Emmbrook Infant School

Emmbrook Infant School Inspection report

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109855 Unique Reference Number Wokingham Borough Council Local Authority 310122 Inspection number 15 October 2008 Inspection date John Earish Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Infant Type of school Community School category 4–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 127 School (total) 13 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Robin Swann Chair Emma Clarke Headteacher 6 June 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Emmbrook Road School address Wokingham RG41 1JR 0118 9784259 Telephone number 0118 9795004 Fax number

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4–7 Age group 15 October 2008 Inspection date 310122 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. 2 of 9 Inspection Report: Emmbrook Infant School, 15 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. The inspectors looked particularly at the pupils' progress and standards as they move through the school, as well as the impact of initiatives to raise standards and the quality of provision. The inspectors met with staff, governors and pupils. Parts of some lessons were observed, parents' questionnaires and a sample of pupils' work were examined and school information, including self-evaluation, was scrutinised. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in the report.

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Description of the school

This small school serves a rural location on the western outskirts of Wokingham. Pupils come from a variety of social backgrounds and almost all are of White British heritage. Although the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LDD) is similar to that found nationally, Emmbrook Infant is a designated school for Hearing Impaired pupils and these pupils comprise a significant proportion of the LDD pupils. This means that a very much higher than average number of pupils with LDD have statements of educational need. Attainment when children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is similar to that expected for the age group. The number eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The school has received the Healthy School Award, Sport England Activemark and Artsmark. A new headteacher, in post since the beginning of the spring term, is leading the school. A privately-run

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Description of the school

nursery and an after school club are located in the school grounds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Emmbrook Infant School, 15 October 2008

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Grade: 2

Emmbrook Infant School provides a good standard of education. Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Parents agree and are overwhelmingly positive in their views of the school. One parent, representing the views of many, wrote, 'It is a very inclusive school; the children are very caring and are taught that everyone is different and special.' Pupils attain well above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the age of 7 years and achieve well given their starting points. Those pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, including those with hearing impairment also achieve well. This occurs because of the very good help and support they receive. The schools' monitoring data shows that all groups of pupils are making good progress across all classes. Achievement is good because teaching and learning are of good quality and work is interesting and challenging. At the heart of this success lies the skilful use of assessment information which

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Grade: 2

ensures tasks are well matched to pupils' individual needs. Expert teaching for pupils with hearing impairment is of very good quality. These pupils quickly learn to relate to a range of adults and other children in mainstream classes. Most teachers are successfully increasing the opportunities for all pupils to work independently and to explore their own ideas during lessons. However, this is not yet consistent across all classes. Another reason behind the school's success is the pupils' very positive attitudes to work, determination to succeed and eagerness to please. They behave extremely well, treat each other with great respect and genuinely want to learn. They feel safe, are safety conscious without being fearful, and are extremely knowledgeable about how to live healthily and adopt healthy lifestyles. Elected school councillors look forward to representing the views of other pupils and enjoy making suggestions about how to make the school better. They make an

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Grade: 2

excellent contribution to the community and carry out their many responsible jobs diligently. Their regular attendance and willingness to become actively involved in their own learning is further evidence that pupils enjoy coming to school. This is good preparation for future life and learning. Care, guidance and support are good and the pastoral aspects are outstanding. Teachers are good at tracking pupils' progress and using the information to plan challenging tasks and activities. The recently introduced individual target-setting and self-assessment are developing well. This is starting to help pupils gain a better understanding of how well they are doing in English and mathematics. Plans are in place to extend this across other subjects of the curriculum. Seamless teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants ensures very good support for all pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities including those with hearing and visual

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Grade: 2

impairment. They are fully included in the life of the school. The curriculum meets the basic academic needs of pupils well, as well as supporting their social and personal development through initiatives to encourage healthy living and staying safe. Planning in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science is being adapted well to meet new requirements. Creative and imaginative links between the different subjects are increasing, and the school acknowledges there is still more to do in this area of its provision. However, the school has successfully extended the use of information and communication technology to support pupils learning across the curriculum. Good use is made of video and digital images and the Internet to make learning an exciting and purposeful experience. Pupils really appreciate these opportunities, which they find enjoyable and challenging. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Emmbrook Infant School, 15 October 2008

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall and secure a good quality of education, which results in pupils' outstanding personal development and good achievement. The development plan sets out the correct priorities for improvement and provides a useful framework for action and review. The school recognises that subject managers need to develop a greater knowledge of the quality of teaching and learning across the school by exploring different ways to check how well pupils are doing. This will enable them to measure more effectively the impact of their work on raising standards. Governors are keen for the school to do well and hold the school to account for its work. The school's work to promote community cohesion is good and it is particularly successful in engaging with the local community. For example, pupils have worked alongside the local community association to produce an illustrated village guide for distribution

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Grade: 2

to local businesses. The school has continued to improve since the last inspection and the drive and enthusiasm of school leaders ensure that it has good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 2

Children make a good start in the EYFS and achieve well because of consistently good teaching and teamwork. Most children achieve or exceed the expected levels for their age by the time they move into Year 1. Children behave extremely well and thoroughly enjoy the wide variety of stimulating learning opportunities organised for them. They quickly learn to associate letters with the speech sounds they represent and enjoy looking at books. There is a good balance between activities chosen by the children and those planned for them by the teacher. Staff accurately record children's achievements and use these well to plan the next steps in learning. Children are very well cared for and their pastoral care is outstanding. The teaching space is bright, colourful and very well resourced. The outside provision needs to be improved so that more play and learning can take place. The school is working at improving this so that

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Grade: 2

opportunities for outdoor learning match the very good indoor provision.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the influence of subject coordinators on the quality teaching and learning across the school so they can measure more effectively the impact of their work on raising standards. ■ Improve provision for outdoor learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Emmbrook Infant School, 15 October 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Emmbrook Infant School, 15 October 2008

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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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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Emmbrook Infant School, 15 October 2008

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Emmbrook Infant School, 15 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

03 November 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Emmbrook Infant School,Wokingham,RG41 1JR On behalf of your inspectors I would like to thank you very much for making us so welcome when we visited your school recently. We believe, like you, that you go to a good school. We were very impressed with your friendliness and your sensible and helpful attitudes towards each other. We especially enjoyed talking to you about your work and were impressed with your enthusiasm for school. The teaching in your school is good and it means that, together with your enthusiasm for work, you achieve your personal targets and make good progress. The adults are always looking at ways to improve your learning. To make it even better, we are asking your teachers to improve the outside area where the youngest children learn and play to make it even more challenging and fun! We would also like those teachers in charge of subjects to find out more about the different ways they could check how well you are doing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

This will help them to make your work even better than it is. We know that you will continue to work hard and we are sure that you will help your teachers to make your school even better. We hope that you have great success in the future. Yours sincerely John Earish Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Emmbrook Infant School, 15 October 2008

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