Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre

Inspection Report Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre

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123364 Unique Reference Number Telford and Wrekin LEA 281456 Inspection number 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 Inspection dates Michelle Parker HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Baldwin Webb Avenue School address Infant Type of school Donnington Community School category Telford, Shropshire TF2 8EP 3 to 7 Age range of pupils 01952 605126 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01952 605126 Fax number 203 Number on roll Mr S Scott Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Anne Brandrick Headteacher 6 December 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281456 21 September 2005 - 3 to 7 22 September 2005 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005

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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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of schools and an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre is situated in the Borough of Telford and Wrekin. The main school has 106 children and a further 56 attend the nursery, part time. The proportion of children entitled to free school meals is above the national average. On entering the school, children have skills well below those expected for their ages. Few children are from a minority ethnic group and all children have English as their first language, which reflects the make up of the neighbourhood. The school serves a mobile community. In the last year over 30 per cent of children left or joined the school at times other than the beginning or end of the school year. The school has recently achieved Investors in People status and the bronze Eco Schools Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005

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Grade: 2

The school judges itself to be a good school. Inspectors agree and have identified some outstanding features, which include nursery provision. A welcoming atmosphere greets all visitors. The school regularly celebrates all children’s achievements. Children make an excellent start in the Foundation Stage and they continue to make good progress in Years 1 and 2. In particular, the progress of children with learning difficulties is carefully monitored to ensure they achieve well. Standards have risen in reading, writing and mathematics. Children enjoy coming to school and are proud of their school and their achievements. Children’s personal development is good. The school has developed opportunities for them to play an active part in school life. Teaching and learning are consistently good throughout the school. The school is well led and managed and has a good capacity to improve further. Parents are very pleased with the school and feel they can approach

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Grade: 2

staff with any concerns. The school knows its strengths and its weaknesses; for example, it is aware that marking and attendance need improvement. It is trying to ensure that boys achieve as well as girls. The school continues to work diligently at improving children’s speaking and listening skills and to improve their attendance. All the staff are committed to constant improvement and work hard for the children. The good progress made since the last inspection in 1999 shows that the school can successfully implement change. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• In order to get even better the school should: • further reduce the gap between the performance of boys and girls • continue to improve the attendance of children and make sure parents know the impact of poor attendance on their child’s standards.

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Grade: 2

Children start school in the nursery with well below average attainment. At age seven, they reach average standards in the national tests in reading, writing and mathematics. This represents good progress. In the nursery a large number of children have difficulties in working and playing with each other. They are very reliant on their teacher and other adults to maintain their interest in activities. The ‘All about Me’ books are effectively used by staff to track how well children are progressing. These are used to ensure that challenging targets are set for all children. Staff plan a wide selection of activities so that children are able to meet their targets. Children in the nursery and reception classes are taught very well in an exciting, caring and stimulating environment. This ensures that many make excellent progress and have almost reached average standards by the time they enter Year 1. However, some

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Grade: 2

still have difficulty in talking and communicating with each other and in taking turns, 2 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 for example when discussing their work. Staff work hard to model good talking and continually encourage children with their efforts. In Year 1, children make good progress, building well on their previous achievements. Girls make better progress than boys, reaching standards that are above the national average, whereas boys do not reach these average standards. Appropriate targets are set in English but these are not sufficiently used when children write in other subjects. More boys than girls have barriers to their learning, such as not being able to behave suitably in lessons, or have other learning difficulties. The school recognises this. Children with such difficulties are supported well by adults and they are helped

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Grade: 2

effectively to overcome these. The school rightly places a strong emphasis on improving children’s speaking and listening skills. Children are well supported in their reading. Standards in mathematics are good. Children do well in art and there are many examples of pleasing and delightful work on display throughout the school.

