King Richard III Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of King Richard III Infant and Nursery School Andrewes Street, Leicester, Leicestershire LE3 5PA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 23 and 24 April 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school serves a diverse community where all backgrounds and cultures are celebrated. Staff, pupils and families are proud of this school. Everyone is welcome. Pupils use language such as ‘inclusiveness’ and appreciate the many friends that they can make. They eagerly await their turn to take home the class ‘culture bag’. They fill it with items that are unique to them and their identity in readiness to share with their friends at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils join the school part way through their schooling. Some stay at the school for only a short period of time. A significant number of these pupils are new to the country and speak English as an additional language. Staff spend time getting to know the pupils and their families. This enables pupils to quickly settle into school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that the school rules help to keep them safe. They recognise that they also allow them to learn and flourish in a calm environment. Pupils know that their achievements will be recognised in assemblies where they can ‘shine like a star’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants every child to have the best start to their early education. However, its actions are not yet having a sustained impact across the whole curriculum.

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better?

The school has reconsidered its curriculum since the last inspection. In reading, this is beginning to impact positively on the progress pupils make. Children in the early years learn to hear sounds in words. Pupils in Year 1 recognise how two letters can be put together to make one sound. The school ensures that pupils are given opportunities to read a wide range of literature. However, this progress is not consistent across all subject areas, or across the different phases in school.

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better?

In a few subjects, the key knowledge that the school intends all pupils to know and remember has not yet been clearly sequenced. Checks on how well the curriculum is implemented have not been made in a systematic and informed way. This does not enable leaders to adapt and make necessary changes to the school’s curriculum in a timely and coordinated manner.

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better?

Pupils in the school’s ‘blossom’ class are provided with a bespoke curriculum to meet their needs. They understand that they need to complete tasks in a specific order and show pride in their accomplishments. However, other pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not get the right support to know and recall more with increasing fluency and independence. Occasionally, some adults do not break down the learning into smaller, manageable chunks.

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better?

All staff work together to support parents and carers to understand the importance of their children coming to school every day. Pupils’ attendance is improving. The 23 and 24 April 2024

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school continues to work alongside some families to help them to realise the importance of coming to school punctually every day.

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Some staff are at the school for a short period of time. Most are proud to work at this school. They appreciate the expertise they have benefited from to enable them to teach the school’s early reading programme, particularly for pupils who need extra help to catch up. However, in other curriculum areas and across the different phases of the school, staff’s development has been limited or has had little impact.

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Children in the early years settle quickly into school life. They enjoy painting, designing and building. During adult-focused activities, children learn to understand simple mathematical concepts, such as heavy and light. Occasionally, adults teach children misconceptions. The early years learning environment, including the outdoor provision, does not help to develop children’s early communication and language as well as it could. This is particularly evident when children learn independently. This does not help to prepare these children well for Year 1.

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Pupils understand and appreciate the values that underpin our society. They recognise that everyone has a right to express themselves, to be safe and to be happy. They also understand how to stay physically and mentally healthy.

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Governors pride themselves on how well the school adapts to meet the needs of the community. They have ensured that the communication the school shares is accessible to all families.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the curriculum is not fully sequenced. Checks on the intent and implementation of the curriculum have not been made in a systematic and informed way. Pupils do not learn as well as they could across the different phases. The school must ensure that the whole curriculum is well sequenced and make the necessary checks to ensure it is implemented as intended.  Not all pupils with SEND get the right support to help them to know the school’s curriculum with increasing fluency and independence. This slows down their learning and does not prepare them well for their next stage. The school must ensure that all staff understand how to make adaptations to the school’s curriculum so that pupils with SEND can recall more over time.  The learning environment in the early years does not promote children’s early communication and language as well as it could. During independent learning, children’s development is not always well supported. This does not help children

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

to have a secure, well-rounded understanding of the early years curriculum. The 23 and 24 April 2024

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school must ensure that all staff deliver all aspects of the early years curriculum and promote communication and language in meaningful ways.  Although there has been some support to develop adults’ expertise in delivering the school’s curriculum, this has had limited impact. As a result, adults are not always able to meet the needs of all pupils as well as they could. Sometimes, pupils are taught misconceptions. The school must ensure that all staff have a secure knowledge of the school’s curriculum so that they are able to teach it effectively.

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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). 23 and 24 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.kingrichards.leicester.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 December 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The chair of governors was appointed in December 2023.  Some pupils with education, health and care plans receive their education in the ‘blossom room’. This provision supports pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties, including pupils who are on the autism spectrum.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and 23 and 24 April 2024

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders, including leaders for attendance, behaviour and the early years.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and music. For each deep dive, inspectors met with the curriculum leaders to consider planning documents. They visited lessons and spoke with pupils and teachers. Inspectors also sampled curriculum plans for history and art and design. They also considered the school’s provision for writing.  Inspectors met with the school’s special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and visited the school’s SEND provision.

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school. They met with multiple groups of pupils to discuss behaviour in school.  Inspectors spoke with parents and pupils. They considered the responses to the online staff surveys and the responses to Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Shaheen Hussain, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim Leah Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 April 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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