Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre

Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre Inspection report

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123364 Unique Reference Number Telford and Wrekin Local Authority 327892 Inspection number 30 September 2008 Inspection date Alison Cartlidge 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 3–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 152 School (total) 76 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 S Scott Chair Caroline Boddy Headteacher 21 September 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Baldwin Webb Avenue School address Donnington Telford TF2 8EP 01952 386640 Telephone number

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3–7 Age group 30 September 2008 Inspection date 327892 Inspection number 01952 386644 Fax number

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3–7 Age group 30 September 2008 Inspection date 327892 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. 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 30 September 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors, who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following: provision and progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) how well teachers challenge pupils and use marking to move learning forward the progress of more able pupils in Years 1 and 2 how well leaders track pupils' progress how well pastoral care and support ensure pupils' enjoyment of school. Evidence was gathered from discussions with pupils, members of staff and governors, observations of teaching and learning, views of parents, and scrutiny of pupils' work and school documentation. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector 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 this report.

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Description of the school

Pupils come to this average sized infant school with Nursery from the Donnington area of Telford. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is well above average. The school has an average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, although year groups vary and these pupils are not evenly distributed. An above average proportion of pupils come from Traveller communities. Many new members of staff have joined the school in the last year, including the headteacher, who at the time of the inspection had been at the school for four weeks.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 30 September 2008

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Grade: 3

This welcoming school provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. On entry to the EYFS, most children are working below the levels typically expected for this age group. Children make a good start to their education in the Nursery and Reception classes and standards are broadly average when they start in Year 1. Satisfactory teaching supports satisfactory achievement in Years 1 and 2, and standards remain broadly average at the end of Year 2. Most pupils, including those from the Travelling community, make at least satisfactory progress, and those with learning difficulties and/or disbailities make good progress. The school is aware that teachers do not always expect enough from the more able pupils and consequently they do not always do as well as they should. Leaders are focusing well on increasing the level of challenge provided, especially in reading. They have increased resources and are improving the curriculum for guided

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Grade: 3

reading sessions. Members of staff ensure that pupils receive good care, guidance and support so that pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils are a credit to their school because they behave well, even on a rainy day, and enjoy school very much. As two pupils said, 'I love being at school' and 'I don't like holidays'. Pupils say that they feel safe at school because teachers deal with most instances of bullying to their satisfaction. One pupil spoke for others by saying that 'people are helpful and kind'. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe. For example, they are very aware, following a recent accident with a skipping rope, that they need to take care when playing certain games. Pupils are supportive of each other and are polite and friendly. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils respect the views of others and are kind and helpful. Pupils contribute to the community satisfactorily.

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Grade: 3

They take responsibility for a suitable range of tasks around school and help to raise funds for charity. The school is increasing the pupils' knowledge of multicultural Britain by bringing in visitors to represent a wider range of ethnic backgrounds. Teachers have good relationships with the pupils and use praise well to help them feel valued. For example, pupils are proud to have their name mentioned in the 'golden book'. Teachers explain activities clearly, enabling pupils to start their work quickly in most lessons. Teachers and teaching assistants provide good support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, enabling them to make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. However, there are occasions in Years 1 and 2 when teachers do not use assessment information well enough to plan work that is sufficiently different for the range of abilities in each class. At these times, the more able pupils in particular are not fully involved

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Grade: 3

and their learning slows. Teachers mark pupils' work frequently, but do not always show pupils how to improve or make sure that advice is followed up quickly. Members of staff ensure that procedures for safeguarding pupils are fully in place and they support pupils well when they are finding life difficult. The school works closely with external agencies such as parents, other schools and health services to support the well-being of all of its pupils. Whilst rates of attendance are below average, these do not reflect the pupils' enthusiasm for school. The school is working productively to improve the punctuality and attendance of a small minority of families. Initiatives such as the weekly attendance cup awarded to the class with the best attendance are proving to be an encouragement. The satisfactory curriculum provides a wide range of interesting visits and visitors and there are good opportunities for pupils to use their information and communication technology (ICT)

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Grade: 3

5 of 11 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 30 September 2008 skills across the curriculum. The school is developing opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and numeracy in other subjects and to challenge the more able pupils consistently. The curriculum supports pupils' personal development well, and helps them to lead healthy lifestyles. For example, pupils enjoy taking part in sport and have a clear understanding, through their membership of the 'healthy eating club,' of the importance of eating five fruits or vegetables each day. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The new headteacher has a clear vision for the school and knows what to do to make it improve. Members of staff and governors are enthusiastic and strongly committed to speeding up pupils' progress. They have managed the recent changes in staffing with the minimum of disruption to the pupils. Since the last inspection,

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Grade: 3

the school has narrowed the gap between the progress of girls and boys and increased the rigour of the way it monitors attendance, demonstrating that it has a sound capacity to go on improving. Satisfactory systems for self-evaluation enable leaders to know the school's strengths and areas for development. Senior leaders are aware that they are not evaluating information kept on pupils' progress fully to identify and tackle dips in the progress of groups of pupils. The school sets suitably challenging targets for the end of Year 2 and has started to set targets for younger pupils. Pupils' good personal development and satisfactory basic skills prepare them satisfactorily for the next stage of their education and later life. The school does much to involve parents in their children's education and most parents are pleased with the work of the school. Two parents summed up the positive views of many others

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Grade: 3

by writing, 'My son enjoys school' and 'My daughter has settled in school very well'. These comments demonstrate what the school already does well.

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Grade: 2

Good provision enables children in the Nursery and Reception classes to settle quickly into school routines and achieve well. Standards are broadly average when they start in Year 1 and they develop positive attitudes towards learning. Members of staff are good at helping children to learn and develop. They focus especially well on modelling good behaviour and on improving speaking and listening, and as a result, Nursery children become confident about talking about their experiences. In the Reception Year, members of staff work together well as a team to meet children's differing needs. For example, during mental mathematics sessions the children work in two groups, according to their abilities. Children's personal development is good. They play together happily and are keen to make choices and try new activities. Members of staff care for the children well and are good at promoting their welfare. They maintain attractive

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Grade: 2

and informative records of the children's progress in 'all about me' books. Leadership and management are good because senior members of staff have clear plans to improve provision. For example, they are aware that they should do more to fine tune the timetable for the Reception children so that they do not have to sit still for too long at one time.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ What the school should do to improve further

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the challenge for the more able pupils in Years 1 and 2.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that leaders use tracking information to identify and rectify dips in pupils' progress more swiftly. ■ Make sure that teachers' marking consistently helps pupils to improve their work. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 30 September 2008 A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 30 September 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 30 September 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? 3 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? 2 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

3 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/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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 30 September 2008

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 30 September 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 October 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Donnington Wood Infant and Nursery Centre, Telford, TF2 8EP Thank you for welcoming us to your school and for sharing your work with us. Your school provides you with a satisfactory education.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Here are some other points about your school:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave sensibly, even on days when you cannot go outside to play.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You know how to stay safe and healthy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Teaching is satisfactory and your teachers help you to enjoy school by making lessons fun.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You study a suitable range of interesting topics.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ All adults in school are kind and caring and look after you well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher, teachers and governors know how to make the school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your parents and carers are pleased that you come to this school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ What we have asked your school to do now:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that teachers in Years 1 and 2 give those of you who find learning easy, harder work. ■ Improve the way leaders check that everyone is learning quickly enough so that they can help quickly when needed. ■ Make sure that teachers' marking always helps you to improve your work.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We thoroughly enjoyed talking with you about your school and wish you well for the future. Yours sincerely Alison Cartlidge Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre, 30 September 2008

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