Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre

Inspection of Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre Baldwin Webb Avenue, Donnington, Telford, Shropshire TF2 8EP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 28 and 29 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a real sense of family at this welcoming and inclusive school. Leaders have ensured that pupils and staff are ‘learning, caring and preparing’ together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave very well. Classrooms are calm and orderly. Pupils do not disrupt the learning of others. They play happily together and care for each other at playtime. Pupils know that adults will look after them. They trust staff to deal with any worries they might put in the ‘wishes and worries well’. As a result, pupils feel safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want all pupils to do well in readiness for junior school. Pupils achieve well. Even the youngest children listen carefully and pay attention. Pupils learn how to treat others with respect. Pupils are welcoming and know that it is good to be different. Pupils say they ‘feel like a big learning team’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of trips, such as to the seaside, places of worship and museums. These trips give pupils a real-life experience of the topics they learn about in the classroom. Pupils can develop talents and interests through various clubs, including gardening, sports and gaming.

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better?

Leaders have developed a detailed, ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have thought about what they want Donnington Wood pupils to learn by the time they leave the school. Leaders have sequenced learning so that pupils build knowledge over time. For example, in geography, the youngest children in Nursery learn that it is a different temperature inside to outside. They understand that they need to wear more clothes to go outside. Three-year olds build on this by learning about different seasons. In Year 1, pupils then learn about seasonal weather in Telford and Britain. Year 2 pupils go on to discover facts about the climate in different parts of the world.

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better?

Teachers present information clearly. Staff are skilled at reminding pupils what they have learned previously and how this links to current learning. In the early years, children get off to a good start. Staff choose activities carefully, ensuring that children successfully build their skills and independence. Across the school, adults encourage pupils to develop language by taking every opportunity to use important words from the curriculum. Pupils enjoy talking about their learning.

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better?

During lessons, staff regularly check to make sure that pupils have understood before moving on to the next step. The initial pieces of work at the start of a topic help teachers to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This helps teachers to adapt learning when needed. The final pieces enable staff to see how much pupils have 28 and 29 June 2023

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learned at the end of a topic. Leaders use this information to make sure that the curriculum is helping pupils remember important information.

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Staff know the pupils well. Leaders identify pupils’ additional needs quickly. Staff receive useful training to provide effective support for pupils with SEND. These pupils make good progress, learning alongside their peers.

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Leaders have made reading a priority. Staff read carefully chosen books enthusiastically to pupils every day. Most pupils learn to read accurately and fluently. Children in Nursery begin to appreciate sounds through songs and rhymes. In Reception, children build on this strong start, quickly grasping the sounds that letters represent. However, some pupils who struggle to read need more precise help and support. The reading books they take home do not always match the sounds they know. These pupils do not always catch up with their peers as quickly as they should.

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Leaders provide a rich personal development curriculum. Pupils learn about important issues, such as relationships, equality and mental health. Pastoral support in the Rainbow room is very effective in helping pupils to manage their emotions. Leaders have put a lot of thought into how pupils develop independence. For example, they have mapped out their expectations for pupils’ dining skills from the two-year olds to pupils in Year 2. There are displays in the dining hall to explain this so that all lunchtime staff have the same expectations. As a result, pupils learn to be independent when eating.

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Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They trust school staff to nurture their children. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders are now reintroducing more opportunities for parents to be more involved in the school, such as helping in the ‘Rainbow garden’. Leaders recognise that there is more to do so that parents can be more involved in their children’s learning.

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Governors are committed to their roles. They have high expectations of leaders and hold them to account diligently. Staff are proud to work at the school and say that leaders support their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a robust culture of safeguarding. They diligently keep records of concerns. Staff receive training and updates. They are alert to the signs of risk in pupils. Adults report any concerns about pupils swiftly. Leaders work well with external agencies. They are relentless in their efforts to secure the help pupils need. Pastoral leaders provide valuable support for pupils and families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, including online. Some pupils act as ‘Staying Safe Superstars’, who help to promote the importance of safeguarding to other pupils. 28 and 29 June 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders should provide more opportunities for parents to become involved with their children’s learning, including ways that parents can support their child’s reading at home. Leaders should continue to strengthen relationships between home and school and provide effective opportunities for parents to engage with their child’s learning.  For a small number of pupils, the books they read are not always well matched to the sounds they are learning. This limits pupils’ ability to practise the sounds they are learning and develop their reading fluency. Leaders should ensure that the books pupils read and take home are well matched to the sounds they are learning so that those who struggle to read are supported to catch up.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 28 and 29 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268207 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 June 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders make use of one registered alternative education provider.  Leaders provide a breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, geography and religious education. For the deep dives, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 28 and 29 June 2023

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 The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. The lead inspector met representatives of the governing body and spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans, records of governance and documentation relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour.  The lead inspector met with the designated leader for safeguarding to discuss the actions taken to keep pupils safe. The lead inspector reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s single central record.  The inspector spoke with groups of staff and pupils.  The lead inspector listened to a sample of pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors took account of the small number of responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. The lead inspector spoke informally with parents on arrival to

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Inspection team

Corinne Biddell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 June 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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