Ladycross Infant School

Inspection of Ladycross Infant School Victoria Road, Sandiacre, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG10 5JD

p.1

Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

p.1

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 10 and 11 December 2024

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Ladycross Infant School. They are happy and feel safe. Many pupils model the school’s aims of ‘learning, making friends and having fun’.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has raised its expectations of the breadth and depth of pupils’ learning. It has made improvements to the quality of education. However, many of these positive changes are recent and require time to become fully embedded.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils follow and understand the school rules of ‘ready, respectful, safe’. Pupils get on well together during social times. However, pupils’ behaviour in lessons is more variable. At times, the school does not consistently ensure that pupils maintain the highest standards of behaviour. Pupils’ learning can be hindered by low-level disruption.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make a meaningful contribution to school life. For instance, some pupils are members of the ‘pupil parliament’. Others value their roles as ‘friendship ambassadors’, ensuring nobody is left out during playtimes. Pupils particularly enjoy looking after the school guinea pigs, Ginger and Little Moon Buddy. These roles help to develop pupils’ understanding of responsibility and care.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a broad range of extra-curricular opportunities on offer to pupils. Assemblies, including talks from guest speakers such as engineers, encourage pupils to be aspirational about their futures.

p.2

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

The school has made sure that pupils follow a broad curriculum. Learning is progressively ordered in all subjects and builds towards clear aims by the end of key stage 1. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified well. Bespoke support helps them to be successful in their learning.

p.2

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

Much of the curriculum is new. As a result, pupils’ subject knowledge and skills lack depth. While they talk with enthusiasm about the activities they complete, they are less able to explain their learning. In some subjects, the planned activities do not help pupils achieve the aims of the curriculum consistently. Consequently, pupils’ knowledge in these subjects is not secure and they do not deepen their understanding over time. In some subjects in the wider curriculum, checks on pupils’ learning are not used well enough to inform what comes next. Teaching does not always build effectively on what pupils know.

p.2

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

The school ensures that reading is a top priority for the school. Phonics teaching starts strongly in Reception, where children get off to a flying start. Children are enthusiastic about reading stories. Across the school, the books that pupils read are matched carefully to the sounds that they know. The school checks pupils’ learning in phonics well. It uses this information to identify gaps in pupils’ learning. Pupils who need extra help with their reading receive support so that they catch up. In Nursery, children love listening to stories, singing songs and rhymes. The school helps the children to develop their 10 and 11 December 2024

p.2

3

communication and language skills well. Children in the early years are confident, curious and eager to learn.

p.3

3

Staff care for pupils’ well-being. They teach pupils how to be physically and mentally healthy and how to keep themselves safe online. The school adapts its personal, social, health and economic programme according to local issues. For example, pupils learn about water safety. Pupils make valuable contributions to the local community. They especially enjoy making and donating ‘kindness cards’ to local residents. Pupils benefit from attending a wide range of clubs. From karaoke to mindfulness colouring, these provide opportunities to develop pupils’ talents and interests.

p.3

3

In early years, in particular, staff help children to develop positive routines and habits. This creates a focused and cooperative atmosphere for learning. Pupils are enthusiastic about the school’s new behaviour system. They strive to earn dots to spend at the ‘dot stop’. However, the behaviour system is not implemented consistently across the school. Low-level disruption hinders pupils’ learning in some lessons. Pupils show respect for difference and diversity. One pupil, echoing the views of others, said: ‘No one is an outsider, everyone is welcome here.’ While pupils learn about a range of religions and faiths, their knowledge and understanding remain fragile. As a result, they are not prepared fully for life in modern Britain.

p.3

3

Governors are committed to the school. They have developed effective processes to evaluate the school’s work. Staff value the consideration given to their workload and well- being. The school and its governors share the same determination to ensure that pupils thrive both academically and socially.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the pedagogical choices do not fully support pupils to achieve the intended goals of the ambitious curriculum. In these subjects, pupils do not build a sufficient depth of knowledge or understanding. The school should ensure that suitable pedagogical choices are made so that the clearly sequenced curriculum is delivered effectively.  The school’s checks on pupils’ learning in some foundation subjects do not clearly identify what pupils remember. This means that teaching does not always build on what pupils already know. The school should ensure that checks in these subjects accurately identify what pupils know, so that teachers can use this as a starting point for their teaching and plug any gaps in pupils’ learning.  Expectations of pupils’ behaviour for learning are not high enough. Staff do not apply the school’s new behaviour systems consistently. This leads to some pupils’ learning

p.3

4

being hindered. The school should ensure that its behaviour systems are followed consistently, helping pupils to develop positive and focused attitudes to learning.  Although pupils learn about a range of faiths and cultures, they struggle to remember what they have learned. Their knowledge of these is not secure. The school should ensure that pupils’ experiences and recall of a range of faiths and cultures are further enhanced, so that pupils are fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 10 and 11 December 2024

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 May 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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. 10 and 11 December 2024

p.5

6

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders and staff. The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body and spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. 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.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. In addition, they met with pupils informally and formally to hear their views.  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

p.6

6

extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the views of parents and carers through their responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. They also considered the views of staff through Ofsted’s online survey for staff. An inspector spoke to some parents at the end of the school day.

p.6

Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Debonair Brown Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 December 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7