Overdale Infant School

Inspection of Overdale Infant School Eastcourt Road, Knighton, Leicester, Leicestershire LE2 3YA

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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

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The headteacher of this school is Hayley Holmes. This school is part of the Oak Multi- Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Andrew Wilson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jane Doughty. 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a warm and welcoming school where parents and carers appreciate the positive ethos. As one parent, who expressed a view typical of many, said: ‘Overdale Infant School is a family. It is a lovely community.’ Pupils are happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to flourish and succeed. Pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct. Most pupils respond well to these. A small number of pupils need some reminders about the school’s expectations to respect one another at social times of the day. Pupils are confident that trusted adults in school address any poor behaviour choices promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy responsibilities such as the school council and eco-ambassadors. They are proud of roles to help in class as ‘fireflies.’ Pupils are keen to help with play equipment and make sure everyone has a friend to play with during social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the range of sporting opportunities that nurture wider interests and talents. Dodgeball, gymnastics and football are popular clubs available to all. The school prioritises pupils’ well-being and character development by encouraging pupils to think about ‘character muscles’ such as being resilient.

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

Pupils make a strong start in pre-school. The aspirational pre-school curriculum and learning environment inspires children to learn through play. Staff nurture children well to be independent and curious. The school lays firm foundations for learning mathematics across the early years. Children secure number facts and counting through appropriate activities. Children use the language that they hear in stories when they play. Some aspects of the early years curriculum in the Reception Year do not provide sufficient progression from pre-school. The school’s curriculum is not as embedded in Reception as it is in pre-school.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. The school accurately identifies their needs. Staff skilfully provide clear steps for them, alongside the teacher. Activities are well-selected.

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

The school’s curriculum has been improved considerably since the previous inspection. It is well-sequenced and provides demanding work for pupils’ learning. The curriculum builds on pupils’ prior understanding, providing opportunities to revisit important knowledge so that pupils remember well. For instance, this approach is applied well in science and history. A few subjects are new and not embedded. Sometimes, pupils’ understanding is not always well-developed or secure in those subjects.

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

The school provides high quality professional development to staff. Leaders' personalised coaching at every opportunity ensures that staff implement the curriculum well. Staff model clear steps of manageable content to pupils effectively. They ask appropriate 21 and 22 January 2025

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questions to check pupils understand. They repeat important vocabulary so that pupils can practise and rehearse new words. On occasions, the checks that staff do are not always acted on to address misconceptions or pupils’ next steps. This includes within the early years.

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Reading is prioritised. The school has embedded its approach to phonics well. Staff expertly introduce new sounds with precision. The school successfully supports pupils who struggle with learning to read, or speak English as an additional language. Staff guide these pupils very well. The school has thoughtfully considered books with cultural diversity. High-quality texts ensure that pupils enjoy reading different authors and poetry through 'book talk' opportunities. Pupils achieve well with reading.

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Classrooms are calm and orderly. Staff remind pupils about concentration and good listening. Pupils respond appropriately to reminders about the school values. The school is developing more effective ways to manage attendance well. It has reduced the number of pupils who are late to school. While some pupils have improved their attendance, some pupils are absent from school too often. They miss important learning.

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The school has a personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum that is relevant for pupils and includes appropriate topics such as relationships and families. The school teaches pupils about safety, for instance, stranger danger and online safety. Pupils have a growing understanding of life in modern Britain such as democracy. They are beginning to recall some knowledge of different religions and beliefs. They understand what it means to respect others. Pastoral support for pupils’ well-being is strong.

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Leaders have improved the collective and ambitious approach to school development. They invite external audits to give comprehensive assurances to trustees about improvements. The productive review days in school enables link local governors, trustees and school leaders to reflect upon priorities together. Governors are effective in their roles. Leaders give staff well-being and workload careful consideration. Staff value the high-quality support they get from leaders for their ongoing development and their positive working environment. Many parents value the opportunities to come into school, for instance, the well-attended reading visits.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The ambitious intent in a few curriculum subjects, is not fully embedded. This means that the school’s curriculum implementation is variable in its effectiveness and as a result, some pupils’ knowledge is insecure. This includes the aims for curriculum progression in Reception from pre-school. The school should continue to embed the curriculum so that pupils build on prior learning securely. 21 and 22 January 2025

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 On occasions, teachers do not always act on their checks of pupils’ understanding well enough to recognise and address misconceptions. This means that pupils have errors that are not corrected and do not always benefit from the most appropriate next steps to deepen their understanding. The school should continue to support staff with strategies to check and respond to pupils needs so that pupils achieve as well as they should.  Although some pupils have strong attendance, some pupils are absent from school too frequently. This means that they miss too much important learning and do not benefit from the good education that the school provides. The school should continue to work with families to ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

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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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Website www.overdale-inf.leicester.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 September 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school oversees its own wraparound care.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is part of the Oak Multi-Academy Trust.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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 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 met with senior leaders from the school. The lead inspector met with local governors and spoke with the chair of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in some other subjects and considered the support provided for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors discussed pupils’ attendance and behaviour with school leaders.

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 Inspectors considered the views of parents who responded to Ofsted Parent View. They also spoke with some parents at the school gate.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff. They held discussions with staff and pupils.  Inspectors considered a wide range of evidence, including documents published on the school’s website.  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 extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Donna Moulds, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Clark Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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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