Marlpool Infant School

Inspection of Marlpool Infant School Prospect Road, Marlpool, Heanor, Derbyshire DE75 7NF

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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 Good 23 and 24 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this happy and caring school. Pupils, staff, and parents and carers are positive about the school. They value that the school really cares about its pupils and families and the wider community. Typical comments from parents include, ‘Children skip into school.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They know that staff will listen if they have a concern and that they will help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s ‘REACH - respect, enthusiasm, active, caring and happy’ values successfully guide pupils in their actions and behaviours. The school has high expectations of behaviour. Pupils respond well to the positive approach and behave very well. They approach all activities with enthusiasm and are keen to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk with confidence about the importance of respect and caring for one another. They are proud of the jobs that they do in school, for example helping their younger peers at lunchtime and being monitors. Pupils say, ‘Jobs make us feel responsible,’ and ‘We have to set a good example.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants the best for pupils and supports them effectively to succeed. Pupils achieve well. Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and for those who are disadvantaged is highly effective.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils that is reviewed regularly. In most subjects, the curriculum identifies what pupils need to know and remember and when this should be taught. Where this is the case, teachers deliver the intended curriculum well. Pupils talk about their learning with confidence and demonstrate a depth of understanding. However, in a small minority of subjects, the key knowledge has not been identified. As a result, teachers cannot check how well pupils are learning and pupils do not build their knowledge in a well-ordered way. Some pupils do not remember their learning over time in these subjects.

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

The school’s engaging curriculum and caring approach ensure that children in the early years get off to a strong start. Early years staff support the development of children’s communication and language skills well. They encourage children to be independent, curious and confident. Children immerse themselves in learning and are well prepared for the key stage 1 curriculum.

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

The school is passionate about helping pupils to love reading. The phonics programme begins as soon as children start in the Reception Year. Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. They also have a book to share with their families for enjoyment. Teachers read to pupils daily. The school makes sure that all staff have the training to be reading experts. Staff frequently check how well pupils are learning to read. 23 and 24 April 2025

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They ensure that pupils at risk of falling behind are supported to keep up with their peers. Pupils become confident, fluent readers.

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The school identifies pupils with SEND swiftly. Plans to support pupils are clear. Staff use the plans to adapt learning effectively so that pupils can access the full curriculum. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils’ behaviour throughout the school is good. The school’s expectations for their conduct are clear and consistently applied. The playground is lively and busy, and pupils enjoy socialising together. The school has prioritised improving how well pupils attend. New processes have secured a positive improvement in attendance.

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The school ensures that pupils have additional opportunities to enhance their time in school. Pupils value their role in the community. For example, they enjoy raising money for charities, including the local hospice. Pupils have developed their understanding of working with different people through the intergenerational project. Pupils dance with the elderly on a regular basis. Pupils are clear about the impact of these activities. They say that the ‘older people think back to when they were young, and it makes them smile’. When asked how it made them feel, one pupil spoke for many when they said, ‘strong, brave and worthy, like I can do anything’.

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The school provides a range of opportunities, including assemblies, to teach aspects of the personal development programme. Pupils learn how to stay safe online. They understand the importance of friendships. They understand the need to be ready to learn, for example through calming yoga activities. They learn about fundamental British values and how people are different. However, pupils do not readily recall this important curriculum content.

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Staff and governors understand what is working well in the school and what needs to improve. Staff are proud to work at the school and respect the consideration given to their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school keeps pupils safe. Regular training and updates have resulted in a positive safeguarding culture. Leaders are open and transparent, sharing information with others and actively seeking expert advice when required. However, in some cases, details of actions and decisions are not recorded. This means that the school cannot reflect on the impact of its actions over time. 23 and 24 April 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some cases, safeguarding records do not fully document the actions that the school has taken to keep pupils safe. This reduces the school’s ability to check on the impact of its actions over time. The school should ensure that records fully document the steps taken in relation to safeguarding.  In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum does not clearly set out what pupils need to know and remember. Where this is the case, pupils do not remember their learning over time as well as they could. The school should ensure that, in these subjects, the key knowledge pupils need to learn and remember is identified clearly to enable pupils to know and remember more across all areas of the curriculum.  Pupils have a limited understanding of the fundamental British values and the differences between people. Consequently, they are not prepared as well as they could be for life in modern Britain. The school should review its personal development

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

provision to ensure that pupils develop their understanding of fundamental British values, equality and diversity appropriate to their age.

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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). 23 and 24 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school is part of a federation.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 23 and 24 April 2025

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and the leader for early years.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and art and design. 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. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for school staff and pupils.  Inspectors considered the small number of responses to Ofsted Parent View. They spoke informally with parents as they dropped their children off at school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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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 considered pupils’ behaviour at various times of day, including in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime. They scrutinised the school’s records for attendance and behaviour.

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Inspection team

Donna Chambers, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Allison Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 April 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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