Dinglewell Infant School

Dinglewell Infant School Inspection report

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115499 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire Local Authority 290241 Inspection number 19 °20 June 2007 Inspection dates Martin Kerly Reporting inspector

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

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Infant Type of school Community School category 4 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 259 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Julie Goble Chair Beryl Gleich Headteacher 1 September 2001 Date of previous school inspection Dinglewell School address Hucclecote Gloucester GL3 3HS

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01452 619154 Telephone number 01452 619154 Fax number

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4 °7 Age group 19 °20 June 2007 Inspection dates 290241 Inspection number .

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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

This average-size school serves a residential area with a mix of socio-economic backgrounds. Relatively few pupils are from families that are either significantly advantaged or disadvantaged. The overwhelming majority have English as their first language and almost all are White British. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. The attainment of children on entry is similar to that expected nationally for their age. The school has a number of nationally recognised awards, some of which have recently been renewed. They include Artsmark Gold, Early Years Quality Mark, Healthy Schools Award, Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark and Investors in People.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Dinglewell Infant School, 19 °20 June 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which continues to improve and has a number of significant aspects that are outstanding. Pupils' personal development and well-being and the care, guidance and support they receive are among these outstanding areas. The school has a strong and committed team approach and shared values which contribute much to the high quality care and support for pupils throughout their time in school. Pupils respond to this well-focused care and support exceptionally well. The headteacher and other leaders ensure there is a focus on learning and a balance between the promotion of pupils' academic achievement and their personal development. There are good systems for checking the performance of the school and accurate judgements are made about its strengths and areas for development. The school's secure knowledge and understanding of its effectiveness, together with mainly good systems for planning and promoting new developments, means that it is well placed to improve further.

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Grade: 2

The achievement of pupils is good, and those with learning difficulties make outstanding progress because of excellent arrangements to identify and meet their specific needs. Standards are significantly above average by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics and there is clear evidence that they are rising further. Teaching is good and so is the curriculum. In some lessons, teaching and learning are excellent, particularly in Years 1 and 2. In the Reception classes, good provision leads to children making good progress. However, not enough time or opportunities are made for these young children to learn through play activities that they initiate themselves, particularly in the outside areas. In Years 1 and 2, there are some excellent approaches to the way the curriculum is being organised. As a result, learning is made fun, which inspires and motivates pupils. Leadership and management of the school are good and the contribution made by governors

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Grade: 2

is outstanding. Within an extended team approach the headteacher is successfully leading ongoing developments to improve the curriculum and the quality of the learning environment. All of these developments support improvements in pupils' achievement and personal development. There are excellent systems for tracking pupils' progress and the information gained is used very well in deciding what needs to be done next to improve provision. There are well-structured ways of checking the performance of the school and some of these have been used with great success to improve relative weaknesses. However, discussion from various meetings and ideas agreed about how to improve practice are not always adequately recorded and shared among all staff. This shortcoming makes it more difficult for teachers to introduce some of the agreed ideas and for leaders to check if they are being carried out in the way intended.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for children in the Reception classes to use their initiative and own ideas when learning through play, especially in the outdoor area. • Ensure all decisions and ideas for development are formally recorded and shared so that all staff are clear about what is intended.

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Grade: 2

The achievement of pupils is good. Standards are significantly above the national average at the end of Year 2 and are continuing to rise. Children in the Reception year make good progress, 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Dinglewell Infant School, 19 °20 June 2007 especially in their writing and other language skills, which are not as strong on entry as other areas. By the end of their time in Reception most children are attaining the learning goals expected nationally and a good proportion exceed standards usually found at this age. The good start in Reception is built on very well in Years 1 and 2 where the rate of pupils' progress accelerates. Standards by the end of Year 2 are significantly above average in reading, writing and mathematics and almost all pupils have attained or exceeded their targets. Almost half the pupils are exceeding national expectations for this age group in reading and mathematics, and

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Grade: 2

one third in writing. Two relative weaknesses identified by the school last year, one being boys' writing and the other being the proportion of pupils exceeding expectations in mathematics, have both been very successfully addressed. These improvements are a result of imaginative changes to the way mathematics has been taught and additional support for boys with their writing.

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Grade: 1

From the early morning 'Wake and Shake' sessions to when they leave their classrooms at the end of the day, it is clear pupils' enjoyment of school is outstanding. This is reflected in their good attendance and smiling faces. Parents agree that their children really like school a lot. One summed this up by commenting, 'All the children are always smiling and polite. I am so pleased that we chose the school.' Children settle into school very well in the Reception classes and quickly become used to school routines. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Their behaviour is excellent and almost all get on extremely well with each other. They are very sensible about how to stay safe at school, for example, by being careful of cars at the school entrance. Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities around school, for example, serving on the school council and acting as class 'helpers'. They also participate

