Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School

Inspection of Winterbourne Nursery and Infants’ School Winterbourne Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7QT

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 September 2023

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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 13 and 14 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school community. Staff help pupils to settle in quickly and make new friends when they join the school. Staff and pupils build up warm and trusting professional relationships. Pupils are happy and safe as a result.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have made lots of changes to improve the school in recent times. For example, they have developed the reading programme and the curriculum in all subjects. High expectations for the academic success of all pupils are at the heart of every decision the school makes. When pupils leave the school after Year 2, they are well prepared for their next steps in education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a calm and orderly environment. From early years upwards, children learn school routines and how to behave well. The school council set up and operates a ‘buddy bench’ in the playground where anyone can sit and find someone to talk to. They know, for example, to line up quietly and to take turns and share any equipment. Pupils like getting rewards such as ‘star of the week’ or an invitation to the ‘Winterbourne Café’ for a special lunch in recognition of their positive attitudes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to be proud of their cultural heritage, and to respect everyone and to treat them equally. This is an essential part of what it means to be ‘The Winterbourne Child’. Events such as ‘Culture Day’ help pupils to explore their own backgrounds and learn about those of other people.

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better?

The school has an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Leaders have taken account of how pupils’ knowledge and skills develop over time, from Nursery to Year 2. For example, children in early years start learning about the concept of numbers. They liked counting different-sized ducks in the water, for example. Pupils build on this in Year 1 as they learn more about adding and subtracting. Where curriculum thinking is not as carefully thought through, the school’s curriculum thinking has not identified as clearly what pupils need to know and the order in which they should learn it. This means that pupils are sometimes set tasks to do that focus more on an activity than on the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn from it. The school typically checks regularly what pupils know and remember, but where key knowledge is less clearly sequenced gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not picked up routinely and addressed.

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better?

Staff work hard to help pupils catch up on any learning they have missed when they join the school. Overall, pupils achieve well. Reading attainment at the end of Year 2 was, however, below average in the 2022 national assessments. The school has focused on improving this. Daily phonics lessons for children in Reception and Years 1 and 2 follow a clear structure and sequence, and staff make careful checks on what pupils have learned and remember. Targeted support is given to pupils who 13 and 14 September 2023

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are at the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language, and those who struggle with reading, to help them catch up quickly.

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The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) at an early stage. In the specially resourced provision, children benefit from the focus on their communication and language skills. Staff use adapted teaching strategies and resources to help pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers.

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In lessons, pupils are generally attentive and well behaved. Pupils are taught explicitly to listen to each other and respect the points of view of others. Attendance is treated as a high priority by the school. The school works closely with parents and carers to promote regular attendance. Classes compete to win attendance awards for the highest weekly attendance. They are motivated by the school’s ‘HERO’ bear, who reminds them to arrive on time in the morning and to come to school every day.

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The school aims to give pupils wider experiences than they may have outside of school to promote their personal and social skills. For example, pupils learn to ride a bike and go on various outings. Pupils enjoy the range of extra-curricular clubs that the school organises and take part in local sports events. Staff help pupils to make healthy choices and to look after their mental health. Pupils enjoy visits to the school’s ‘secret garden’ to check on the vegetables they grow there. The school encourages pupils to help others, such as collecting produce for food parcels for the school’s community foodbank and raising money for charity.

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Leaders have created a strong sense of teamwork in the school. Staff feel well supported and valued in their roles. They appreciate strategies that the school has introduced to reduce workload and promote well-being. The school ensures that all staff have continuous professional development. However, where some support staff have taken on increased teaching responsibilities, the school has not fully ensured that all staff receive personalised and tailored support to help them to fulfil their roles.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, including in early years, curriculum thinking is not as well developed as in others. Where this is the case, the school has not identified clearly all the specific subject knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. As a result, lesson activities do not support pupils in building up the cumulative knowledge that they need to know as effectively as they could. 13 and 14 September 2023

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Leaders should identify the essential subject knowledge that pupils need to know and remember and plan activities that will fully support the intended learning.  Due to challenges in recruiting teaching staff, the school has given some support staff additional teaching responsibilities. Leaders should ensure that staff receive all the support and development that they need to fulfil their teaching roles.

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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’ 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

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.winterbournenurseryandinfants.co. uk Date of previous inspection 11 May 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed as acting headteacher in March 2020 and took up post as substantive headteacher in April 2021.  An assistant headteacher was appointed in September 2022 and a second one appointed in September 2023.  The school manages a breakfast and after-school club.  The school has a specially resourced provision for children aged three to four with SEND. The provision has places for up to 12 children with social and communication needs.  More pupils join and leave the school part way through their Nursery and infant school education than is typically the case. Many pupils are at the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language.  The school does not use any alternative provision. 13 and 14 September 2023

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other members of the school leadership team, including leaders with responsibility for pupils with SEND. The lead inspector held a discussion with four members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to

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Information about this inspection

a sample of pupils read.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. Inspectors sampled pupils’ work, reviewed curriculum documentation and visited lessons in a range of subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the record of pre-employment checks, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and around the school and reviewed behaviour logs and attendance information.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the school day and considered responses to the survey, Ofsted Parent View.  Discussions were held with various groups of staff. Inspectors evaluated responses to the online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Jude Wilson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sacha Husnu-Beresford His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 September 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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