Telford Infant School

125562 Unique Reference Number Warwickshire Local Authority 315262 Inspection number 13 °14 November 2007 Inspection dates Bogusia Matusiak-Varley 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 264 School The governing body Appropriate authority David Gorvett Chair Alison Foster Headteacher 11 July 2005 Date of previous school inspection Kelvin Road School address Lillington Leamington Spa CV32 7TE 01926 425544 Telephone number 01926 425544 Fax number

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4-7 Age group 13 °14 November 2007 Inspection dates 315262 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

Most pupils in the school are of White British background, although a range of ethnic minority ethnic groups are represented in the school population. The proportion of pupils who are at the early stages of learning to speak English is lower than average. The school has an above average number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Attainment on entry is average. The school has gained the Investors in People (IIP) award, a Gold Artsmark award and the Local Authority Race Equality award.

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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: Telford Infant School, 13 °14 November 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school where pupils achieve well. 'Children come first in this school' is a typical parental comment. Parents are very pleased with the education their children receive, saying that they 'love learning'. Children make a sound start to their learning in the Foundation Stage and progress well in Years 1 and 2. By the end of Year 2, pupils reach standards which are above average overall, although they are not as strong in writing as they are in reading and mathematics. Whilst pupils' writing and reading are improving as they develop good awareness of sounds and letters, pupils spell simple words incorrectly at times and they have too few opportunities to write about what they have read. The more able pupils make satisfactory progress, although information about their learning is not always used well enough to plan activities which challenge them and accelerate their progress. Pupils' achievement in mathematics is outstanding because they are

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Grade: 2

provided with plenty of opportunities to solve mathematical problems. All pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the small number of pupils with English as an additional language, are fully included in learning, due to a good curriculum and a very good range of extra-curricular activities. This contributes to their enjoyment of education and prepares them well for the next stages of education. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good because of good care, guidance and support and provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Children love coming to school, as is reflected in their good attitudes, attendance and behaviour. Positive relationships with staff and with each other, coupled with good opportunities to celebrate their wide range of successes both in and out of school, contribute significantly to pupils' high levels of confidence. Pupils

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Grade: 2

leave the school as well-rounded individuals who know how to make good choices in terms of healthy eating and staying safe. They make a positive contribution to the community by supporting an extensive range of charities. Standards have improved since the previous inspection, due to good leadership and management by the headteacher and deputy headteacher. They have monitored pupils' progress carefully and taken effective action to improve the quality of teaching and learning, which is now good. School self-evaluation is accurate, although over-cautious. Given the good improvement since the last inspection, the school has good capacity to improve.

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Grade: 3

From their average starting points, children achieve satisfactorily in the Foundation Stage and meet the goals expected of them in most areas of learning. However, through good provision, children make better progress in their personal, social, emotional and creative development and exceed the levels expected of them by the end of the Foundation Stage. Teaching and learning are satisfactory but children have too few opportunities to learn how to form their letters correctly. This has a significant effect on standards in writing as children move up the school. Teachers give good explanations to the start of lessons but miss opportunities to follow the children's interest levels and intervene in their learning. This is because information from assessment is not always used rigorously to plan the next steps in children's learning. Learning opportunities provided are exciting and promote children's good attitudes to learning, such as

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Grade: 3

4 of 11 Inspection Report: Telford Infant School, 13 °14 November 2007 their great enjoyment in playing in the 'post office'. Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage is satisfactory, and support staff are deployed well to support learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Use information about the Foundation Stage children's learning to provide them with tasks which are well matched to their needs, and ensure adults. intervene in children's activities, so that they make the best progress possible ■ Provide pupils with opportunities to correct spellings, write about what they have read - and, in the case of the more able pupils, provide them with more challenging tasks - in order to raise standards in writing.

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Grade: 2

From their starting points on entry to the school to the time they leave at the end of Year 2, pupils achieve well. The school's assessment of current Year 2 pupils indicates that they are continuing to achieve well and many are already working at levels above those expected for their age in reading and mathematics. The national test results show that standards have improved over the past two years and, in 2007, pupils attained standards which were well above average in mathematics. The school is doing well in raising standards in writing, due to the good implementation of phonics, although standards still lag behind those in reading and mathematics. Effective support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the few pupils who speak English as an additional language helps them to make good progress and achieve as well as their peers.

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Grade: 2

Pupils behave well and have good attitudes to learning because they are well cared for and valued for their uniqueness by all staff. 'Our teachers really care about us and make sure that we learn well', said one pupil, speaking for many. Pupils know about healthy diets and participate well in sport. 'You are never left out at this school', said one Year 2 pupil, 'because we all care about one another'. Relationships throughout the school are good and there is a true sense of mutual respect between adults and pupils. Pupils say that bullying and inappropriate behaviour are rare and are swiftly resolved. Outstanding provision in cultural development helps pupils gain a clear understanding of how the arts can become a profession and contributes greatly to pupils' enjoyment of learning. The school council provides a significant contribution to helping pupils have their say, such as in the type of equipment used at play times, and this contributes

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Grade: 2

well to their emerging listening skills and ability to make decisions. Although all pupils make good gains in their personal development, there are limited opportunities for the more able pupils to develop their independent research skills and organise their own learning.

