The Grange Community Infant School

Inspection of a good school: The Grange Community Infant School The Avenue, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3RL

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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 not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ love of learning is evident throughout the school. They demonstrate the school motto of ‘I play, I learn, I belong’ through their actions and attitudes. Pupils are proud of their accomplishments and keen to celebrate their peers as much as themselves. They relish the new curriculum and its increased ambition. They delight in opportunities to describe what they have learned. However, the new curriculum is inconsistently taught, and so pupils’ knowledge and understanding are variable.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop a secure understanding of what is right and wrong. They have a well- developed sense of acceptance and kindness. They know the school’s rules of ‘ready, respectful, safe’. Staff expectations of behaviour are sometimes mixed. Pupils understand that some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) sometimes struggle and are supportive. They feel safe and know that all adults at school care about them. Pupils enjoy school and rush to get through the gate in the morning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school positively promotes pupils’ wider development. Pupils benefit from ample opportunities for trips and experiences. Class assemblies, trips to science centres and local farms drive their enthusiasm for learning. Pupils adore the gardening, language and music clubs. However, pupils who are disadvantaged do not yet fully benefit from these experiences.

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

The school has recently designed an ambitious curriculum. It is carefully sequenced and builds pupils’ knowledge from Reception onwards. For example, in design and technology pupils are supported to develop their understanding of mechanisms. In Reception, 18 and 19 June 2024

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children junk model using a variety of materials. In Year 1, the focus is on using axles and wheels. In Year 2, pupils design and use gears and cogs. Pupils have not yet fully benefited from this progression because it is new this year.

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The teaching of the new curriculum is not yet consistent. Staff design tasks that are sometimes focused on the most important content pupils need to learn. This means that not all pupils are consistently supported to build on their prior knowledge. Staff sometimes check pupils’ understanding but not consistently. This means that pupils sometimes have gaps in knowledge or misconceptions. The school has effective systems for identifying when pupils may need additional support. Some pupils with SEND receive highly effective support and care, but this is not universal. As a result, pupils’ achievement across the curriculum is variable.

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For most pupils, reading achievement is improving. However, disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as their peers. Staff follow a consistent programme for teaching pupils to read from Reception onwards. Pupils in previous years have achieved significantly below the national average for the phonics screening check. This has now improved, and many pupils develop into fluent and accurate readers. Pupils, including those with SEND, read books that are carefully matched to the sounds they know. Pupils enjoy reading a wide range of different books. They are avid readers in and out of school.

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Pupils are highly positive about their learning. Pupils from Reception onwards understand the importance of being polite and kind. The school’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour are variable between classes and systems for pupils who need additional support are not consistently strong. The school addresses any incidents of bullying effectively, and playtimes are positive and engaging for pupils. The school’s approach to improving attendance has been effective for most pupils, so that attendance broadly matches the national average. However, the number of disadvantaged pupils who are persistently absent is too high.

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All staff are passionate about pupils’ welfare and well-being. They follow a well-designed curriculum to develop pupils’ understanding of themselves and their place in the wider world. The school provides purposeful experiences that complement learning, such as trips to science centres and motor museums. The school makes every possible effort to ensure that these experiences benefit and support all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. Pupils embody the school’s values and expectations around equality and diversity. Consequently, pupils feel part of a close and welcoming school community.

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The school is emerging from a period of governing body turbulence. It now has an experienced and committed governing body. They are knowledgeable and demonstrate significant expertise in supporting the school. Leaders have made substantial improvements to improve pupils’ behaviour and the curriculum design. The school’s work to check the impact of their actions is currently being refined.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 18 and 19 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teaching in some foundation subjects is not yet secure. This means that some pupils’ learning is variable, and they are not fully prepared for their next stage of education. The school should ensure that all staff design tasks that are focused on the most important content and this builds on pupils’ prior learning. The school should support staff to accurately check pupils’ understanding and use this information to inform their teaching across the curriculum.  Some pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, are not supported to develop the required phonics knowledge swiftly enough. This slows their fluency and achievement in the rest of the curriculum. The school must continue to focus on supporting these pupils to quickly develop into confident and accurate readers.  Disadvantaged pupils do not attend school well enough. Their high levels of absence negatively impact their learning, and this means they are not sufficiently well prepared

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

for their next steps in learning. The school must strengthen their approach to reducing absence so that pupils’ attendance improves.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2014.

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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. 18 and 19 June 2024

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with 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 Chris Williamson

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 November 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The governing body was reconstituted in September 2023, and the current chair has been in post since May 2024.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other members of the leadership team. The inspector also met with members of the local governing body and representatives from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and design and technology. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, 18 and 19 June 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 observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons. The inspectors also spoke to pupils in lessons and during playtime and lunchtime.  The inspector considered a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluations of the school, the school improvement plan and minutes of governors’ meetings.  The inspector gathered evidence to explore the impact of pupils’ behaviour, the school’s wider curriculum offer and how leaders support staff with their workload.  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 spoke to parents and considered their responses to Ofsted Parent View.

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 The inspector took account of the views of staff through conversations and the responses to the online staff survey.  Pupils were met with throughout the inspection to gather their views about the school.

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Inspection team

Toby Martlew, lead inspector His Majesty’s 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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