Geoffrey Field Infant School

Inspection of Geoffrey Field Infant School Exbourne Road, Whitley Wood, Reading, Berkshire RG2 8RH

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since June 2013. 10 and 11 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this highly inclusive school. The school has very high expectations of pupils, who strive to meet them. Pupils achieve exceptionally well. They benefit from the warm and respectful relationships they have with the staff. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Adults expertly guide pupils to be able to work independently in lessons. As a result, pupils focus on their learning for sustained periods of time, without interruption.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From the time they start in the early years, adults guide children to make their own choices and ask for help when they need it. Support from skilled staff ensures that pupils learn to manage their own feelings and behaviour. Pupils across school know that the staff are there to help them with any worries they may have. Consequently, pupils feel safe and very happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embrace taking on roles of responsibility. They make meaningful contributions to the school community. For example, by becoming ‘play leaders’ or ‘reading mentors’. Pupils are proud of their roles. They understand the value of helping others. Pupils know their views contribute to making their school a better place. They share their ideas and opinions with staff to bring about change, such as raising awareness of sustainability.

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

The school provides all children with a high quality of education. Leaders, including governors, work effectively together to support and challenge each other. This ensures the focus remains on improving the quality of the provision for pupils. This starts in the early years and continues throughout the school. Children are well supported to develop their language, reading, writing and mathematical skills. The school also focuses on pupils’ social development. These strong foundations help all groups of pupils to learn successfully across the whole curriculum.

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

Reading is at the heart of the school’s curriculum. Very high expectations of all pupils help them develop into fluent readers who enjoy a range of texts. Highly effective daily support helps those pupils at risk of falling behind to keep up with the reading curriculum. A love of reading is fostered in the school. This begins in the early years and is maintained across the whole school. Pupils love reading books recommended by staff.

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

Skilled staff ensure pupils use their reading knowledge to help them improve the quality of their writing. Staff ensure pupils practise building accurate sentences orally, before learning to write them. As pupils move through school they are encouraged to use their reading knowledge, for example new words they have learned, to help them improve the quality of their writing. As a result, the quality of pupils’ spoken, and written language is very strong across the school.

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

Subject leaders are extremely knowledgeable. Staff have secure subject knowledge across the breadth of the curriculum. As a result, expert staff teach the selected content in a well-structured order. The school swiftly identifies pupils’ individual needs. Staff provide 10 and 11 December 2024

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precise support so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), successfully access the curriculum.

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Across the school, in lessons, pupils are provided with many opportunities to practise learning independently, in pairs or in groups. Activities carefully match what pupils need to know and do. Staff routinely check pupils’ understanding. Staff use this information to address any misunderstandings pupils may have. Therefore, gaps in pupils’ knowledge close very quickly.

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Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning. All pupils know and live up to the school’s high expectations. From the Nursery class, children learn how to use the school’s ‘successful learning attributes’ and ‘talk tactics’. This helps pupils to sustain focus and think more deeply about the task they have been given. They move from one activity to another seamlessly, developing strong social and emotional skills. Pupils build on this knowledge throughout the school. Pupils show high levels of motivation. They want to learn more. The school works positively with families to ensure pupils come to school regularly. As a result, all groups, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND now attend well.

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The detailed programme for personal development is exceptional and permeates other areas of the curriculum. This helps pupils to flourish. Pupils develop a strong sense of how they can have a positive impact on the world around them. For instance, pupils take part in the ‘One Good Deed’ initiative. They choose activities such as litter picking and buying food for the foodbank. Pupils also take part in projects to support their local community. For example, pupils take part in projects last year to help people who live near the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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.

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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, 10 and 11 December 2024

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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

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 and 19 June 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently 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. 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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school's education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 10 and 11 December 2024

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 Inspectors met with senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the governing board and a representative of the local authority.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, religious education and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum documentation, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire, including the free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to the confidential staff survey and gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  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

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including leaders’ plans for improving the school, minutes of governing board meetings, records of attendance and behaviour incidents.

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Inspection team

Neil Pilsworth, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Rixson Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 December 2024

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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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