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Grade: 1

in activities in the wider community. Pupils are thoughtful and reflective and consider the needs of others. They are very aware of their local community's cultural traditions and enjoy participating in local festival events. However, they are less aware of the wide range of cultural traditions represented in modern Britain. As pupils mature they become very conscious of the need to take exercise and they eat healthy fruit snacks. Pupils' good academic progress and personal attributes prepare them well for their future lives.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good, and in some lessons it is outstanding, resulting in pupils of all abilities learning well. One strength in teaching is the way teachers accurately assess their pupils' learning and carefully plan lessons to match the needs of different groups and individuals. They help their pupils to understand how well they are learning and they give them excellent guidance on how to improve their performance. Other strengths include the very stimulating activities provided in lessons to support a wide range of learning styles, including the use of computers, particularly in Years 1 and 2. Pupils are inspired by active involvement that gives a real meaning to learning. During the inspection Year 1 pupils in small groups, for example, prepared questions in advance of a royal visit from a person in role as Queen Victoria. Year 2 pupils excitedly estimated and measured the weight and height of each other, and of their teacher. Teaching assistants are

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Grade: 2

deployed very effectively, often supporting pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, enabling these pupils to be fully engaged and to learn extremely well. In the Reception classes 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Dinglewell Infant School, 19 °20 June 2007 the teaching is also good but there is some inconsistency in the confidence of teachers to help children use their initiative and independence and to make best use of the outdoor area.

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Grade: 2

One reason pupils enjoy school so much is that the curriculum is good. Teachers in the same year groups work very well together to plan 'topics' that will grab the pupils' imagination. There is a good emphasis on the use of practical activities to help pupils to develop basic literacy and numeracy skills and to promote personal, social and emotional development. Links are made between subjects to make them more relevant. In the Reception year there is a good balance between the different areas of learning. However, some activities that could promote independent learning are too closely directed by adults. When children are engaged in play activities, especially in the outside area, there is not always enough scope for them to use their own initiative. In Years 1 and 2, the curriculum is adapted very well to meet the needs of pupils with learning difficulties. Pupils' experiences are enhanced by an outstanding range of visits,

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Grade: 1

All adults in school care for pupils extremely well and almost all parents appreciate this. One parent referred to 'the very caring and nurturing environment'. Arrangements for looking after pupils' safety and well-being during break times on the playgrounds are excellent, as are the procedures for parents and carers collecting pupils at the end of the day. The care and support of those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is of high quality and coordinated extremely effectively. There is good involvement of external professionals where needed for specific pupils. The academic guidance given to pupils is outstanding, being highly effective on a day-to- day basis in lessons and in helping pupils to think about longer-term targets and how they can improve. A series of procedures and policies designed to safeguard pupils is rigorously implemented. Governors keep these under constant review and there is an ongoing training

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Grade: 2

The headteacher has successfully led the school through a series of significant and ongoing changes. They include extending the leadership team and roles of individual leaders, improving the quality of the learning environment for pupils and promoting a more imaginative curriculum. These developments have led to improved standards of pupils' academic work and personal development, a view strongly endorsed by parents. Leaders at all levels welcome their increased roles and responsibilities. They are encouraged to reflect on their practice and continually seek ways to improve in a supportive and constructive atmosphere. There are times, however, when the outcomes from staff discussions are not always recorded or distributed systematically enough. This sometimes makes it difficult for all concerned to be sure they have a clear understanding of exactly what was agreed or intended. However, the school systematically

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Grade: 2

conducts many rigorous checks on its performance and takes decisive action to remedy any shortcomings. It energetically implements effective action plans, for example, the introduction of new approaches to teaching mathematics to raise standards. Governors are kept exceptionally 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Dinglewell Infant School, 19 °20 June 2007 well informed by staff and through their own regular visits to the school. They have a particularly clear view of the school's strengths and priorities for further development and provide a highly effective balance of support and challenge to the school. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Dinglewell Infant School, 19 °20 June 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Dinglewell Infant School, 19 °20 June 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Dinglewell Infant School, 19 °20 June 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Dinglewell Infant School, 19 °20 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Children, Dinglewell Infant School, Hucclecote, Gloucester GL3 3HS A team of inspectors visited your school recently to find out how well the school is doing. We enjoyed talking with a number of you in lessons, looking at some of your work and meeting groups of you, including members of your school council. Thank you for making us so welcome. I am pleased to say yours is a good school and some things are exceptionally good. Here are some of the highlights we found. • You all work hard in lessons and make good progress. • You tell us that you think the school is great. We are impressed by your excellent behaviour and the way you care about one another and those in the world who have problems. • Your teachers plan lots of really interesting things for you to do which are not too hard or too difficult. They are particularly good at checking how well you are doing and finding ways of helping you to think about what you need to do next to improve.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• The school provides lots of exciting and interesting activities and arranges visits and visitors to the school. You are very lucky to have so many clubs to choose from at the end of the school day. • Everyone who works in the school takes really good care to make sure you are safe and to support those of you who need extra help at times. The things set up for you to do on the playground at playtimes are brilliant. • Your headteacher has lots of ideas about how to improve the school and is very good at encouraging all the leaders, staff and governors to think about ways of making it such an interesting place for you all to be in. We have asked the headteacher, staff and governors to work together on two things to help make the school even better. • Plan ways of providing the children in the Reception classes with more chances to think of their own ideas about what they want to do, especially in the outdoor area.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Make sure that all the decisions taken by adults and their new ideas for the school are carefully written down and shared so that everyone knows exactly what was agreed. We know you will continue to have your own ideas about how to make the school even better. Thank you once again for your help. Yours sincerely, Martin Kerly Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Dinglewell Infant School, 19 °20 June 2007

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