Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School Whipton Barton Infant and Nursery School, Hill Lane, Whipton, Exeter, Devon EX1 3JP

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Outcome

Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School. They are proud of their school and want to do well. Pupils embrace the school values ‘caring, honest, organised, inquisitive, courteous, engaged, safe and smart’. They know how these values help them to be successful. Adults develop positive relationships with pupils and know them well. This creates a nurturing environment where pupils grow in confidence. Most pupils show positive attitudes to learning. They know what is expected of them, including the school routines. Pupils are polite and respectful to others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for all pupils to be successful, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have created a broad and ambitious curriculum that is carefully sequenced. This starts in the early years where children get off to a flying start. Children are curious about the world around them and sustain high levels of interest in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of clubs where they develop their skills and talents. The ‘eat well for less’ club encourages parents to be part of the school and to learn a new skill as a family. Parents value the opportunities leaders provide for pupils. Parents praise the supportive staff.

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

Leaders are determined for all pupils to succeed. They are clear about the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn to prepare them for their next stage. Teachers understand this well, and they learn from subject experts and colleagues to ensure they have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum successfully. As a result, pupils build their knowledge well across the curriculum.

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

Leaders are ambitious for pupils with SEND. They prioritise staff training to ensure that pupils’ needs are well known and understood. Teachers adapt learning to enable these pupils to access the full curriculum and to be successful alongside their peers. 3 and 4 July 2023

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Teachers use a variety of strategies to help pupils learn. For example, pupils revisit and practise prior learning at the start of every lesson. This helps pupils to deepen their understanding. Assessment is used to identify any gaps in knowledge. However, assessment is not used with enough precision to identify misconceptions or to establish if pupils are ready for new learning. As a result, some pupils do not build their knowledge as well as they could.

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Ensuring pupils learn to read is a priority for leaders. Children develop a love of reading as soon as they start school in Nursery. The early years curriculum is centred around high- quality texts. Leaders consider carefully the books teachers read to pupils. These include books that support pupils’ understanding of culture and diversity. As a result, pupils have a love of books and authors. While learning to read, pupils are taught the important knowledge they need to read well. Leaders provide regular phonics training for staff. As a result, staff have a secure understanding of the phonics programme. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know. Staff identify pupils who fall behind and support them to catch up quickly.

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Children in early years flourish. Staff capture children’s interests to promote a love of learning. Language development is a priority. Staff ensure that children recall and rehearse vocabulary to deepen their understanding. This prepares them well for future learning. They design learning opportunities that help children to build their knowledge. For example, children enjoy singing nursery rhymes to deepen their understanding of number. They show confidence sharing what they know, such as the number of objects to represent a numeral.

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Leaders set routines for pupils to follow that make the school calm and orderly. Leaders and staff know pupils’ individual needs and respond to them appropriately. Pupils are supported to know what makes an effective learner and to take pride in their work.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. Opportunities are deliberately planned to enhance the curriculum beyond the academic. Pupils learn about other cultures that are different to their own. Classes are named after inspirational people from a variety of backgrounds. Pupils know why their class name is important, such as Rosa Parks who had an impact on civil rights. Pupils understand equality and know that everyone should be treated the same.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They value working with colleagues across the federation and the trust. Staff share that their workload and well-being are well supported by leaders. Governors show commitment to the continued development of the school. They know the school well and receive the training they need to fulfil their statutory responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 and 4 July 2023

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Leaders and school staff know pupils and their families well. Staff receive regular safeguarding training that helps them to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff are clear about reporting concerns. Leaders monitor records rigorously and take action quickly. They ensure families get the help they need, including support from the school’s family support officer. Leaders ensure that the appropriate recruitment checks are in place for adults who work in the school.

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Pupils know who to go to if they have a problem. They know that adults will help. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in the wider world. For example, the annual visit from the local fire station helps pupils to understand risks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not use assessment with enough precision to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge or to establish pupils’ readiness for new learning. As a result, some pupils cannot build their knowledge as well as they could. Teachers need to ensure that assessment is effective in identifying what pupils know and can do so that learning is adapted to enable pupils to deepen their understanding.

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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 predecessor school, Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School, to be good in March 2013.

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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. 3 and 4 July 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. 3 and 4 July 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School converted to become an academy school in March 2019. When its predecessor school, Whipton Barton Infant and Nursery School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School is part of the Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust and the Whipton Barton Federation with Whipton Barton Junior School.  The current headteacher joined the school in June 2022, and they are the headteacher of both schools in the federation.  The school does not use any 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject 3 and 4 July 2023

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, parents, pupils, governors and a representative from the trust.  The inspector listened to pupils read to a trusted adult.  To evaluate safeguarding, the inspector spoke to the designated safeguarding leaders, staff, governors and pupils, and evaluated record-keeping and staff training.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspector spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, and met with some parents at the start of the second day. The inspector also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to

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Inspection team

Esther Best, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 3 and 4 July 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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