Boughton Leigh Infant School

Boughton Leigh Infant School

Address: Wetherall Way, Brownsover, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 1LT Unique reference number (URN): 125603

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Attendance has been a priority for leaders over recent months. Their actions have halted a period of decline and more pupils are now coming to school regularly. Leaders monitor pupils’ attendance diligently. They are quick to notice if a pupil stops attending regularly. Leaders work closely with pupils and their families to understand the reasons why they are not regularly at school. They put effective support in place to address any difficulties that exist. This includes support for pupils who face complex barriers to being in school. As a result of leaders’ actions, the attendance of pupils whose absence has previously been too high is improving, and persistent absence is reducing.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Staff have clear and consistent expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils of all ages know and follow the school rules. The school environment is calm, and pupils behave well. In lessons, pupils generally apply themselves to their work. Pupils with additional needs receive extra support to learn how to recognise and manage their emotions. Typically, this support is effective in helping these pupils to engage in learning increasingly well. At social times, pupils play happily together. Leaders provide a rich array of outdoor learning opportunities to engage pupils in purposeful play. Pupils feel safe and know that adults will step in and take action if there is any bullying or unkind behaviour.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have put in place a coherent personal development programme. Pupils develop a wide range of knowledge and skills to help prepare them for life beyond school. For example, pupils learn how to build and maintain friendships and how to seek help if they need it. Pastoral support is a strength of the school. Staff know pupils well and are quick to respond when pupils need help. Pupils trust adults and know who to go to for support.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff promote the school’s values extremely well. These values support pupils to develop their personal and social skills as well as gaining an age-appropriate understanding of British Values. Pupils have a deep understanding of what each school value means and why it is important. For example, they can explain that some pupils need more support than others and that they should treat everyone with kindness. The curriculum teaches pupils about different cultures and religions. On the whole, pupils demonstrate a secure understanding of what they have learned. They show respect and tolerance for others and enjoy taking part in celebrations from a range of religions, such as Eid and Diwali.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy, including online. Leaders tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of the school community. For example, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when playing near the local canals.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders provide an appropriate range of opportunities to broaden pupils’ experiences and develop their interests. Pupils enjoy attending clubs, such as gardening, dance and Chinese cultural club. Leaders plan purposeful trips and invite visitors into school to enrich the curriculum. Pupils benefit from a rich outdoor learning offer. This helps develop their confidence, resilience and ability to work as a team. Leaders make sure that all pupils

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Needs attention

access a selection of these experiences, including disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and pupils in the specialist resourced provision.

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Achievement Needs attention

Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with lower starting points do not secure the foundational knowledge they need in handwriting and spelling to be ready for the next stage of their education. Too many pupils reach the end of Year 2 not able to form letters correctly. This slows the speed and fluency of their writing. Pupils in the specialist resourced provision are not making the progress they should. This is because teaching does not match their needs closely enough.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders prioritise teaching pupils to read. Most pupils make secure progress and can read with age-appropriate fluency and accuracy. However, support for pupils who are behind in the phonics programme does not ensure that they all catch up as quickly as they need to.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils achieve well in mathematics. Most pupils also learn the knowledge and vocabulary that leaders intend across the wider curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders prioritise the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. However, there is variability in how well staff deliver these subjects.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

In reading and phonics, staff teach the curriculum well to most pupils. Pupils with lower starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive additional help to catch up. However, this support does not ensure that some of these pupils catch up as quickly as they should.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders are taking action to improve the teaching of writing. Staff teach handwriting and spelling every day. That said, staff do not consistently check if pupils are forming their letters correctly and intervene when they are not. In spelling, some staff do not use assessment well enough to ensure that all pupils are secure in what they are learning before moving on in their teaching.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Some staff do not have a sufficiently accurate understanding of pupils’ needs and starting points. As a result, some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not get the support they need to gain and secure new knowledge and skills. Pupils in the specialist resourced provision receive effective support for their personal, social and emotional development. However, the curriculum does not meet pupils’ academic needs closely enough.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teaching in mathematics and the wider curriculum is more effective. For example, in mathematics, staff are clear about what they want pupils to learn, and lessons build pupils’ knowledge step-by-step.

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Early years Needs attention

Leaders prioritise the teaching of early reading and mathematics. Most children develop secure knowledge in these areas. However, the teaching of early writing is less effective. Across other areas of learning, the environment does not always support children to make the progress they should. Sometimes, there is a lack of resources or resources do not match the intended learning. This reduces opportunities for children to explore and learn independently.

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Early years Needs attention

The quality of teaching is variable. When staff plan activities carefully and are clear about the intended learning, they support children’s learning effectively. However, some activities do not have a clear learning focus. Not all staff know what children need to learn next, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in the specialist resourced provision. As a result, staff are not able to consistently promote and extend children’s learning and language through purposeful interactions.

