Central Infant and Nursery School

Central Infant and Nursery School Inspection report

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122524 Unique Reference Number NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Local Authority 292424 Inspection number 13 °14 March 2007 Inspection dates Kathleen Yates 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 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 174 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Steve Holloway Chair Mrs Katharine Cooper Headteacher 24 September 2001 Date of previous school inspection Foxhill Road School address Carlton Nottinghamshire NG4 1QS

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0115 9100887 Telephone number 0115 9115607 Fax number

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3 °7 Age group 13 °14 March 2007 Inspection dates 292424 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average school situated in an area of mixed private and social housing. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals and of those identified as having learning difficulties is higher than average. Most pupils are of White British origin and very few pupils speak English as an additional language. When children start in the Nursery and Reception classes, their skills and knowledge are below national expectations.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Central Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. In most respects, this judgement matches the school's own view of its effectiveness. Achievement is good. Children get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage where teaching, learning and achievement are good. While most children achieve the expected levels by the end of the Reception Year, their attainment in communication, language and literacy is still below national expectations on entry to Year 1. Pupils continue to make good progress overall so that by Year 2 the results they attain in national tests are in line with national averages. While teaching and learning are good overall in Key Stage 1, better progress is made in Year 2 than in Year 1 because the pace of teaching and learning is livelier. Pupils' attitudes, personal development and well-being are good and this contributes to the school's friendly ethos. Behaviour is good and has improved tremendously as a result of many

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Grade: 2

positive initiatives. While the rate of attendance has been below average, it is improving. There are good links with other organisations to promote the well-being of learners. Parents are pleased with the education their children receive and pupils are very happy. The school consults parents regularly and much is done to encourage them to be involved in their children's education. The curriculum is good and initiatives to improve writing skills, for example, are having a good impact on pupils' learning. The care, guidance and support given to all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, are satisfactory. There is a lack of consistency in the school's assessment procedures. As a result, the school lacks a clear overview to ensure all pupils are challenged appropriately. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher knows her school well and there is a willingness on the part of all staff and governors to work together to bring about further

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Grade: 2

changes. For example, the school is conscious that it needs to do much more to improve its systems for tracking pupils' progress. Governance is satisfactory. Improvement since the last inspection has been good. Significant improvements have been made, for example, to the facilities for information and communication technology (ICT). However, the recommendation to improve the role of subject leaders remains an area to be addressed. The school has good capacity to improve and provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop clear and consistent assessment and tracking procedures so that all staff have ready and regular access to information and use that information consistently to check on the progress pupils make. • Establish regular and rigorous programmes for monitoring and evaluation by subject leaders so that they know exactly what is happening in their subjects.

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Grade: 2

From their low starting points, children in Nursery and Reception classes achieve well and make good progress. This is because teachers provide a happy and productive climate for learning. By the end of the Reception Year, most children attain the levels expected in most areas of learning. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Central Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 March 2007 Pupils continue to achieve well in all subjects so that by the end of Year 2, standards are in line with the national average. The school's decision to 'set' pupils in ability groups for English and mathematics and the increasing use of 'five minute boxes,' (highly focused sessions where teaching assistants work with individual pupils to develop literacy and numeracy skills), are key factors in increasing the pace of pupils' learning. Pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities, those who have English as an additional language and pupils from minority ethnic

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Grade: 2

groups also achieve well because of the good support they receive from highly skilled teaching assistants. While there are no significant differences in the standards reached by boys and girls in mathematics, girls perform better than boys in both reading and writing.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school because they have good relationships with the staff and their peers and most lessons are interesting. Their spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is good. Attendance rates are lower than average and the school is doing all it can to improve this. Members of the school council take their role very seriously and are clear about the improvements made, such as the new 'friendship benches' and the introduction of 'buddy badges'. Pupils have a good understanding of how to lead healthy lifestyles. They feel safe and well cared for in school. They recognise that behaviour has improved significantly and is now good. As one pupil said, 'There used to be some bullying but not any more'. Pupils are increasingly involved in the wider community. Good links are developing with local schools and pupils regularly support fundraising for charities. They make good progress in gaining basic skills. They are encouraged to take on individual responsibilities and also to work

