Farnborough Grange Nursery & Infant Community School

Inspection of Farnborough Grange Nursery & Infant Community School Moor Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 8HW

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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

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The headteacher of this school is Olivia Dempsey. This school is part of the Good Shepherd Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Paul Kennedy, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by James Friend. 28 and 29 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of respect, aspiration and belonging are beginning to shine through. The school has rightly prioritised developing the curriculum and improving pupils’ behaviour. Staff want pupils to reach high standards in their work. A new curriculum is starting to improve pupils’ learning, including in the early years. However, gaps in pupils’ learning remain, as over time, pupils have not studied a suitably ambitious curriculum. As a result, pupils have not consistently deepened their knowledge, which limits their ability to achieve as well as they should across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour at the school is good. Pupils are happy and safe. Staff help pupils with any worries they may have. Relationships between pupils and adults are positive. Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. These are enacted consistently across the school. Everyone says that school is much calmer now. One staff member understandably described the recent improvements at the school as a ‘sea change’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of a diverse community. Everyone is treated equally. Pupils enjoy the leadership roles on offer. They are familiar with the fundamental British values, including the meaning of democracy. There is a range of extra-curricular opportunities on offer to pupils and this continues to develop.

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

The recently appointed headteacher and assistant headteachers have formed a strong partnership. They have the required urgency and determination to improve pupils’ school experiences. They have galvanised a very new teaching team. However, everyone is fully aware that there is still more to do.

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

The school aspires for all its pupils to receive a high-quality education. A clearly planned, ambitious curriculum identifies what pupils should know and by when. The school is now working towards a consistent approach to teaching and learning, including in the early years. However, at times expectations of pupils are not high enough. Significant gaps remain in some pupils’ learning and some errors go unchecked. This means pupils learning is not as secure as it should be.

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

The school has prioritised early reading. Effective support is provided to help pupils who fall behind. However, some of these pupils require the support because the initial teaching has not been strong enough. In phonics, some staff do not model sounds precisely. Some of the reading books that pupils are given are too difficult for them. As a result, too many pupils are not making the progress they should in phonics.

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

The implementation of the rest of the curriculum is equally inconsistent. A number of staff changes in the past year have hindered progress in improving how well the curriculum is taught. Pupils are, however, typically learning and remembering more than at the time of the previous inspection. While some lessons are adapted well to meet the needs of pupils, in others not enough consideration is given to this. As a result, not all pupils make the progress they should. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are now identified effectively. Well-considered training for staff has had a positive impact. This support means these pupils’ individual academic and pastoral needs are being met far more often. Their experience at school is now much more successful.

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This year, the school has implemented a new approach to behaviour management. This has had a substantial impact on the school’s atmosphere. Classrooms, play areas, corridors and the dining hall are all calm and happy places. The number of suspensions and general behaviour incidents have dropped markedly. Pupils are very aware of what is expected of them and they are rewarded for doing the right thing. A few pupils at the school, particularly in the older years, need additional support for their behaviour. Staff now have a clear understanding of how to help support these pupils.

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Attendance of pupils is not high enough. While the school supports and challenges families whose children have low attendance, this needs to have a wider impact. Improving attendance is important, as it will mean pupils will make better progress in their learning.

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Leaders are ambitious to provide all pupils with a wide range of experiences. They make sure that all pupils can take part in clubs, trips and educational activities. Pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep safe and healthy.

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Trust leaders provide effective support for the school to improve. However, the strategic thinking from those responsible for governance is not as rigorous or monitored as effectively as it could be. As a result, the school’s improvement is not being effectively evaluated at timely intervals.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, including early reading, the curriculum is not delivered as effectively as leaders intend. As a result, not all pupils, including those in the early years, achieve as well as they should. The school should continue to strengthen its approach to curriculum delivery to ensure all pupils develop a strong body of knowledge over time across all subjects.  Sometimes, the activities used to deliver the curriculum are not consistently effective, including in the early years. Consequently, some pupils do not learn all that they should or deepen their knowledge effectively, including pupils who could have more challenging work. The school should ensure that its curriculum design and delivery consistently support all pupils in acquiring knowledge they are capable of over time. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough, while others do not arrive on time at the start of the school day. As a result, these pupils miss out on important learning and do not make the progress that they are capable of. The school should continue to develop their systems to ensure that parents understand the importance of regular attendance and punctuality.  The trust does not evaluate the effectiveness of strategies the school has implemented rigorously. Consequently, those responsible for governance are not always able to identify trends or patterns, or readily determine which strategies are successful. The trust should ensure that actions and strategies are systematically evaluated so they can identify what is effective and what requires further adaptation.

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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, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Website www.farnboroughgrange.hants.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 and 28 September 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Farnborough Grange Nursery & Infant Community School is part of The Good Shepherd Trust (GST) MAT.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2024, along with two new assistant headteachers at the same time.  Almost all teaching staff have joined the school in the past 12 months.  The school has a specially resourced provision for 12 children with SEND, including speech, language and communication needs.  The school runs its own nursery provision for children between the ages of two and four.  The school runs its own wraparound care, both before and after school.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision. 28 and 29 January 2025

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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

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders within the school. The lead inspector also met with members of the interim academy board and the board of trustees. He also met with educational representatives from the trust.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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 inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation including self- evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View and an inspector also spoke with parents on the first day of the inspection.  The views of staff were gathered through interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection, as well as the staff survey.  Inspectors gathered pupils’ views throughout the inspection, including through the classroom visits, group discussions, as well as at playtime and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Chris Parker, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Joyce Lydford Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

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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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