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Early years Needs attention

Staff build warm and caring relationships with children. This helps children to feel happy and safe. Provision for children’s personal, social and emotional development is a strength. By the end of Reception, children collaborate well, take turns and share. They are independent and can concentrate for sustained periods of time. However, too many children with lower starting points and those with SEND do not develop secure foundations in other areas of the curriculum to be ready for learning in Year 1.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those with other vulnerabilities carefully. They work closely with parents, carers and external agencies to understand the barriers to learning and wellbeing that these pupils face. Leaders create individual plans to address pupils’ needs. However, these plans lack precision. At times, this means that staff are not clear about how best to support pupils and how to adapt their teaching.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Staff have received training to help them implement strategies to support the needs of pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. However, leaders do not monitor the support closely enough to ensure that all staff are using these strategies effectively. They do not have a sufficiently accurate understanding of how well these pupils are learning. As a result, too many pupils with SEND and some disadvantaged pupils do not make the progress they should. This includes pupils in the specialist resourced provision.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders and staff know pupils well. They provide effective support for pupils’ personal and emotional development. This helps pupils to engage increasingly well with learning during their time at the school. Leaders make appropriate use of additional funding to support the needs of vulnerable pupils. They make regular checks on the progress and wellbeing of pupils who attend alternative provision.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and what needs to be better. They have identified the right priorities for improvement. Leaders have taken effective action to address some of these priorities. For example, they have refined the way they work with pupils and families to improve attendance. However, leaders have been slower to implement actions to improve other aspects of the school’s work. Actions sometimes lack precision, and leaders do not check closely enough to ensure that staff are implementing things in the way they intend. The pace of improvement is starting to increase, but it is too early to see consistent impact across all classes.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governors know what their roles and responsibilities are. They maintain close oversight of areas such as attendance. However, they do not have a sufficiently clear understanding of the impact of some aspects of leaders’ work. Governors recognise this and are working with leaders to put in place more measurable success criteria for improvement actions.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff appreciate the support that leaders and governors provide for their workload and wellbeing. They benefit from a range of training and professional learning to develop their knowledge and skills. However, leaders sometimes deploy staff in roles where they do not have sufficient depth of expertise to implement all they are being asked to do consistently well.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders and staff want the best for pupils. Parents and carers recognise this and are supportive of the school. They value the positive relationships and care that their children receive.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils feel safe and valued. They benefit from warm and caring relationships with staff who know them well. This includes pupils in the main school and those in the specialist resourced provision.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils embrace the school’s ‘Woodland values’ of respect, awareness, determination, courage, excellence and friendship. These values create a culture of respect and kindness. Pupils get along well together. They do not worry about bullying because they know that staff will deal with any issues that occur. Pupils trust adults to listen and help them if they have any concerns.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils behave well. They follow the school rules of ‘Be safe, be kind, be ready’. Pupils listen carefully to adults and follow their instructions. They are keen to learn and usually concentrate well in lessons. At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils of all ages immerse themselves in the extensive range of outdoor learning opportunities on offer. They share, take turns and work as teams to build assault courses, explore the school grounds and engage in physical challenges.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Leaders and staff are ambitious for pupils. Pupils enjoy learning to read and visiting the library bus. Most pupils achieve well in phonics. However, there are some weaknesses in the teaching of writing and in the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with lower starting points. This means that some pupils do not have the essential knowledge and skills they need when they move from early years into key stage 1 or when they reach the end of Year 2. Leaders recognise this and are taking action to make improvements.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils take part in different extra-curricular clubs to develop their talents and interests. They value opportunities to take responsibility, such as being a play leader or school councillor. Pupils enjoy going on trips and listening to visitors who come into school.

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Next steps

Leaders should further develop staff expertise so that they can better match teaching and the curriculum to the starting points of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and lower attaining pupils, including those in the specialist resourced provision. Leaders should monitor the impact of support for pupils with SEND more closely to ensure that learning targets are sufficiently precise and that staff are implementing suitable strategies to enable these pupils to make the progress they should. Leaders should ensure that the new approaches to teaching handwriting and spelling are implemented effectively so that pupils secure the foundational knowledge they need to write fluently and accurately, particularly pupils with SEND and those with lower starting points. Leaders should ensure that pupils who have gaps in their foundational knowledge in reading and writing receive the support they need to catch up quickly.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff in the early years deliver the curriculum consistently well, including planning activities that have clear learning intentions and maximising opportunities to engage in high-quality interactions with children to develop their language and vocabulary. Leaders and governors should continue to increase the pace of school improvement and monitor the impact of their actions more precisely so that changes are embedded quickly and consistently across the school.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Matthew Blood. At the time of the inspection, there was also a co-chair of governors.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the acting headteacher, other school leaders, staff and pupils during the inspection. They also spoke with representatives of the governing body and a

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Team inspectors:

Jeremy Bird, Ofsted Inspector Gill Turner, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 14 July 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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School capacity

representative from the local authority.

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School capacity

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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School capacity

At the time of the inspection, the school was being led by the substantive deputy headteacher.

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School capacity

The school includes a specially resourced provision for up to 8 pupils with speech, language and communication needs. This provision opened in January 2026.

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School capacity

The school currently makes use of 2 unregistered alternative provisions.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 6.2% 5.5% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 5.5% 5.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 16.9% 14.6% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 12.6% 16.2% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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