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Grade: 2

cooperatively. These skills support their future success well for the next stage of their education and later lives.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good overall. It is sometimes outstanding when the planning is detailed, so that pupils are clear about what they need to complete within the lesson. The work is well matched to their different abilities and expectations are high. In Year 2 particularly, pupils are motivated to achieve well and clearly enjoy the challenge. In the Foundation Stage, the care and concern for the personal development of each child builds their confidence and progress here is consistently good. In lessons where progress is not so evident, the pupils are unclear about what is expected of them and there is a lack of challenge and pace. In the majority of lessons, the pupils are engrossed in their work and this is a key reason why behaviour has improved. The recent introduction of interactive whiteboards has enhanced ICT skills and teachers use the technology well to provide stimulating activities. Teaching assistants are very capable and

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Grade: 2

valued members of the team. They provide good support in lessons and also work very effectively with individual pupils and small groups. Most teachers mark pupils' work thoughtfully and clearly explain to pupils how well they are doing and what they need to do next to improve. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Central Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 March 2007

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Grade: 2

In the Foundation Stage, teachers link areas of learning together well so that children learn in a stimulating environment where they have a wide range of exciting experiences. Throughout the school, attractive displays celebrate pupils' work and show how they are given good opportunities to use their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects. Inspectors agree with the school's view that it is successful in including all pupils. 'Five minute boxes' and setting arrangements are good examples of how the curriculum is adapted well to meet the needs of all pupils. The range of extra-curricular activities, in which pupils take part enthusiastically, is confined mainly to sport where good use is made of the expertise of outside coaches. This adds significantly to pupils' experiences and helps encourage an active and healthy lifestyle as well as developing good social skills.

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Grade: 3

The arrangements for safeguarding pupils, including child protection procedures, meet statutory requirements. Parents feel strongly that their children are cared for well. Pupils report that they feel safe and secure at school and very comfortable in approaching staff if they are upset or have a concern. The school makes good use of expert advice from the local authority's support services. Pupils have targets in English and mathematics, which helps them to know what they need to do next but the targets are not yet used consistently across the school. Current systems for assessing and tracking pupils' progress in English and mathematics are not rigorous enough; they are overly complicated and inefficient and make the analysis of patterns and trends over time cumbersome. The school recognises that a central computerised database is needed to make access and analysis of performance data more efficient.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher leads the school well. During the relatively short time she has been in post, she has been instrumental in ensuring teaching and learning are good and in bringing about improvements in pupils' behaviour. She is held in high regard by all staff and governors and has a clear vision of the direction the school needs to take to improve further. The recent appointment of an expert coordinator for pupils with learning difficulties and the deployment of skilled teaching assistants are examples of how leadership and management decisions are having a growing impact on the good progress pupils make. The school's improvement plan is sharply focused on appropriate priorities, but subject leaders are not yet contributing sufficiently to rigorous assessment procedures or to regular and detailed tracking of pupils' progress in order to ensure pupils are set challenging targets. The headteacher is well aware of this and is working on developing them but this is at an early stage.

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Grade: 2

Governance is satisfactory. Many governors are new to their posts and are keen to carry out their duties efficiently. They are keeping a watchful eye to ensure the budget is spent wisely. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Central Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 March 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Central Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 March 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? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 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?

3 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Central Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 March 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Central Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 March 2007 Dear Pupils Carlton Central Infant and Nursery School, Foxhill Road, Carlton, Nottinghamshire NG4 1QS As you know, a team of inspectors came to your school recently to carry out an inspection. Mr Grimshaw and I really enjoyed meeting you and your teachers. This letter is to thank you for helping us with our work and to let you know what we found out about your school. This is what we liked about your school. • You and your teachers get on very well together. • Your behaviour is good and has improved, please keep it up! • Your lessons are interesting and exciting so that you enjoy learning and do well. • Teachers and teaching assistants look after you well. This is what we have asked the school to do now. • Look more closely into how well you are doing and check if you have any gaps in your learning. • Keep clear and up to date records of your progress so that you and your parents know what

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you are working towards. With our very best wishes for your future at Carlton Central School, Mrs Yates Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Central Infant and Nursery School, 13 °14 March 2007

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