Banstead Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Banstead Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are excited about learning and thoroughly enjoy school. They are keen to get the day started when they arrive in school, happily waving to their parents as they join their classmates. Well-established routines and high expectations ensure that pupils feel safe, comfortable and well cared for.

They speak sensibly and maturely about their school, enthusing about subjects, such as mathematics, art and reading. During the inspection, pupils talked to the inspector confidently about why learning is important. For instance, one pupil explained that learning mathematics 'trains your brain a...nd helps you to remember', while another said: 'The more you write, the more your hand muscles improve, and the neater your writing.'

The youngest children eagerly share their learning with visitors, inviting them to look at the class books they have made and explaining what they are doing.

Pupils are kind to each other and behave exceptionally well throughout the school. They arrive in the morning ready to learn, greet visitors politely, and wear their school uniform with pride.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are valued members of the school's happy and inclusive community. They are actively involved in all aspects of school life and learn enthusiastically alongside their classmates.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils achieve well in a range of subjects.

In 2023, they achieved exceptionally well in reading and writing. The school has introduced a new and highly ambitious curriculum in mathematics, science, history, art and design technology this year. The new curriculum has been carefully designed to reflect current research about how pupils learn well.

It is well sequenced and builds on the school's previous effective curriculum, with an increased focus on deepening pupils' learning. In mathematics, for example, pupils are given more time to apply what they have learned. An example of this was seen during the inspection, when pupils in Year 2 used practical equipment to help them to think about different ways of partitioning two-digit numbers.

Staff have worked very hard to implement the new curriculum since September and are now beginning to see its positive impact on pupils' learning. Work continues apace to ensure that the curriculum is securely embedded. The school is rightly focusing on making sure that all staff have the knowledge and confidence needed to respond effectively to pupils' emerging needs during lessons.

The school has made significant improvements in the teaching of reading since the last inspection. Its phonics programme is now well established and effective. Teachers and support staff teach early reading skills confidently and knowledgably.

Pupils who need extra help with their reading benefit from regular opportunities to read and from 'keep up' sessions. The proportions of pupils achieving expected levels in the Year 1 phonics check have improved significantly since the last inspection and were in line with the national average in 2023. High-quality texts are a key element of the curriculum and used well to promote enjoyment of reading.

During the inspection, pupils spoke about how much they like to read and talked about some of their favourite authors.

Leaders have improved arrangements to support pupils with SEND since the previous inspection. Assessments and transition arrangements are used well to identify children's needs as early as possible and to ensure that suitable adaptations are in place when they join the school.

Staff complete regular training and work closely with specialist services, such as occupational therapy. Pupils with SEND learn well as a result.

Pupils have lots of experiences which enliven learning.

They learn skills to help them to navigate the world around them safely, such as first-aid skills, online safety strategies, and how to swim. The art curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils' creative and cultural development. Pupils learn the skills needed to produce high-quality artwork.

For instance, during the inspection the youngest children selected from an extensive range of resources to make nests for chick eggs, while some of the older pupils learned how to use cross-hatching to show tone and shade in their drawings.

Pupils move around the school sensibly and responsibly. They are confident that adults will look after them if anything is worrying them and say that any misbehaviour is sorted out quickly.

Records of behaviour confirm this positive view.

Staff report strong teamwork and high staff morale. They feel well supported by leaders and appreciate the training opportunities provided.

All those who completed Ofsted's survey say that they are proud to work in the school. One member of staff said: 'It's a lovely place to work and we have great management – They're supportive and see us as people.' Leaders work constructively together to monitor and support staff well-being.

Parents are very happy with the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority) ? Adults do not always have the knowledge and confidence needed to respond to pupils' emerging needs during lessons.

This means that learning slows for those pupils who are finding it hard to grasp what is being taught. The school should continue with its work to strengthen this aspect of teaching.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2018.

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