Trafalgar Community Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Trafalgar Community Infant School Victory Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 2JF

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Outcome

Trafalgar Community Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils come to school with a sense of excitement. The school has a joyous atmosphere that has been purposefully created to engage and support all pupils. They feel welcomed and cared for by the school. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who feel accepted and supported. During playtime, pupils play together collaboratively and kindly. In lessons, they are focused and engaged in their learning. Pupils feel safe and confident that adults will listen to them, help them to make decisions and resolve misunderstandings.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils. Pupils feel a sense of purpose in their learning and are proud of what they achieve. They clearly understand what the school expects and are passionate about what they have learned. The ‘Growth Garden’ characters explain the school’s expectations to pupils in a simple and memorable manner. Pupils refer to these aspirations when speaking to adults, each other and visitors. Consequently, pupils usually achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are cared for and supported. The school’s offer beyond the academic is well considered. Pupils love the clubs and opportunities on offer. This includes breakfast karate and effective pastoral support, some of which involve sessions with the school guinea pigs.

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

The ambitious curriculum is carefully constructed. From Reception onwards, the school has precisely identified what pupils will learn and in what order. This means that pupils' learning gradually builds over time. The curriculum works towards clear end points that prepare all pupils, including those with SEND, for the next stages of education.

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

Staff benefit from high-quality training and have secure subject knowledge that helps 30 and 31 January 2024

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them to explain new concepts clearly. Staff swiftly identify pupils who need extra support and deftly adapt their teaching. In many subjects, staff link ideas over time to help pupils remember the key content they have been taught. This helps pupils to build knowledge gradually over time. Teachers check what pupils have learned and remembered, but this can be inconsistent across different subjects. This means that sometimes pupils have misconceptions or gaps in learning that are not sufficiently addressed. Consequently, pupils usually achieve well, but they sometimes struggle to recall learning over time.

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Reading is a high priority for the school. From Reception onwards, staff closely follow the clear phonics programme with precision. Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds they know. Staff check accurately what pupils remember. Pupils who need additional support are swiftly recognised, and there is a comprehensive system of support to close the identified gaps. As a result, pupils become fluent and accurate readers. A love of reading is evident throughout the school. Pupils are exposed to various books from different cultures and authors. They talk passionately about the books they have enjoyed and are motivated to read widely and often.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and each other. Pupils’ attendance matches the national average, and they are punctual and enthusiastic about coming to school. Staff have been provided with high-quality training to support them to manage pupils’ behaviour consistently. From Reception onwards, explicit teaching supports the development of positive behaviour. Children in Reception and pupils across the school are taught the language to express their emotions and resolve minor disagreements amicably. When needed, the school takes effective action to support pupils who do not meet the behaviour expectations. As a result, pupils feel safe and nurtured by the school, and a calm and orderly atmosphere promotes learning.

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Pupil’s broader development is a strength of the school. Pupils respond well to the school’s ambition for everyone to be ‘ready and able to learn’. Physical and mental health is a priority. From Reception onwards, this is supported by an effective curriculum for teaching pupils about different cultures, abilities and faiths. The school’s commitment to the broader curriculum includes trips to local parks to build an understanding of seasonality and visits from local fire and police services. Consequently, pupils are confident, safe and respectful towards others.

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Leaders at all levels are committed to the school. New leaders have been swift to act to address weaker aspects of provision. Governors are well informed and well trained. They clearly understand their duties and appropriately challenge the school to improve. This means the school has a clear sense of unity to continue to refine and strengthen the education it provides for all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 30 and 31 January 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment in foundation subjects is underdeveloped. Staff do not consistently use the information to inform future teaching so that pupils’ gaps in learning are securely addressed. The school needs to support staff to strengthen their use of assessment to check pupils’ understanding and help them embed key content over time across the curriculum.

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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 June 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 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). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Sarah Brockhurst

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 July 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently 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.  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 members of the leadership team. The inspector also met with members of the local governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons. The 30 and 31 January 2024

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inspector also spoke to pupils in lessons and during play and lunchtime.  The inspector considered a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluations of the school, the school improvement plan and minutes of governors’ meetings.  The inspectors gathered evidence to explore the impact of pupils’ behaviour, the school’s wider curriculum offer and how leaders support staff with their workload.  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.  The inspector spoke to parents and considered their responses to Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector took account of the views of staff through conversations and the responses to the online staff survey.  Pupils were talked to throughout the inspection to gain their views about the school.

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The views of pupils were also considered through Ofsted’s survey.

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Inspection team

Toby Martlew, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 30 and 31 January 2024

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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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