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Grade: 2

Children enjoy school. They behave well and have good attitudes. This is because of the caring atmosphere of the school and the good example set by all. Staff work hard to encourage good behaviour but some boys do not always behave well enough and this hampers their learning. However, their behaviour is not allowed to stop other children from learning. Children work hard and enjoy what they are doing. However, attendance is below average and children who are absent too often get behind with their work. The school is successfully improving attendance and stressing to parents how important it is for their child to come to school regularly. Children’s participation in the Eco-committee makes a positive contribution to the wider community. Their involvement in enhancing the playground has improved their behaviour and social skills. Children learn well to keep safe. Fruit is provided at playtimes and children know

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Grade: 2

how to make healthy choices. They have a greater understanding of customs and beliefs of different groups than they did at the time of the previous inspection.

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Grade: 2

Children learn well because teachers have a good understanding of every child’s abilities and achievements, particularly in English and mathematics. Staff in the nursery and reception classes have an outstanding knowledge of children’s abilities, achievements and personal development. This knowledge is used well to plan interesting, relevant and enjoyable lessons. As a result, children learn well. Throughout the school teaching is imaginative and this encourages children’s enthusiastic involvement in their learning. In a good mathematics lesson, the teacher captured children’s interest by setting the scene and giving groups of children a ‘secret mission’. Children discussed the activity 3 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 and sorted themselves well, providing an effective introduction to data handling. All staff, including teaching assistants and helpers, support children well, encouraging

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Grade: 2

them to participate in lesson activities. Praise is used constructively to help children feel successful and to encourage their learning. However, marking does not always give children enough ideas on how they need to improve their work. Teachers do not give children enough chances to meet their writing targets in a wide enough range of subjects. The progress of those pupils who are frequently absent from school suffers, even though teaching assistants are used well to help them catch up on the work they have missed.

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Grade: 2

Overall, the curriculum meets all children’s needs well. Children in the nursery and reception classes experience a rich and varied curriculum that helps them to learn rapidly from the outset. There is a good range of out-of-school activities, including sports. The school has recognised the need to re-establish suitable facilities for teaching information and communication technology. Children are prepared well for their next school because of the good grounding they have had in English and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Children’s care, guidance and support are good. Procedures for child protection meet statutory requirements. All adults are fully committed to ensuring that children have the chance to work in a secure, safe and welcoming environment. The school is secure and governors ensure that all potential hazards are recognised and dealt with. The school’s learning mentor works effectively with families and this ensures that children attend and make good progress. The school’s knowledge of children’s achievements and personal development is effectively used to support children’s learning.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher gives clear direction to the school. She works energetically for all the children. She has built a good team of staff. They work hard to sustain an atmosphere where all children are encouraged to succeed. The senior team understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses well. However, it is not always confident enough to use its data for accurate self-evaluation. The school development plan appropriately identifies the issues that will further improve the school. However, it is not always sufficiently clear how activities will raise standards and this makes it difficult for the school to evaluate how well it is doing. Teaching and learning assistants are deployed well and this allows coordinators time to plan their work more effectively. The school has a good range of facilities for teaching. 4 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005

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Grade: 2

Governors play a more strategic role in the running of the school. They ask challenging questions which call the school to account. Children are valued and contribute to improvements in the school. For example children are encouraged to write their ideas down and post them into the ‘golden box’. This is regularly checked and useful suggestions acted upon. In this way children were able to make improvements to their playground. Contributions from a wide range of agencies are efficiently co-ordinated, which ensures that all children are well cared for. 5 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005 .

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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: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 21 September 2005 to 22 September 2005

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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 1 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 3 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 4 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 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 2 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 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 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

Thank you for letting us visit your school. We enjoyed talking with you, listening to what you had to say and watching you learn. We want to let you know what we liked about your school and how we thought it could get even better. What we liked about your school: you made us all feel very welcome in your school and greeted us with a friendly smile you get a really good start in the nursery and reception classes you are all learning to read well you are learning lots of interesting things we saw you behave very well around the school. You play nicely with your friends at playtimes and speak very politely to your teachers and visitors your teachers and teaching assistants work very hard to make sure that you get the right sort of help you need to help you learn your headteacher runs the school well your parents and carers are right in thinking that you go to a good school. What we have asked your school to do now to make it even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

when you have done a piece of work we have asked your teachers to write in your books how you could make it even better you must all try to come to school every day so that you don’t get behind with your work.

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