Wescott Infant School

Inspection of Wescott Infant School Goodchild Road, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 2EN

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding 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 Stephanie Holding. This school is part of the Circle Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Ginny Rhodes, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Beckett.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Wescott Infant School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 14 and 15 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive a strong start to their education. Children flourish in Reception, gaining confidence and developing resilience quickly. Pupils enjoy warm and positive relationships with each other and their teachers. Wescott Infants is a school where everyone believes that ‘anything is possible’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils strive to follow the school rules. They understand clearly why it is important that these rules exist and why they should be followed. Pupils live up to the school’s high expectations and work extremely hard in lessons. Pupils are kind and respectful citizens. They have a strong understanding of right and wrong and what is fair. Pupils overwhelmingly feel safe and happy and enjoy coming to school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school that is aspirational for pupils to fulfil their potential and to develop a deep love of learning. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are supported to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to share their achievements in assemblies and cannot wait for their work to be published in the ‘Wescott Infant School World’s Greatest Children Book’. Pupils learn about individual differences and are happy to share their own life experiences with each other. As a result, they celebrate diversity and welcome everyone to their school.

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better?

The provision for early years is exceptional. Staff establish excellent routines with children quickly and effectively. The curriculum is ambitious and is designed to engage children, who are inspired to learn and focus well. Children use their mathematical and phonics knowledge confidently and fluently. They relish talking about and explaining the work they are doing. Leaders build highly positive relationships with parents from the start of the school journey and know children well.

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better?

There is a well-constructed and ambitious curriculum in place across all year groups. It carefully sets out the precise knowledge and skills pupils will learn. Leaders have identified clear end points for each subject as well as the key vocabulary pupils will learn. The school adapts the curriculum regularly so that it meets the needs of the school community. Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and receive effective support in lessons to access the same curriculum as their peers. Staff check pupils’ understanding carefully and use this to inform future teaching.

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better?

Staff have secure subject knowledge. This is a consistently strong feature in the teaching of mathematics and reading. Staff use effective strategies to enable pupils to recall more of the key learning. For example, in mathematics, revisiting key content helps children in Reception to develop a secure understanding of number bonds and mathematical vocabulary. This impressive work with number continues in 14 and 15 November 2023

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the rest of the school. However, in some other subjects, staff do not use the same approach to support pupils to learn and recall important content. As a result, pupils do not securely remember the key knowledge they are taught.

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Pupils relish listening to the stories that staff read aloud. Reading is an important part of school life. Expert staff teach phonics with precision. They quickly identify pupils who may need additional support. Children in early years accurately learn the sounds they are being taught. They use this knowledge to help them sound, spell and write words confidently. Older pupils develop their fluency and confidence to become independent readers.

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Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. They follow routines impeccably, and they confidently meet the school’s high expectations of them. Pupils are resilient when faced with challenges. They work hard in lessons with focus and determination. As a result, pupils develop highly positive attitudes to learning and are self-motivated.

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Pupils’ personal development is exceptional. They are supported to become confident individuals with a strong sense of moral purpose. For example, pupils value the work of the Eco Council and know they must help to protect our planet and nature. Leaders share news stories with pupils to give them a deep understanding of events that are happening around the world. Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy and fit and can discuss the reasons why they should do this. In addition, they know how to keep themselves safe when online. The school encourages pupils to celebrate difference and feel confident to be who they want to be.

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Staff are proud to work at Wescott. They feel well supported by the trust and leaders. Because of this, the school exudes positive teamwork with all staff collaborating together for the benefit of the pupils. Staff benefit from high-quality training, which enables them to support pupils effectively. Parents are overwhelmingly full of praise for the nurturing approach taken by the school.

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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, teachers do not consistently use the most effective strategies to enable pupils to remember the key knowledge. This means that pupils do not achieve as securely as they could across the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff revisit prior learning and link new learning to what pupils have learned before to support them to learn the essential knowledge and skills across the curriculum. 14 and 15 November 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). 14 and 15 November 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Wescott Infant School converted to become an academy in July 2020. When its predecessor school, Wescott Infant School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school is part of the Circle Academy Trust. There are currently eight schools in the trust.  The school currently uses one unregistered alternative provision.  The school has a specially resourced provision, called Little Acorns, for seven pupils with SEND. This is for pupils with autism.

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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. 14 and 15 November 2023

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 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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, art and design, and physical education. For each deep dive, the 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 their work.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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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 The inspectors looked at a wide range of documents provided by the school and observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons.  The inspectors met with members of the local advisory board and representatives from the trust.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View, and an inspector also talked with parents.  The views of staff were gathered through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  Inspectors gathered pupils’ views throughout the inspection, including during classroom visits as well as at playtimes and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Simon Woodbridge, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Jackson Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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