Audley Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Audley Infant School Queens Park Road, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 1SE

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2024

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Outcome

Audley Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at this welcoming school where everyone feels valued regardless of their differences. The school is ambitious for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many pupils are at the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language when they join the school. Staff effectively support pupils in developing their vocabulary and spoken English. Pupils embrace the learning opportunities that the school provides for them and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Children in the Nursery and Reception Years quickly learn the importance of the school rules. Staff in the early years ably support children to learn how to cooperate and share. Pupils are well mannered and caring. They benefit from positive relationships with staff which help to make them feel happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the opportunities that they have to take on responsibilities in school, such as being a member of the school council. Pupils value their school library, which dedicated pupil librarians help to maintain and to run. Pupils actively contribute to the community. They regularly support local food banks and charities. These experiences help pupils to understand the positive contribution that they can make to society.

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

The school has ensured that the curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. Across the curriculum, beginning in the early years, the school has carefully identified the key knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should be taught. Carefully considered support and resources help pupils with SEND access the curriculum and to progress through it well.

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

In most subjects, teachers check on what pupils know and remember from previous learning. Teachers design learning activities that effectively build on what pupils already 22 and 23 February 2024

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know. Across many subjects, pupils develop a deep body of knowledge and are well prepared for the next stage of education.

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In a small number of subjects, the school has not ensured that teachers have the subject knowledge that they need to be able to teach the curriculum well. This means that some teachers do not cover aspects of the curriculum in sufficient detail. This leads to some pupils having gaps in their knowledge. These gaps hinder pupils’ ability to make sense of new learning and they do not achieve as well as they should.

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Staff in the Nursery and Reception Years are skilled at supporting children’s language development. The school places a high priority on children in the Reception Year and pupils in key stage 1 developing a secure knowledge of phonics. Well-trained staff teach phonics effectively. They quickly identify those pupils who need extra help. Pupils who join the school in key stage 1 and are new to learning English quickly begin to understand the different sounds that letters represent.

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Children in the early years develop a love of books. They know and enjoy many stories, rhymes and songs. Children learn about reading through the well-chosen stories and non- fiction books that staff share with them. When pupils begin to learn phonics, they enjoy reading books that are carefully matched to the sounds that they have learned. This helps them to become confident and fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.

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The school’s clear rules and routines help to create calm classrooms in which pupils focus on their learning. This begins in the early years where children listen attentively to staff and are keen to help their friends. The school places a high priority on securing good attendance. Well-developed systems and procedures help the school to identify any potential issues and to take timely action to improve the attendance of pupils. This includes taking appropriate actions in response to extended term-time holidays which adversely affect the attendance of some pupils.

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Pupils experience many opportunities that prepare them well for life in modern Britain. The school ensures that pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. Pupils know what to do if they see something online that upsets them. They benefit from opportunities to develop their talents and interests through attending clubs such as football, hockey and dodgeball.

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Governors work in close collaboration with the school to realise their shared ambition for continuous improvement. Governors support and challenge the school well to improve the quality of education. The school is considerate of staff’s workload and well-being when making decisions about policies and procedures. Staff appreciate the consideration and actions taken to help them teach the curriculum well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 22 and 23 February 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, some teachers do not have the subject knowledge that they need to teach the intended curriculum effectively. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. These gaps hinder pupils’ ability to make sense of new learning and they do not achieve as well as they should. In these subjects, the school should ensure that teachers have the knowledge that they need to effectively teach the curriculum, so that pupils achieve well.

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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 September 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). 22 and 23 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The number of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.  The governing body operates a breakfast club.

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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 had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken this into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. As part of the deep dives, the inspector met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons, met with teachers and looked at pupils’ work. The inspector also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in some other subjects. The inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult. 22 and 23 February 2024

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 The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. He also considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons. He spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. He also considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. He also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online staff survey.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-

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Inspection team

David Robinson, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 22 and 23 February 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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