Carrington Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of Carrington Primary and Nursery School Jenner Street, Carrington, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG5 2BF

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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 Good 18 and 19 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive school where pupils get on well with each other. They recognise and celebrate the wide range of cultures, religions and backgrounds that make up their school. They recognise the importance of British values, equality, diversity and inclusion.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values are clear and embedded and convey high expectations. Pupils strive to show kindness, respect, readiness, confidence and excellence. They are proud when they do. They value the recognition that they receive for modelling these, including through kindness certificates and recognition in ‘Star Assembly’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. On the whole, they are polite, courteous and attentive. They welcome visitors warmly. They hold doors open for adults and each other. Pupils take turns to talk and listen attentively to what others have to say. They value the rewards on offer, including moving up through the class recognition board and earning team points. Wearing a ‘Purple Jumper’ in recognition of exemplary conduct is highly sought after.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make a significant contribution to their school. The ‘Eco’, ‘Events’, ‘Equality, Inclusion and Diversity’ and ‘Playground’ groups plan and carry out work and events to promote their aims. The recent ‘This is Me’ day and the international food evening were highly popular.

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better?

Over the last year, the school’s curriculum, including that for the early years, has been overhauled. It is broad, engaging and well thought out. Pupils, parents, staff and governors have all contributed to its design. The underpinning ‘golden threads’ of democracy, sustainability and diversity are expertly woven into all subjects. The principles of ‘windows and mirrors’ help pupils to learn about the world in which they live and to be reflective. Across the vast majority of subjects, the curriculum is well planned and sequenced. Content builds systematically on what has been taught before. However, due to the curriculum’s relative infancy, in a small number of subjects pupils are at an early stage of knowing and remembering content. Additionally, in a small number of places, the curriculum lacks clarity about what pupils are expected to know and remember.

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better?

The school has worked swiftly to address weaknesses found at its last inspection and those identified in published outcomes in 2023. The new reading curriculum, along with a consistent and well-designed approach to teaching, has resulted in pupils being able to read and understand more complex texts. They learn and remember new vocabulary at an impressive rate. A revised approach to teaching mathematics helps pupils to know and remember what they have been taught. The school’s own assessments indicate that pupils’ progress has increased significantly. Inspectors saw this reflected in lessons and books. 18 and 19 June 2024

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Early reading is taught well. Pupils learn phonics in a logical and systematic order. The books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils soon begin to read with fluency and comprehension.

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Children get off to a positive start in the early years. A wide range of well-planned activities help them to learn the curriculum. They remember what they have experienced and been taught. For example, one child in the Reception Year eloquently explained to an inspector what a windmill is and how it works. This was related to what they had learned when reading ‘The Little Red Hen’.

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The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. It puts appropriate support in place. Adults are skilled at adapting teaching to ensure that these pupils can access the same curriculum content as their peers. Teaching assistants provide appropriate, well-targeted support.

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The design of the curriculum, along with a wide range of extra-curricular activities, supports pupils’ personal development well. Older pupils routinely help out and support younger ones. Play leaders are available to support anyone who might need someone to play with. There are many opportunities to learn musical instruments, including clarinets, brass instruments and guitars. There are well-planned and sequenced curriculums for personal, social and health education (PSHE) and safeguarding.

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Leaders have transformed much at the school in a short period of time. They have focused on and prioritised the right things. The school’s curriculum has been improved. There is a common understanding of what constitutes effective teaching. At all levels, leaders understand their roles and responsibilities. Weaknesses have been tackled well. The views of pupils, staff, governors and the wider community have been used to help shape improvements. The school has a clear vision and a capacity for continued improvement.

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The work of the governing body is well organised. It has a broad skill set that it draws on to provide leaders with effective challenge and support. However, it has not considered carefully enough how unavoidable, long-term staffing absences have impacted on leadership capacity to avoid too many responsibilities being assigned to a few members of staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Due to the curriculum’s relative infancy, in a small number of foundation subjects pupils are at an early stage of knowing and remembering content. This means that some gaps in their learning remain. The school should ensure that it 18 and 19 June 2024

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continues to implement its new curriculum and that it results in pupils consistently knowing and remembering the curriculum content.  In a small number of places, the curriculum does not make explicitly clear what pupils are expected to know and remember. This means that teachers risk interpreting the curriculum in different ways. The school should ensure that the curriculum consistently, across all subjects, makes clear what pupils are expected to know and remember.  The governing body has not considered carefully enough how unavoidable, long- term staffing absences have impacted on the school’s leadership capacity. This has meant that, in some cases, too many responsibilities have fallen to too few people. The governing body should ensure that leadership responsibilities are appropriately distributed.

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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). 18 and 19 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Helen Masey O’Neill

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School details

Website www.carrington.nottingham.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up post in April 2023, shortly after the last inspection.  The school does not use any alternative education providers.

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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, curriculum leaders, leaders responsible for pupils with SEND, the early years leaders and groups of staff and pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in four subjects: reading; mathematics; history; and music. To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at 18 and 19 June 2024

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pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. Inspectors also spoke to leaders, looked at curriculum documentation and spoke with pupils about: geography; science; modern foreign languages; design and technology; and PSHE. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation for physical education, religious education, and art and design.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body and held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors spoke informally to parents outside the school. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  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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 Inspectors reviewed school documents, including those relating to governance, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors scrutinised leaders’ plans for improvement and their assessment of the school’s effectiveness.  Inspectors spoke informally to pupils at breaktimes, in the dining hall and on the playground. An inspector visited the school’s breakfast club.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Steve Tague Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 June 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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