Toton Banks Road Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of Toton Banks Road Infant and Nursery School Toton Banks Road, Beeston, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG9 6HE

p.1

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 February 2025

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming and inclusive school where they are happy and excited to learn. They are inspired by the school values of ‘Be Kind, Be Brave, Be Curious’, and they flourish here. Staff take great care to get to know each pupil and their family. The youngest children settle quickly, and learn to share, to listen to others and to take turns.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a place of high expectations for all pupils. Pupils are respectful, courteous and well mannered throughout the school. They understand and champion the school’s ‘kindness curriculum’. At social times, pupils play and chat happily. This helps most pupils achieve well across a range of subjects.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They know staff are always on hand if they need support or have a worry. The school offers a variety of extra-curricular clubs, such as netball, construction, choir, ‘pop’ and dance. These are very popular and enable pupils to develop their talents and interests.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent, reflecting the views of many, said: ‘The teachers absolutely make this school. They are so caring towards the children. They help them to develop not just academically but into lovely human beings.’

p.2

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

Reading is prioritised in the school. In the Nursery, children are introduced to environmental sounds by listening to, and joining in with, familiar rhymes, stories and songs. This prepares them well for learning phonics from the start of the Reception Year. Over time, pupils use their developing knowledge to blend sounds together to form and segment words. The school regularly assesses pupils’ phonics knowledge to identify any gaps in learning. Pupils who fall behind are provided with support to catch up quickly. As a result, by the end of key stage 1, most pupils are reading with accuracy and fluency and achieve well in the national phonics screening check. During the inspection, pupils spoke about how much they like to read and talked about some of their favourite authors and books.

p.2

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

The curriculum for mathematics sets out what pupils need to learn, and when. It is carefully sequenced so that new learning builds on what pupils have previously been taught. In Year 1 and Year 2, lessons have a ‘flashback four’ so that pupils can recall and practise prior knowledge. Pupils understand why this is important.

p.2

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

Most of the school’s curriculum is well organised. Leaders have thought carefully about what will be taught and the best order to teach it in. On the whole, pupils remember what they have learned. While the school has begun refining the key knowledge that pupils are expected to learn and remember, at present this work is not fully complete. As a result, in these subjects, pupils’ recall of the curriculum is inconsistent. 4 and 5 February 2025

p.2

3

Checks of pupils’ knowledge are used well in reading, writing and mathematics to shape teaching. However, in other subjects, these checks are not as effective as they could be. The school does not always ensure that pupils understand the most important knowledge. This makes it difficult for some pupils to build on what they already know.

p.3

3

In the early years, the school has focused on improving communication and language as well as personal and social skills. Staff help children to learn to share toys and to help to tidy up. Physical development has also been a focus. Staff enable children to develop positive routines and habits, which creates a focused and cooperative atmosphere for learning. However, on occasion, the school does not ensure that staff make effective use of information about what children already know and can do when organising learning activities. This means that sometimes children do not learn as much as they could.

p.3

3

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. Their needs are quickly identified and appropriate support is put in place. Teachers provide skilful adaptations to ensure that all pupils can access the same learning as their peers. Staff support pupils with complex needs with skill, care and sensitivity. The effectiveness of this support means that pupils with SEND achieve well.

p.3

3

Pupils access a comprehensive personal development programme. For example, they learn how to be a good friend and how to identify potential risky situations by learning about road and online safety. Pupils talk passionately about their fundraising and work with the ‘dementia choir’.

p.3

3

Staff enjoy working at the school. They feel supported by leaders in managing their workload and well-being. Governors have a strong oversight of the school. This enables them to support and challenge leaders as appropriate.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the school does not ensure that some of its curriculum is clear on the essential knowledge to teach to pupils and when. This makes it harder for staff to make sure that pupils know and remember the information that the school intends. The school could further refine the curriculum for each subject to specify the knowledge that pupils are expected to learn and recall.  Assessment is not used consistently well across some areas of the curriculum. As a result, gaps in pupils’ learning are not effectively identified and resolved quickly. The school should further develop its systems for using assessment information to better prepare children for the next steps in their learning. 4 and 5 February 2025

p.3

4

 The school is not using its knowledge of children’s prior learning in the early years as well as it should to shape their next steps. This is leading to inconsistency in the quality of provision, both indoors and outside, and means that children are not achieving as well as they could. The school should build on what children know and can do so that activities provide a strong foundation for their future learning.

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). 4 and 5 February 2025

p.4

School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 There has been a change of headteacher since the previous inspection.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.  There is a breakfast and an after-school club, both of which are run by the school.

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. 4 and 5 February 2025

p.5

6

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader and groups of staff and pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and art and design. To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, including science, history and religious education.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair. She also met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. They also

p.6

6

considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.  Inspectors reviewed school documents, including those relating to governance, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors scrutinised leaders’ plans for improvement and their assessment of the school’s effectiveness.  Inspectors spoke informally to pupils at breaktimes, in the dining hall and on the playground. An inspector spoke informally to parents outside the school.

p.6

Inspection team

CT Atwal, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Justine Roberts Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

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