

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Staff know the warning signs that a pupil may be in danger and understand what to do if they have a concern. Leaders respond to these concerns quickly. They keep detailed records of concerns raised.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is broad and enriching. However, leaders’ plans in a few subjects are not yet coherently sequenced. There is not enough information for teachers about what pupils should be taught and when to teach it. This means that pupils cannot always recall what they know. Leaders must identify the most important content that they want pupils to learn, and when, in all subjects.  Knowledge of other cultures and faiths is less well developed than other aspects of pupils’ personal development. Leaders should ensure that the school’s curriculum provides meaningful opportunities to know about other cultures and faiths, so that pupils have a deeper understanding of diversity and difference in British society.

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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 January 2018.

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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. 16 and 17 May 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. 16 and 17 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 and 24 January 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There has been a change of headteacher since the previous inspection.  The school does not make use of the services of any alternative provision.

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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.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders. She reviewed documentation, including documents available on the school’s website.  The inspector met with the chair of the governing body. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work. 16 and 17 May 2023

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 The inspector spoke with parents. Account was taken of the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. They also spoke with groups of pupils and staff.  The inspector met with leaders to discuss safeguarding. They met with staff to discuss their understanding of the safeguarding risks and reviewed the school’s procedures to keep pupils safe. The inspector considered documentation relating to safeguarding, the school’s single central record and the system for undertaking checks on new staff.

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Inspection team

Heidi Malliff, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 May 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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