Wyke Regis Infant School and Nursery

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Wyke Regis Infant School and Nursery Shrubbery Lane, Wyke Regis, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 9LU

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Outcome

Wyke Regis Infant School and Nursery has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A calm and welcoming atmosphere pervades this school. Staff greet pupils warmly each morning. Pupils arrive smiling and happy. They enjoy attending school and feel safe. From the Nursery Year, children demonstrate a strong understanding of routines and quickly settle into school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for its pupils. Pupils work hard in classrooms and want to be successful. Typically, pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. In the playground, pupils play together harmoniously in the well-resourced space. They enjoy climbing on ‘the tower’ or whizzing down the ‘swirly-whirly’ slide.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets clear expectations of how pupils should behave. Positive and caring relationships sit at the heart of this. Pupils rise to these expectations and behave well. They enjoy receiving stickers and points for their good work. They are proud of certificates that they receive for showing the school’s values of compassion, respect and perseverance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school supports pupils in developing their talents and interests through a wide range of clubs and activities. For example, tag rugby, basketball and cooking. Members of the school council help to make decisions about things that are important to them. They raise money and buy plants and flowers to brighten the school reception area. 13 and 14 May 2025

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

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. It sets out the knowledge pupils need to learn and the order in which they should learn it. For example, in science, pupils in Year 2 describe how animals adapt to their environment. In geography, pupils know the names of oceans and continents, which they then use in their learning about specific locations. The school provides key learning reminders for pupils across the curriculum. However, sometimes the checks made on pupils’ learning do not identify where some pupils require support to further secure their learning. This means that, at times, pupils do not achieve all that they could.

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

The school has strengthened its work on early reading. From low starting points, children in the Nursery Year get off to a flying start. The school places a sharp focus on early language development. Children enjoy listening to and joining in with familiar rhymes, stories and songs. In the Reception Year, children learn to read using phonics. They read books that match the sounds they know. This helps them to build fluency and confidence. Pupils who struggle to read receive effective support to help them to keep up. Published phonics outcomes for 2024 were below national average. However, the school identified the reasons for this. It has strengthened its work on early reading. The impact of this is clear, with most pupils in Year 2 able to read confidently and fluently.

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

In the early years, children follow routines eagerly. They learn and play together. For example, in Nursery children learn to recognise and write their names. In the Reception Year, most children learn what they need to know in readiness for their move into key stage 1. However, in some areas, the learning opportunities provided for children do not support them to build their knowledge as well as they could

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

The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It works closely with outside agencies to identify and provide pupils with SEND, the help they need. ‘The Hive’ and ‘Rainbow Hub’ provide bespoke support for pupils with more complex needs. The school encourages pupils to think and talk about their feelings, which helps them to self-regulate their emotions when needed. As a result, throughout the school, pupils behave well and treat others with respect.

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

The school has robust systems in place to track pupils’ attendance and support families where attendance is a concern. Consequently, attendance is improving and is in line with national averages.

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

Pupils’ personal development is well-considered. They learn what makes a good friend. Pupils understand that they should treat everyone equally. Visits from national charities help develop pupils’ understanding of important aspects such as water safety. The school’s ‘7 for 7’ promise provides pupils with a rich set of experiences that broaden their horizons. Pupils visit working farms, visit a local nature reserve or visit a theatre to watch a pantomime. Local artists support pupils to make impressive metal sculptures that the school showcases in the outdoor garden areas. Outdoor learning in the forest area helps pupils apply new learning in different ways. 13 and 14 May 2025

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Governors know the school’s strengths and ongoing priorities. Staff appreciate the efforts leaders make to consider their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the school’s checks on pupils’ learning do not fully identify where some pupils would benefit from further securing their knowledge. On occasion, this means some pupils do not get the depth of knowledge they are capable of. The school should ensure teachers are equipped to systematically assess pupils’ understanding to help them deepen their learning as needed.  In the early years, the learning opportunities provided do not always have a clear learning focus. This means that children do not have well-considered opportunities to consolidate and deepen their learning. The school should ensure all activities have a sharp focus on what children should achieve with increased, high-quality interactions with adults.

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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.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2016. 13 and 14 May 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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Gary Richard Hepburn

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Dates of previous inspection

4 and 5 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Wyke Regis Community Infant School and Nursery is part of a federation with Wyke Regis Church of England Junior School. They are located on the same site. Both schools in the federation share the same headteacher, deputy headteacher and governing body.  The school currently uses one unregistered alternative provider.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club for its pupils.

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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 has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school. 13 and 14 May 2025

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 The inspector held discussions with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other school staff. He also met with the chair of the governing board and other governors. He had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to some pupils in the Reception Year, Year 1 and Year 2 reading to a familiar adult.  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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during social times.  The inspector spoke with a range of staff to discuss how the school supports their

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workload and well-being.  The inspector spoke with some parents and carers at the end of the school day and considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspector also considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Gavin Summerfield, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 13 and 14 May 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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