Carlisle Infant School

Inspection Report Carlisle Infant School

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102883 Unique Reference Number Richmond Upon Thames LEA LEA 276786 Inspection number 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 Inspection dates Christopher Gray AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Broad Lane School address Infant Type of school Hampton Community School category TW12 3AJ 4 to 7 Age range of pupils 020 8979 2770 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8941 8559 Fax number 256 Number on roll Mr Jon Newton-Syms Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Claire McCann Headteacher 10 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276786 14 March 2006 - 4 to 7 15 March 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is larger than most infant schools. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is average and few pupils are at the early stages of learning English. Most pupils come from backgrounds that are more favourable than usual. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is average, as is the proportion with statements of special educational need. Children's attainment on entry to school is above that normally found.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Carlisle Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which gives good value for money. This agrees with the school's own judgement. Pupils achieve well and their behaviour is excellent. Their personal development is outstanding. Pupils show considerable maturity and independence for their age because of the high quality of care, support and guidance offered them by the school. The school is well led and managed and has good capacity to improve further, as shown by the steady rise in standards in reading, writing and mathematics over recent years. Teaching is good and the curriculum affords pupils plenty of opportunities to enjoy learning, of which they take full advantage. Provision in the Foundation Stage is of good quality with some outstanding features. The strong focus on learning through play, together with very effective development of children's writing skills, enables most children to achieve well. By the time they enter Year 1, virtually all children have reached the goals expected of them and very

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Grade: 2

many have exceeded them, especially in writing. The school has recently begun to extend aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum into Year 1, especially the focus on learning through play. It is clear that this is increasing pupils' enjoyment of their learning. However, the school has not yet drawn up detailed plans to evaluate the impact of this on standards of achievement, because its development planning does not regularly include measurable success criteria to judge how progress is to be evaluated. Pupils in all classes use their information and communications technology (ICT) skills in a number of subjects, but the school has too few computers to give them frequent chances to do so.

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What the school should do to improve further

* seek to increase the number of computers in the classroom to give pupils more opportunities to use their ICT skills throughout the curriculum; * include in the school's improvement plan criteria for evaluating success and use these to evaluate the impact of the current changes in the Year 1 curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve consistently well in all year groups. They start school in reception with above expected skills and make good progress, so that, on entry to Year 1, most pupils exceed the goals expected of them, especially in writing. Pupils continue to make good progress in Years 1 and 2 to reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are significantly above average by the time they leave the school. Boys and girls achieve at similar rates to reach challenging targets. Pupils with learning difficulties receive good support and make good progress. The school's current focus on raising the attainment of lower attaining pupils in reading and writing is well managed. These pupils are making good progress, so that most are likely to reach expected levels in the National Curriculum tests next term. A good example of the standard reached by 2 Inspection Report: Carlisle Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 2

some of these pupils was noted in a Year 2 lesson about description, when one pupil wrote, 'The mermaid has blue eyes to go with the blue shimmering sea'. Pupils' attainment in ICT is limited by the small number of available computers.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding, equipping them with good basic skills for their future. They are very enthusiastic about school and are extremely confident, polite and courteous. Parents wholeheartedly say that their children enjoy school, and pupils confirm this. They particularly enjoy lessons where they are actively involved and get to make their own choices. Attendance is good and pupils' behaviour is excellent. The school council gives opportunities for pupils to express their views and contribute to the life of the school community. Pupils were pleased that the school acted on their idea for having water with their lunch rather than after it. They have an excellent understanding of healthy living and keeping safe. This is very well promoted through the 'Healthy Schools Week' and many pupils take advantage of the many opportunities for sport and exercise, including the 'Fun Run'.

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Grade: 1

There are outstanding strengths in pupils' moral and social development. This is seen in the excellent relationships and in the care and consideration pupils have for each other, as shown by children's thoughtful reactions to others seated on the 'Friendship Bench'. Pupils recognise that others in the community and wider world are not as fortunate as they are through their active involvement in charity fund raising - for example, pupils themselves ran a bring-and-buy sale during the inspection. Their good spiritual and cultural development is seen in their understanding of their own and others' worth, and of those who are different from them.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good in all classes. Pupils learn well because they enjoy their lessons so much, thanks to the emphasis which teachers place on exciting and relevant experiences. A good example is the use of the 'outside classroom', a thoughtfully designed garden. Pupils from Year 1 hunted for cardboard eggs in the foliage and, on finding them, had to work out the subtraction sum shown in order to put them in the correct basket. They loved this activity. They eagerly used number lines and squares to find the correct answers and got though the sums at a much faster rate than if they had been seated round a table. Teaching in the reception classes is good because planning for each activity is thorough and there is a strong focus on children's learning through play. Teachers in Years 1 and 2 are working to introduce elements of the Foundation Stage curriculum into their work in order to help pupils

