Turnfurlong Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Turnfurlong Infant School Turnfurlong Lane, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 7PL

p.1

Inspection dates: 13 and 14 September 2023

p.1

Outcome

Turnfurlong Infant School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this friendly and inclusive school. The established values are evident in the warm and positive relationships. Pupils show high levels of respect for staff and towards each other. As a result, pupils feel happy and safe, and are well looked after.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a calm and purposeful ethos. Leaders’ high expectations are evident in pupils’ exemplary conduct. From their first days in nursery, children thrive in an environment that encourages them to explore and learn. This fosters a love for learning that grows as pupils move through the school. During lessons, pupils are highly motivated and enjoy the activities the teachers provide for them.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Trips, such as to Warwick Castle, or visits, such as from a local farm, are carefully chosen to reinforce learning. Pupils delight in these opportunities, which bring the curriculum to life. The school provides a range of clubs, and these are well attended. Pupils are encouraged to be physically active, and enjoy participating in a range of sports, including competing against other local schools.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelming in their support for the school. They value the school’s welcoming culture, with one parent stating that all children are ‘holistically accepted and inclusively treated’.

p.1

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

The school’s curriculum is meticulously designed, right from the early years, and based on ambitious goals for pupils’ learning. In each subject, the school has specified the content and vocabulary that pupils will learn across the curriculum, with thoughtful connections made between subjects. Staff check pupils’ progress carefully and provide support in ‘early morning’ work to help those at risk of falling behind to keep up. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are accurately and swiftly identified. The school ensures that staff are provided with the information they need to help pupils with additional needs to learn successfully. 13 and 14 September 2023

p.1

2

Pupils achieve highly in most subjects. In class, teachers present information clearly in a way which helps pupils’ understanding to deepen. In most areas, teachers revisit learning often. This ensures pupils’ prior learning is secure before they are introduced to new ideas. However, in a small number of foundation subjects, pupils do not routinely get chance to revisit and reinforce their prior learning. As a result, some pupils do not remember their previous learning well enough.

p.2

2

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Children start developing a love for reading and stories from their earliest days in school. The school’s phonics programme is well established, and expertly delivered by well-trained adults. This helps pupils develop their understanding of the sounds letters make. Teachers’ checks on learning are effective and ensure that any gaps in knowledge are addressed. The books pupils read are appropriately matched to the sounds they know, building their fluency and confidence. In recent years, the school has acted to address a decline in the standards that pupils achieve in phonics by the end of Year 1, providing effective support to help them catch up.

p.2

2

Children in the early years access a first-class education. They benefit from high-quality interactions with adults. Leaders have rightly prioritised important early language and social skills. In the provision, children learn to play alongside and cooperate with their peers. They engage well with the activities planned for them, in a stimulating environment. The focus on early communication skills and the breadth of the early curriculum ensure children are well prepared for the Year 1 curriculum.

p.2

2

Pupils’ personal development is a strength of this school. The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn the important skills to help them keep safe, including online. They learn how to be a good friend, and speak to a trusted adult if they are worried. Pupils are highly respectful of the different backgrounds and cultures represented within their school community. They enjoy learning about others’ views and beliefs and participate keenly in activities such as Eid parties. Pupils are also keen to help others. They appreciate the opportunities to represent their class in the elected school council or help their friends as ‘Play Pals’. They also raise funds for causes important to them. For example, pupils have raised funds to help families following the Turkish earthquake and have collected for the local food bank.

p.2

2

Leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils. Governors know their school well and provide effective challenge to leaders. Staff feel valued and welcome leaders’ consideration of their workload and well-being. They are proud to be part of the school community.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 and 14 September 2023

p.2

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, prior learning is not revisited routinely to check pupils’ understanding. As a result, some pupils struggle to recall and build on their prior knowledge. The school should ensure that deliberate opportunities to revisit and use prior learning are consistently in place across the whole curriculum.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2014.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.3

Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 13 and 14 September 2023

p.3

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.4

School details

Chair of governing body Charlotte Austin

p.4

School details

Website www.turnfurlong-inf.bucks.sch.uk/

p.4

School details

Date of previous inspection 26 April 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.4

Information about this school

 The governing body manages a nursery for two- to four-year-olds.  The before-and-after school childcare provisions are run by an external provider.  Leaders do not currently use any alternative provision.

p.4

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. She also met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 13 and 14 September 2023

p.4

5

 For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  During the inspection, the inspector met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to them informally during social times.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised a wide range of information, including a selection of the school’s records. The inspector spoke to staff and pupils about safeguarding and looked at how pupils learn to stay safe. The inspector spoke to the safeguarding lead about the recording and reporting of safeguarding incidents.  The inspector reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also took account of staff’s responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

p.5

Inspection team

Laura James, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 September 2023

p.5

6

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.

p.6

6

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.6

6

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

6

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

6

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6