Kirk Sandall Infant School

Inspection of Kirk Sandall Infant School Queen Mary Crescent, Kirk Sandall, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN3 1JT

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The executive headteacher of this school is Carolyn Buckley. This school is part of the Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Helen Redford-Hernandez, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Pippa Dodgshon. 4 and 5 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Kirk Sandall Infant school has high expectations for pupils. These are realised. Pupils are safe. Pupils behave well in lessons and at breaktimes. Relationships between adults and pupils are extremely positive. Staff are skilled in making learning engaging and fun.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has made purposeful changes to the curriculum. These are having a positive impact on what pupils learn and achieve. The curriculum is delivered in a practical way, drawing meaningful links to the real world. These experiences support pupils to remember and develop their understanding. However, pupils also state that it helps them feel confident in the world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on leadership roles. Playground leaders organise lunchtime activities. ‘Ninja spies’ nominate role models who exhibit the school values. Pupils enjoy these opportunities. The roles support pupils to make good choices. They help pupils to understand how they can have a positive impact on others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well at the school. This prepares them for their next stage of education. The school has strong links with the neighbouring junior school. The curriculums for both schools have been created together. The curriculums align so that pupils’ learning continues to build over time. This further supports pupils when they move between schools.

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better?

The school has worked hard to improve phonics teaching. Leaders support staff through frequent training sessions. Adults deliver the phonics programme with accuracy. They introduce new sounds using consistent strategies. The school checks what pupils understand regularly. Staff use this information effectively to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Any gaps are then successfully addressed. Pupils access books that include the sounds that they are learning. Over time, this supports pupils to develop reading fluency. The school has invested in reading areas. These are resourced with high-quality books from different genres. The impact of these areas is demonstrated by a comment made by one pupil, who stated that, given the choice, they would spend all day reading in the classroom reading area.

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better?

The curriculum is ambitious and clearly sequenced. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers make adjustments in lessons for pupils with SEND. These support all pupils to access the curriculum effectively. They include the use of practical resources, such as magnetic boards, to help pupils with spelling. Staff are supported well through curriculum documents. The school has identified the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. Staff revisit relevant prior learning. This supports pupils to make links in their learning. As a result, they have a secure understanding of subjects such as mathematics and history. 4 and 5 June 2024

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Staff check the impact of the curriculum effectively. Regular, short quizzes provide accurate information about what pupils understand. Staff use this information periodically to review and revisit any content where pupils’ knowledge is less secure. This supports pupils’ development over time. It is reflected in the work that pupils produce. However, in a small number of lessons, some pupils lack resilience. They are not able to access learning activities independently for sustained periods of time. While adults intervene effectively, these pupils are not learning as much as they could be.

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Early years is a strength in the school. Staff know the children well. They understand what each child needs to learn next. Adults use this understanding to design activities that support children’s development effectively. Adults have a sharp focus on developing children’s communication and language skills.

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The school has created a personal development offer that is well considered. Pupils develop a robust understanding of healthy and unhealthy relationships. Pupils’ understanding of online safety is extremely strong. They know how to protect themselves online. They know what to do if they have any concerns when online. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. This learning is supported through visits to local places of worship. Most pupils talk with accuracy about different religions. However, some pupils struggle to remember what they have learned. At times, some pupils’ understanding of different faiths and cultures is not accurate.

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Trustees and governors fulfil their responsibilities. They use established systems to get an accurate picture of the school and provide appropriate challenge. This is valued by school leaders. They recognise that this helps them to continue to improve the school. There is an open developmental culture at all levels of leadership. Staff are positive about being part of the school. They are confident that leaders consider their workload and well-being effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not remember what they have learned about different faiths. As a result, they do not have a secure understanding about the diverse faiths in modern Britain. The school should consider how it helps pupils to remember the religious education curriculum, so they have a clear and accurate understanding of the themes covered.  Some pupils can lose focus when completing learning activities. They lack resilience, and their learning can be interrupted. The school should ensure that pupils’ resilience is developed so that they maintain focus over more sustained periods of time. 4 and 5 June 2024

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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). 4 and 5 June 2024

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School details

CEO of the trust Helen Redford-Hernandes

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 March 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust.  The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club.  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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 4 and 5 June 2024

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and other staff.  Inspectors held meetings with the chief executive officer, trustees and governors.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, listened to pupils’ read, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents. This included any free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Andrew Yeomans, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Pritiben Patel Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 June 2024

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