Banstead Infant School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Banstead Infant School The Horseshoe, Banstead, Surrey SM7 2BQ

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Outcome

Banstead Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are excited about learning and thoroughly enjoy school. They are keen to get the day started when they arrive in school, happily waving to their parents as they join their classmates. Well-established routines and high expectations ensure that pupils feel safe, comfortable and well cared for. They speak sensibly and maturely about their school, enthusing about subjects, such as mathematics, art and reading. During the inspection, pupils talked to the inspector confidently about why learning is important. For instance, one pupil explained that learning mathematics ‘trains your brain and helps you to remember’, while another said: ‘The more you write, the more your hand muscles improve, and the neater your writing.’ The youngest children eagerly share their learning with visitors, inviting them to look at the class books they have made and explaining what they are doing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind to each other and behave exceptionally well throughout the school. They arrive in the morning ready to learn, greet visitors politely, and wear their school uniform with pride. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are valued members of the school’s happy and inclusive community. They are actively involved in all aspects of school life and learn enthusiastically alongside their classmates.

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

Pupils achieve well in a range of subjects. In 2023, they achieved exceptionally well in reading and writing. The school has introduced a new and highly ambitious curriculum in mathematics, science, history, art and design technology this year. The new curriculum has been carefully designed to reflect current research about how pupils learn well. It is well sequenced and builds on the school’s previous effective curriculum, with an increased focus on deepening pupils’ learning. In mathematics, for example, pupils are given more time to apply what they have learned. An example of this was seen during the inspection, when pupils in Year 2 used practical equipment to help them to think about different ways of partitioning two-digit numbers. 26 and 27 March 2024

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Staff have worked very hard to implement the new curriculum since September and are now beginning to see its positive impact on pupils’ learning. Work continues apace to ensure that the curriculum is securely embedded. The school is rightly focusing on making sure that all staff have the knowledge and confidence needed to respond effectively to pupils’ emerging needs during lessons.

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The school has made significant improvements in the teaching of reading since the last inspection. Its phonics programme is now well established and effective. Teachers and support staff teach early reading skills confidently and knowledgably. Pupils who need extra help with their reading benefit from regular opportunities to read and from ‘keep up’ sessions. The proportions of pupils achieving expected levels in the Year 1 phonics check have improved significantly since the last inspection and were in line with the national average in 2023. High-quality texts are a key element of the curriculum and used well to promote enjoyment of reading. During the inspection, pupils spoke about how much they like to read and talked about some of their favourite authors.

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Leaders have improved arrangements to support pupils with SEND since the previous inspection. Assessments and transition arrangements are used well to identify children’s needs as early as possible and to ensure that suitable adaptations are in place when they join the school. Staff complete regular training and work closely with specialist services, such as occupational therapy. Pupils with SEND learn well as a result.

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Pupils have lots of experiences which enliven learning. They learn skills to help them to navigate the world around them safely, such as first-aid skills, online safety strategies, and how to swim. The art curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils’ creative and cultural development. Pupils learn the skills needed to produce high-quality artwork. For instance, during the inspection the youngest children selected from an extensive range of resources to make nests for chick eggs, while some of the older pupils learned how to use cross-hatching to show tone and shade in their drawings.

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Pupils move around the school sensibly and responsibly. They are confident that adults will look after them if anything is worrying them and say that any misbehaviour is sorted out quickly. Records of behaviour confirm this positive view.

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Staff report strong teamwork and high staff morale. They feel well supported by leaders and appreciate the training opportunities provided. All those who completed Ofsted’s survey say that they are proud to work in the school. One member of staff said: ‘It’s a lovely place to work and we have great management – They’re supportive and see us as people.’ Leaders work constructively together to monitor and support staff well-being. Parents are very happy with the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 Adults do not always have the knowledge and confidence needed to respond to pupils’ emerging needs during lessons. This means that learning slows for those pupils who are finding it hard to grasp what is being taught. The school should continue with its work to strengthen this aspect of teaching.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2018.

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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). 26 and 27 March 2024

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CEO of the trust

Julian Drinkall Headteacher Andrew Burbidge

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CEO of the trust

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the GLF Schools multi-academy trust.  The special needs coordinator was appointed in September 2023.  The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club. Both are managed and operated by the school.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, special needs coordinator, and other senior leaders. She also met with five members of the school standards board, including the chair of the board. 26 and 27 March 2024

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 The inspector held discussions with a number of trustees and trust representatives, including the chair of trustees. She also had an online discussion with the chief executive officer of GLF multi-academy trust.  The inspector spoke with a range of staff at different times during the inspection. She also considered the views of staff expressed in Ofsted’s survey.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and art. Deep dives included visits to lessons, a review of pupils’ work, and discussions with leaders, teachers and pupils.  The inspector spoke with pupils in lessons and at other times during the school day.  The inspector gathered parents’ views through Ofsted’s survey. She also spoke with parents in person at the start of the school day.  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

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Julie Sackett, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 26 and 27 March 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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