The Minster Nursery and Infants Church of England Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: The Minster Nursery and Infants Church of England Academy Warrington Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 4BH

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Outcome

The Minster Nursery and Infants Church of England Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The executive headteacher is Alison Silke and the head of school is Laura Akhtar. This school is part of the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education (SDBE) 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 (CEO), Mark Burnett, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ven Jonathan Sedgewick.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a safe and caring place to learn. Pupils are proud of the school. They are eager and happy to start their day. The school has high aspirations for all children to achieve well. Pupils rise to these expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They conduct themselves in a ‘CALM’ way. Pupils understand ‘CALM’ to mean ‘communicating calmly and politely, acting kindly, listening carefully and moving slowly and safely inside the school’. Social times are joyful occasions where pupils enjoy playing with their friends. Staff model and encourage high-quality play and interactions. Children in the early years learn the importance of sharing equipment with others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values enrich pupils’ strength of character, such as determination and believing in themselves. They understand that showing ‘honour’ means making sure that ‘all things are done in love’. Pupils use good manners. They are kind to each other. They serve their school and community with pride. For instance, pupils in Year 2 develop their leadership skills as ‘Minster Lights’, which involves taking a key role in assisting in collective worship, providing tours for visitors and being role models to younger pupils. Pupils are suitably prepared for the next phase of their education. 1 and 2 April 2025

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

The curriculum is ambitious and sets out in clear order the important content and end goals in all subjects. The knowledge and skills that pupils should learn build systematically over time including the increasing complexity of key vocabulary that helps pupils to know and remember more. However, the school is addressing some areas of how well the curriculum is implemented particularly its approach to teaching in the early years. This means that in some parts of this provision the crucial knowledge and purposeful learning opportunities are not identified clearly. As a result, sometimes children do not secure strong foundations in all areas of their learning.

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

The school prioritises reading. Staff deliver the school’s phonics programme consistently. For example, they revisit and help pupils rehearse the sounds that they need to secure. Staff provide timely support to any pupils who need to develop their reading skills and confidence. From early years onwards, children develop strong phonic knowledge. The school also ensures that pupils learn mathematical concepts methodically. Pupils use a range of equipment confidently to support their mathematical understanding and independent thinking. Children apply a range of calculation strategies when solving problems.

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

The school works effectively to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Staff use a range of information including pupils’ bespoke personalised learning outcomes to help them access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Nevertheless, sometimes teaching is not matched carefully enough to the different and at times, complex needs of some pupils with SEND. Where this happens, these pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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

Pupils are highly motivated to learn new things and make positive choices. Staff deal calmly and sensitively with pupils who find it hard to manage their behaviour. Staff know when and how to intervene to minimise the risk of pupils becoming disruptive or situations from escalating. Children in the early years show enjoyment within the spacious learning environment. Staff, supported by the trust, identify the barriers families face that may hamper pupils’ attendance. They carry out extensive and effective work to minimise these barriers and continually improve attendance.

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

The school provides a range of activities that enrich pupils’ personal development, including a selection of clubs. There are frequent visits to important places of interest and worship, such as The Minister church, a local mosque and a synagogue. Pupils know how to keep healthy, both in body and mind. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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

The school, trust and governing body are an integral part of shaping the vision, support and challenge of the school. They are highly reflective and know the strengths of the school. They work closely with staff to prioritise and oversee carefully considered school priorities and next steps. This has led to some significant changes within a short period of time, including leadership and staffing arrangements and in how the curriculum is 1 and 2 April 2025

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organised and delivered. Staff value the positive way in which these developments have been managed. They recognise that changes to administrative and assessment processes have resulted in a reduction to their workload. The school’s focus on pupils’ well-being is warmly extended to its staff. They appreciate the ‘love and care’ that lies at the core of the strong teamwork and relationships in the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The provision in the early years setting is variable. This means that sometimes children do not learn as well as they could all the areas of learning. The school should continue to ensure that curriculum thinking in early years considers all areas of learning sequentially. It should also make sure that the learning experiences and environment enables children in the early years to get the best possible start to their schooling so that they are fully ready for Year 1.  Some teaching lacks the expertise required to cater for the full range of pupils’ learning needs particularly for pupils with SEND. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could. The school should continue with its actions to address this and ensure that staff develop their expertise to knowing how to adapt tasks and activities appropriately for the range of pupils’ SEND needs.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately. 1 and 2 April 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, The Minster Nursery and Infant School to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2019.

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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). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Headteacher Alison Silke (executive headteacher) Laura Akhtar (head of school) Website www.minsterinfants.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education (SDBE) multi- academy trust.  The school has experienced significant changes to the senior leadership team recently. This includes the appointment of both the executive headteacher and head of school who joined in January 2025. The executive headteacher is also responsible for The Minster Junior School.  The school is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Southwark. The school’s last statutory inspection of its denominal education and collective worship, under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, was in July 2018. Its next inspection will be in the academic year 2025/2026.  The Minster Nursey and Infants Church of England Academy converted to become an academy in September 2022. When its predecessor The Minster Nursery and Infant School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effective.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher, head of school, the chief executive officer, the chairs and members of the trustee and governing boards, senior leaders and a range of staff.  The inspector carried out activities including discussions with leaders and teachers about the curriculum, visiting a sample of lessons, speaking with groups of pupils about their learning, and considered pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered

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Information about this inspection

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector looked at a range of policies and documentation relating to pupils’ welfare and education. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around the school.  The inspector considered the views of parents and staff, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.  The inspector spoke with pupils about their experiences at school. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Lascelles Haughton, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 1 and 2 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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