Foxhills Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Foxhills Infant School Foxhills, Colbury, Southampton, Hampshire SO40 7ED

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might be outstanding if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this highly ambitious school. The school inspires them to do their very best. Adults are resolute in ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have the best start to their educational journey. Pupils love coming to school. They work hard and achieve exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They are kind and respectful to each other. They enjoy the well- resourced outside environment, playing well together on the outside gym equipment they helped to choose. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online. They learn how to take responsibility for their choices and their actions. In addition, pupils trust adults to help them if they have a worry or concern.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is rightly proud of the opportunities provided to enrich pupils’ experiences. Performing in school productions and presenting their work to different audiences, including pupils from the neighbouring junior school, enables pupils to develop as confident and articulate young people. In addition, pupils enjoy making a difference to their local community, such as through promoting road safety outside the school. Furthermore, opportunities to learn from an illustrator and professional musicians inspire pupils to produce excellence in their work.

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

The school provides a rich curriculum that gives pupils the knowledge they need to be successful. The curriculum identifies the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to know in all subjects. The order in which pupils learn the curriculum content ensures that their understanding strengthens and deepens over time. Furthermore, pupils have 1 and 2 November 2023

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many opportunities to revisit the content that they are learning. This helps them to remember what they have learned and achieve highly. For example, in geography, pupils learn key information about the United Kingdom and then use this knowledge in different contexts, which helps them to remember it over time. The school ensures that pupils with SEND are taught the same knowledge as their peers. Careful identification of the needs of pupils with SEND ensures that staff know exactly how to adapt the curriculum to enable all pupils to achieve very well.

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Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. In lessons, teachers present information clearly. They design tasks that enable pupils to develop their understanding step by step. Teachers routinely identify pupils’ misconceptions and address these straight away. In Reception, the way in which adults build children’s understanding is highly effective. For example, when teaching children about colour mixing, adults develop children’s understanding well through expert observation and targeted questioning. All staff use subject-specific vocabulary when explaining concepts and expect pupils to use this vocabulary when discussing their learning. Pupils rise to this challenge and talk about what they have learned with confidence.

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The school has clearly prioritised reading. The strong ambition that all pupils will learn to read with fluency and comprehension swiftly is abundantly clear. The school has devised innovative ways of involving parents in their children’s reading journey. The weekly reading assembly, when parents are welcomed into school to listen to stories with their children, is a joy to watch. Right from the start of Reception, children learn to read using a well-structured programme. This is taught with an impressive level of skill and consistency across the school. As a result, pupils read exceptionally well. Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds that they know. Regular checks on pupils’ understanding ensures that those at risk of falling behind in reading receive highly effective support to help them to keep up.

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Pupils behave very well. The school is calm and orderly. In lessons, pupils concentrate well and work hard. They want to learn. The school is determined that all pupils attend school regularly. Over time, effective work with pupils and their families has ensured high attendance for all.

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Pupils benefit from a variety of opportunities which enhance the curriculum. For example, regular ‘welly walks’ enable pupils to learn about nature and develop a sense of awe and wonder about the world around them. A wide variety of carefully chosen books in the school library provide pupils with ‘windows to the world’. This helps build understanding of the cultural and social diversity of the United Kingdom and prepare pupils for life in modern British society.

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The school is determined to provide a high-quality education for all. All members of the school community work extremely well together for the benefit of the pupils. Staff enjoy working at the school and feel valued. They appreciate the regular high-quality training that enables them to do their job well. 1 and 2 November 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2014.

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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.

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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 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). 1 and 2 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school.  Since the previous inspection, the school has reduced from 3-form entry to 2-form entry.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This is 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 have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher and senior leaders. The inspector also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and a representative from the local authority. 1 and 2 November 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also considered planning, documentation and pupils’ work from some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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.  The views of parents and carers were considered through their responses to Ofsted Parent View. Further views of pupils and staff were gathered through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.

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 The inspector reviewed a range of the school’s documents, including self-evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Sue Keeling, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 November 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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