Field House Infant School

Inspection of Field House Infant School Lower Whitworth Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire DE7 4LT

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Karen Scrivens. This school is part of Embark Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Matthew Crawford, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sarah Armitage. 3 and 4 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school. Pupils are welcomed in their classrooms each morning with a cheerful greeting. Adults shower pupils with kindness. They know the pupils well. Pupils feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They list the many things they like about it. They stick to the school values. When they do things well the adults in school tell pupils, ‘You have filled my bucket.’ Pupils are motivated to be the best they can be by the ‘3 o’clock club’. This is when they visit the headteacher to tell her about their good work and behaviour. The weekly Friday awards assembly and ‘bucket filling bonanza’ time to celebrate pupils’ achievements are highlights of the school week.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious that every pupil will do as well as they can during their time at the school. They want pupils to aim high in their future lives. Pupils learn about the jobs they can have when they are adults. The school is determined that these first few years of education will build a firm foundation for the next steps in pupils’ education. The school’s motto, ‘aspire and believe to achieve’, is at the heart of the school’s work.

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better?

The school has constructed a well-considered curriculum. It is broad and balanced. The school has ensured that leaders are well trained and they keep a close eye on how well pupils are learning in each area of the curriculum. The school has developed a creative approach to help pupils remember what each subject is about by linking a character to all curriculum areas. ‘Marlow the mathematician’ reminds pupils why mathematics is so important and ‘Rowan the reader’ promotes a love of reading.

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better?

Across the curriculum, plans identify the knowledge pupils need to know and remember at each stage. It is designed to help pupils’ knowledge deepen over time. In the foundation subjects, key knowledge is not yet identified precisely enough. The school recognises this. The necessary work to address this has started but is at an early stage.

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better?

Teachers follow the intended curriculum. They make regular checks to assure themselves that pupils remember what they have learned. They provide lots of opportunities to remind pupils about this key knowledge. One pupil said, ‘It helps me when my teacher tells me things lots of times.’ Children in the early years get off to an exceptional start because every activity is precisely designed to meet their needs and promote learning. Occasionally in key stage 1, learning activities are not fully successful in supporting pupils to remember the intended learning.

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better?

The school has prioritised reading. Books are available for pupils to read in every part of the school. From the Nursery Year onwards, pupils enjoy regular story times. Children in the early years learn the sounds they need to know to read right from 3 and 4 October 2023

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the start. In every class each day starts with a phonics lesson. Pupils revisit and practise the sounds they already know, rehearse ‘tricky words’ and learn new sounds. The school makes sure that pupils who are at risk of falling behind get the help they need to keep up.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The school wastes no time in identifying their needs. The additional help they need to succeed is crafted with care. Every effort is made to remove barriers so that pupils with SEND can be included in all aspects of school life and achieve well.

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Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They discuss British values intelligently and make links between these ideals and their own school rules. They learn about different ideas, people and families. They accept that everyone is not the same. They are welcoming to everyone. Pupils learn how to stay healthy. They know that it is important to eat foods that are good for you. They enjoy active playtimes. Children in the early years have lots of opportunities to develop their physical ability in the outdoor provision.

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The school is well supported by the trust and governors. Through careful monitoring, they identify what is going well and where further improvements are needed. They share the school’s high ambition for pupils.

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The school is well regarded by staff and parents. Staff agree that it is a great place to work. They say that their workload has been considered as the school has worked at pace to make important improvements. Many parents are highly complimentary about the care and support their children receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In the foundation subjects, curriculum plans do not always identify key knowledge in sufficient detail. The small units of learning that pupils need to know and remember are not consistently clear as teachers plan and deliver lessons. The school should ensure that all curriculum plans include these precise elements of learning.  In a few lessons the learning activities provided do not support pupils to acquire the intended knowledge as well as they could. When this happens, pupils do not fully participate in their lessons. The school must ensure that all staff have the expertise they need to deliver the curriculum in a way that engages pupils in their learning and successfully enables them to learn the intended curriculum. 3 and 4 October 2023

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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). 3 and 4 October 2023

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School details

Website www.fieldhouse.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined Embark Multi Academy Trust in December 2020. When the predecessor school, Field House Infant School, was last inspected by Ofsted in December 2017, it was judged to require improvement.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2022.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 3 and 4 October 2023

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team. The lead inspector met with representatives of the trust, including the chief executive officer and four governors, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils from the lessons visited and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 reading to a member of staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; 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.

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors took account of parents’ free-text comments and the responses on Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke with staff to gather their views about the school.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Janis Warren Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 October 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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