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Grade: 2

3 Inspection Report: Carlisle Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 learn more easily. They are developing their skills in this area and will undertake more professional development next term.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy a broad and interesting range of work. Planning takes good account of what pupils of all abilities have learned and where extra support or challenge is needed. The school actively looks for ways to develop its curriculum further - for example, introducing aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum into Year 1. Although the school has sufficient software to cover the full curriculum in ICT, the small number of computers means that pupils have few opportunities to practise these skills in a range of subjects. Good use is made of visits to provide first-hand educational opportunities, and a range of clubs extends pupils' learning well. Themed weeks, such as the recent Book Week, provide particularly memorable experiences. One pupil remarked, 'It was really exciting; we got to do fun things'. Discovery hours involve parents and other adults, and provide worthwhile learning experiences beyond the normal curriculum.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is outstanding. All staff demonstrate very good levels of care for all learners. There are very good procedures to record and track the progress of each pupil, with instances of outstanding practice. For example, the detailed monitoring of pupils' personal development is used to strengthen the self-confidence of those who might be shy. Data are analysed in great detail and the information gained is used very well to provide extra support for learners and identify targets for improvement, as is shown by the current effective work with lower attaining pupils in Year 2. Good levels of support are provided for pupils with learning difficulties to enable them to make good progress. Procedures for child protection, risk assessment and health and safety are particularly robust and staff training is fully up to date. Very effective links have been established

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Grade: 1

with other support agencies so that the needs of those who are more vulnerable are monitored effectively.

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Grade: 2

The role of headteacher is shared with the deputy headteacher. Together they provide very good leadership and management. They focus strongly on the all-round development of pupils. They are well supported by the leadership team, who share in the monitoring of provision. The school assesses itself accurately and makes good use of this information to plan its improvement. However, its development planning lacks measurable success criteria to judge how progress will be evaluated. This makes it difficult for the school to assess the impact of changes made, such as those to the curriculum in Year 1. 4 Inspection Report: Carlisle Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 The good quality of teaching is well maintained through regular lesson observations, looking at pupils' work and talking to them individually about it. Areas for staff and school development are identified and supported well through training opportunities.

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Grade: 2

The school makes good use of a music specialist and a librarian to teach these skills effectively and provide teachers with planning and preparation time. The success in improving the attainment of lower attaining pupils in reading and writing shows that the school is well placed to continue to make further improvements. The work of the governing body is good. Governors know the school's strengths and weaknesses. They have links with subject leaders, whom they meet regularly, and are becoming more confident in seeking answers and explanations through questioning. The school has very good links with parents. It listens carefully to their views, involves them in its evaluation, and keeps them well informed of any developments. 5 Inspection Report: Carlisle Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Carlisle Infant School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Pupils We really enjoyed meeting so many of you this week and want to thank you for the polite and very friendly way in which you welcomed us. We especially liked having lunch with you and meeting the school council. Your excellent behaviour and good manners are the first things we noticed about your school. For example, one boy, when asked where Gold Class was, went out of his way to take an inspector there. You are good at expressing your opinions, as you did through the school council about soap in the cloakrooms. You know how to stay safe and healthy and you care about those who are injured or unhappy. You told us how much you enjoy your learning and we could see this for ourselves - as when one class was hunting for eggs in the Jubilee Garden.You told us that you trust all the adults in the school and we could see how hard they work to make your school life happy and worthwhile. Your teachers and their assistants help you learn well and are skilled

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

at getiing you to do your best. This and your hard work mean that you are doing very well in your reading, writing and mathematics. We found that, though you have the chance to use computers in some lessons, your school needs to buy more of them so you can have a turn more often. You are good at fund-raising and you might even be able to help buy the computers. The headteacher is very good at her job and sees that the school runs well for your benefit. She and her staff often make improvements to the way they do things and they check that these improvements are working. We have suggested ways in which they can do this checking even better. Yours sincerely Christopher Gray Lead Inspector

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