Shelton Infant School

Inspection of Shelton Infant School Carlton Avenue, Shelton Lock, Derby, Derbyshire DE24 9EJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 14 and 15 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. School is a happy place. Pupils are very respectful towards each other. As one pupil said, ‘Everyone is unique in their own way.’ Pupils behave very well, particularly on the playground. There are many activities outside to engage pupils. They enjoy using construction play equipment to build structures, riding on bikes and tricycles, playing football, drawing and reading. Pupils also enjoy playing the games led by the sport coaches. They feel safe at school. Pupils say bullying is rare and is dealt with by adults at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school regularly invites parents and carers into school. Recently, parents were invited for a ‘snack and solve’ event. This event informed parents about the problem-solving and reasoning activities in mathematics. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent’s comment, which was typical of so many, was: ‘My child has come on leaps and bounds over the last two years, both academically and socially.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school encourages pupils to become active citizens. For example, they strive to complete activities within the school and beyond to graduate from ‘Shelton Infant University’. The school has high expectations for pupils in all subjects. Pupils achieve well.

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better?

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum to help pupils learn new knowledge and develop their skills. The curriculum is well planned and sets out the learning in a logical order. Pupils develop their knowledge well across many subjects. For example, children in Reception could explain the life cycle of a butterfly.

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better?

Reading is prioritised in the curriculum. Staff are skilled at teaching phonics. Children in the Nursery benefit from daily practice to orally blend sounds to make words. Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds they know. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have constant practice to develop their reading skills. They make good progress.

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better?

Children in the early years listen to nursery rhymes and develop a love of reading. The school organises many events for parents to come into school to read to all pupils, for example reading at a picnic in the summer. Pupils are eager to gain stickers so they can achieve a gold coin and collect a book from the school’s book vending machine. Pupils can name their favourite books and authors.

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better?

Pupils enjoy writing and are eager to use ambitious vocabulary. However, they can make too many mistakes in their writing. Moreover, mistakes are sometimes repeated.

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better?

In mathematics, pupils develop a deep understanding of number. For example, children in the early years can explain different ways of totalling ‘5’ and older pupils 14 and 15 May 2024

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can use number lines to find the midpoint. Pupils discuss mathematical problems and explain their thinking.

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Pupils with SEND are included very well in all school activities. Teachers adapt learning carefully to ensure that this group of pupils makes good progress. Adults support pupils to rehearse their thoughts and encourage them to speak to the rest of the class. Parents highly appreciate the work of staff to support their child’s individual needs.

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In music, pupils achieve well. They know the families of instruments. Pupils can use technical vocabulary, such as pitch, dynamics and tempo, to describe music. Pupils can recall the emotions they felt when they listened to music composed by Gustav Holst. Singing is promoted very well. However, in some other subjects, strategies used to help pupils recall key knowledge are not as effective as they could be. As a result, pupils can sometimes struggle to remember key knowledge.

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Pupils are polite and well behaved. The vast majority of pupils attend well. The school works closely with parents when a child does not attend as regularly as they should. This leads to improved attendance.

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There are very positive relationships between adults and pupils. Pupils are highly respectful. They appreciate that people have different cultures and beliefs. They also respect people who have no religious beliefs. Pupils also have a good understanding of how to stay safe online. For example, they know that passwords help keep information safe.

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Leaders and staff have worked collaboratively and skilfully to develop the curriculum over the past two years. They have astutely monitored the impact of the curriculum. They know how to develop it further. Staff feel that leaders take into account their workload and well-being. Morale is high. Governors have a good understanding of how well the school is performing. The local authority has supported the school well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils do not have enough guidance to develop their ability to write with accuracy. As a result, pupils make repetitive mistakes in their writing. The school needs to ensure that pupils develop a good knowledge of how to write accurately when they are writing independently.  Pupils are remembering more in some subjects. However, some pupils still find it difficult to recall some of the key knowledge that the school wants pupils to 14 and 15 May 2024

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remember in all subjects. The school should continue to develop the strategies it employs to help pupils recall key knowledge across all areas of the curriculum.

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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). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 March 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The governing body manages a breakfast club and after-school club.

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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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher and subject leaders.  Inspectors met with three governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The lead inspector held a phone call with a representative from the local authority. 14 and 15 May 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. They spoke with leaders, looked at curriculum documentation and spoke with pupils. Inspectors listened to pupils read.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.

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Inspection team

Martin Finch, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Donna Moulds Ofsted 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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