Queen's Drive Infant School

Inspection of Queen’s Drive Infant School Queen’s Drive West, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE1 2UU

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 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 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming school. They share their knowledge with enthusiasm, demonstrating their inquiring minds. Pupils are eager to learn because staff make tasks engaging and fun. Some pupils are new to learning to speak English. Staff teach these pupils the fundamentals quickly, so they feel happy and settled.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ achievements. They encourage pupils to work hard and try their best. Pupils’ work is of a high quality, showing they take pride in what they do. Pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff explain the school’s rules and routines clearly. This helps pupils learn to behave well. Even the youngest children know how to share and work well with others. During breaktimes and at other times, pupils engage in collaborative play. This fosters friendships. It also helps pupils to develop important skills, such as resilience and shared responsibilty.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with age-appropriate responsibilities. These help pupils to understand that they need to help make the school a better place for everyone. They also learn how to be dependable and reliable members of the school, preparing them well for their futures.

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

The school has carefully considered its curriculum, which details the skills and knowledge that pupils should learn from the Reception Year to Year 2. In Reception classes, children engage in tasks well and develop important knowledge. For example, while drawing houses, they learn about mathematical shapes and building materials. Children also improve their fine motor skills. Across the school, teachers have strong subject knowledge. They also check pupils’ understanding accurately. This, and the school’s well- established and consistent teaching methods, enable staff to impart knowledge effectively to pupils. Pupils learn the curriculum successfully.

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

Pupils can articulate their learning well in many subjects. In Reception classes, there is an emphasis on developing language and communication skills. This helps children to learn new ideas and build the basic skills they need to succeed in reading and writing. However, across the school, in a few subjects, the teaching of language related to some topics is not as focused as it could be. Teachers are sometimes unclear about the vocabulary that pupils need to learn. This means that when some pupils discuss a new idea, they cannot participate in meaningful discussions that help them learn and remember new concepts.

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

Pupils love to read. They enjoy reading for pleasure and learning about their favourite topics, for example the Great Fire of London. Skilled staff teach pupils to use their phonics knowledge to read words. Any pupils who need extra support receive it. This helps them to keep up with their peers. Regular opportunities for pupils to practise reading are a 25 and 26 February 2025

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priority. This helps to ensure that pupils learn to read with confidence. This prepares them well for the next stage of their education.

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The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. Staff work with parents and carers, and sometimes external agencies, to ensure that the school provides the support and guidance that pupils need. A small number of pupils learn a more individualised curriculum. This enables the school to provide support that matches their needs more closely. Many pupils with SEND achieve well across the curriculum.

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At breaktimes, pupils generally respect one another well, and there are adults to support them if needed. Overall, in classrooms, pupils focus on their learning and stay motivated. Some pupils need additional support to manage their feelings. Although the number of pupils who are persistently absent from school is high, the school’s careful analysis and supportive strategies have had a positive impact. This is helping to ensure that most of these pupils attend school more regularly. The school places a high priority on this.

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The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about, and are familiar with, different religions and cultures. They are respectful of different beliefs and values. Pupils learn about mutual respect and understand how to make their own choices. The school provides clubs and activities that support and celebrate pupils’ talents and skills.

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Leaders and governors focus on continually improving the quality of education provided. Governors carry out their roles effectively. Parents are positive about the support provided for their children. Staff appreciate the training opportunities they can access. They feel that leaders show consideration for their workload, for example by adjusting how feedback is given to pupils. The school also provides support for staff members’ well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the teaching of subject-specific vocabulary is not focused on the disciplinary knowledge that pupils should learn. As a result, some pupils do not have the necessary vocabulary to apply it effectively in their learning tasks. This slows these pupils’ progress through the curriculum as they are not able to communicate their understanding well. The school should identify the key vocabulary pupils should learn in each subject and ensure that teachers incorporate it into their teaching. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.queensdriveinfantschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 February 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not 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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 25 and 26 February 2025

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders and staff. The lead inspector also met with representatives from the governing body, including the chair of governors. The inspectors also met with a representative from the local authority.  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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education and geography. 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.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text

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responses. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jessie Linsley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Bryony Surtees Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 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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