Charlton Kings Infants' School

Inspection of a good school: Charlton Kings Infants’ School Lyefield Road East, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 8AY

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might be outstanding if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Katie James. This school is part of Charlton Kings Infants’ School single-academy trust. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Alan Waller.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at Charlton Kings Infants’ School. The school’s vision of ‘the wings to fly, the confidence to try’ is embodied by all. The learning environment is a hive of productivity. Pupils know precisely what is expected of them at school. They work hard in lessons and achieve highly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school with true community spirit. Inclusivity is at the school’s core. The school works effectively with parents to give every child the best chance. Pupils know the ‘respect family’ well, such as ‘Sophie self-awareness’ and ‘Parveena passion’. This helps guide their behaviour both within and beyond the classroom. It is commonplace to hear pupils offering support to one another, for example offering to include others in their play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Careful thought is given to every element of school life. Pupils have decided on which clubs the school should run. Construction and choir are firm favourites. As a result, attendance at clubs is high. Pupils are encouraged to use their initiative. For example, pupils were deeply moved by the level of homelessness in the locality and decided to write to a charity to find out how they could offer support. As a result, they raised money by completing acts of kindness.

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

The school has crafted the curriculum with great attention to detail. The precise knowledge pupils need to know at each stage, from the school’s Nursery to Year 2, is meticulously sequenced. Consideration is given to what pupils have learned before and 14 and 15 May 2024

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how this learning will link to future learning, including when pupils move on to junior school. Because of this, teachers are clear about what pupils need to learn and why. As a result, pupils remember their learning across subjects.

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The school’s work to develop each child as a reader is noteworthy. The ‘dream reads’ that the school has carefully selected mean that pupils read widely. Children are taught to learn to read by trained staff as soon as they start school. The checks staff make on learning mean any children who fall behind are given support to catch up. Pupils quickly become confident and fluent readers.

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Learning activities in lessons match the intended knowledge the school wants pupils to learn. For example, in mathematics, pupils in Year 1 use counting frames to subtract 8 from a two-digit number. Across the curriculum, modelling in small steps helps every child keep up, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Pupils with SEND are very well supported. They have learning plans with targets that meet their specific needs. Pupils take ownership of their targets and self-assess when they have demonstrated the learning on these targets. Observation of pupils by all adults means pupils are quickly supported through ‘scoop groups’ if they have not grasped a concept. This gives pupils further help to secure their knowledge. Pupils benefit from abundant practice, for example when learning how to tell the time in five-minute intervals. Pupils develop deep knowledge across the curriculum and remember their learning well.

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Assessment is used expertly. ‘Lesson zero’ at the beginning of each new unit helps teachers find out what pupils already know about the subject. Regular revisiting of learning and quizzes help pupils to remember their learning long term. For example, in art, Year 2 pupils could recall their learning from Reception Year about Kandinsky’s artistic style.

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The school’s focus on pupils’ wider development is having a profound impact on the behaviour and character of each pupil. Children in Reception Year learn about different faiths and cultures through specially created puppet resources. After lunch, pupils across the school listen to one minute of music from different genres and try out mindfulness activities, helping them to stay calm. Eco-councillors encourage more people to walk to school. This care for the environment extends to the school’s outdoor learning provision. Here, pupils connect with nature by making pillows out of wool with a loom and creating their own intricate insect hotels. Central to this work are the school’s curriculum drivers, such as culture and diversity and environment and community. These are woven through school life.

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Every member of staff is valued. Support staff are called teaching partners because of the way they support learning. Staff appreciate the training they receive to help develop their knowledge of the curriculum. Trustees are highly knowledgeable about the impact the curriculum is having on pupils. They exercise their duties with great rigour. There is a shared commitment to each pupil benefiting from a high-quality education. 14 and 15 May 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 May 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). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates its own Nursery provision, known as the kindergarten, for three- and four-year-olds.  There is a before- and an after-school club for pupils who attend the school.  The school does not 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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, school staff, parents, pupils, trustees and the chair of the board of trustees.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, 14 and 15 May 2024

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visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to pupils from Years 1 and 2 read to a known adult.  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 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 and around the school, including at lunchtime and breaktimes. In addition, the inspector met with pupils formally and informally to hear their views.  The inspector considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. She also looked at responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Lakmini Harkus, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 14 and 15 May 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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