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Grade: 2

The main reason for pupils' good achievement is the good quality of teaching and learning. Teachers use information and communication technology (ICT) well to support learning and this keeps pupils' interest levels high, especially in mathematics. For example, in a good lesson 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Telford Infant School, 13 °14 November 2007 in Year 2, the teacher helped pupils to identify lines of symmetry on the interactive whiteboard. The levels of pupils' concentration were so great that you could have heard a pin drop and all pupils made good gains in their learning. Teachers have high expectations in ensuring that most pupils, including those with English as an additional language and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, are challenged beyond their 'comfort zone'. However, on occasions, and especially when pupils undertake writing tasks, the more capable pupils are not sufficiently stretched and this limits their progress. Teaching assistants are deployed flexibly

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Grade: 2

to meet pupils' needs and are especially effective in supporting those who need a little extra help to boost their confidence and progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils benefit from a broad range of rich and stimulating learning experiences which reflects the school's aim of making learning exciting. Mini beasts, volcanoes, astronauts, the gardening project and working with members of the Royal Shakespeare Company are just a sample of the exciting learning that takes place. A good range of extra-curricular activities, supported by artists, actors and musicians, contribute to pupils' good personal development and well-being. The strong emphasis given to the creative subjects has been maintained since the last inspection and is reflected in an 'Artsmark Gold' award and pupils' considerable enjoyment of their learning. Whilst the curriculum has many strengths, it does not provide pupils with enough opportunities to practise their writing skills in other subjects. The over-reliance on the use of worksheets also limits their progress.

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Grade: 2

The school has recently ensured that pupils have targets in literacy and numeracy which are reviewed regularly and shared with parents. However, not all pupils know their targets and do not learn from their corrections. Pupils have a growing understanding of what they need to do to improve, as demonstrated by their comments in their annual reports. The school has established strong links with a range of external agencies and these help to promote pupils' welfare and progress effectively. The school's good induction programme ensures that children settle quickly and feel safe and secure at school. They know that they have an adult to whom they can turn, should they have any worries. Procedures for safeguarding pupils and ensuring their health and safety are robust and well understood by staff.

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Grade: 2

The clarity of educational provision set by the headteacher and senior management team is a major factor in the success enjoyed by pupils. The renewal of the school's IIP Award is a tribute to the good teamwork of all staff. 'Our headteacher is a lovely lady who makes this school a fun place to be', said one happy pupil, speaking for many. There is an unrelenting quest amongst senior leaders to ensure that pupils are given the best opportunities to engage in learning. Equality of opportunity is central to the school's commitment of inclusive practice, as shown by the Local Authority Race Equality Award. Under the headteacher's effective leadership, all staff work effectively as a team. The school improvement plan identifies all the correct areas for development and, whilst the impact has yet to be seen in higher standards in writing, good 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Telford Infant School, 13 °14 November 2007

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Grade: 2

strategies have been put in place, such as training staff on teaching phonics. Governors take an active part in monitoring the school's work, providing challenge as well as support, but do not fully evaluate the cost effectiveness of their spending decisions on the standards pupils attain. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Telford Infant School, 13 °14 November 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: Telford Infant School, 13 °14 November 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? 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? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 disabilities make progress

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learners?

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

2 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: Telford Infant School, 13 °14 November 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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: Telford Infant School, 13 °14 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

15 November 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Telford Infant School, Lillington, Leamington Spa, CV32 7TE Thank you so much for your very warm welcome when we visited your school and a special thank-you to the three pupils who helped us with our interviews. I am writing to tell you what we have found out. We think that the school does a good job of helping you learn. The headteacher, governing body and senior staff lead the school well and provide you with good learning opportunities. Your school is a good school and you are well looked after by a caring staff who think the world of you all. You clearly enjoy school and it is wonderful to see how much you learnt while undertaking the gardening project. I wonder how many of you will become actors after the great time you had working with the Royal Shakespeare Company? There are a few things that can be improved upon. For example, those of you who find learning

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

easy are not challenged as much as you could be, especially in writing. We also think that you could be given more opportunities to develop your research skills and organise your own learning. You could help your teachers by asking them to give you opportunities to write about the books that you have read and by giving you opportunities to correct your spellings. Those of you who are in the Reception classes would benefit greatly from having more opportunities to practise writing the sounds that you have learnt. We have asked your teachers to check how well you are learning and then give you activities which will help you to learn even better. We think that your artwork is really good and your school looks beautiful. You are a credit to your school, you behave well and have good attitudes to learning. With best wishes for the future Yours sincerely Bogusia Matusiak-Varley Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Telford Infant School, 13 °14 November 2007

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