Brewster Avenue Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Brewster Avenue Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Brewster Avenue.

From their start in Nursery, they consistently receive high-quality care and support from adults. This helps them to feel secure and safe. Pupils get along with each other.

They are friendly and kind. Older pupils enjoy caring for the younger children. They like to read to them and make them feel welcome at school.

Bullying is very rare. It is quickly stopped if it happens.

Pupils behave well because of the effective support they receive from adults.

Pupils follow clear routines. From early years, children learn... how to share. They play well with their classmates.

They also learn to develop their independence. On the rare occasion that a pupil struggles to manage their feelings, adults skilfully help them to settle.

Pupils enjoy being active.

They take care of the natural environment and their woodland area. They are proud of the cherry trees they planted. They like to tend to the garden and hunt for bugs.

All pupils benefit from taking part in activities which allow them to be thoughtful and creative. Pupils enjoy doing well and sharing their successes.

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

Leaders have implemented a curriculum that ensures pupils receive a high-quality education matching the ambition of the national curriculum.

Adults are well trained to deliver the majority of subjects effectively. They make well-considered use of resources to help pupils to achieve success. Pupils have opportunities to practise what they have learned.

They display pride in their work and are very positive about their learning.

In key stage 1, leaders have mostly identified the skills and knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that teachers are clear about what pupils must learn and remember.

This is not as consistent as it should be in all subjects, so some pupils do not always learn all that they should.

Teachers regularly check on pupils' understanding. However, sometimes their checks do not focus precisely enough on what pupils need to know.

Follow-up activities are not always targeted on fixing misunderstandings. This means a minority of pupils have gaps in their understanding.

In early years, children benefit from an ambitious curriculum that ensures children's experiences are central to leaders' planning.

Children have a lot of space, both indoors and outdoors, to play and learn. Adults are highly skilled at adapting their activities to meet individuals' needs. In Nursery, children invent their own games.

They enjoy using little nets to find sea creatures in water troughs. Adults are confident in modelling a wide range of vocabulary to develop children's communication skills. Children learn basic counting skills.

They display good levels of participation when taking part in number songs. Children love early years and leave well prepared for Year 1.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported.

Adults have a good understanding of pupils' needs. The learning areas are purposefully designed to be accessible for all pupils. Staff are well trained to help pupils with SEND to do well.

Adults give pupils the appropriate support to learn to read. From Nursery onwards, children love listening to stories and hearing songs. Adults are confident in delivering the reading curriculum and teaching pupils to become confident and fluent readers.

Any pupil who falls behind with their phonics is quickly identified and given additional support to keep up with the programme. All pupils read regularly with an adult. Pupils are positive about reading.

Interactions between staff and pupils are very respectful. They support warm and trusting relationships. Pupils are able to work well because disruption to lessons is not common.

Pupils regularly visit the on-site woodland and pond area. They learn about taking care of their environment. Each class has their own garden to care for.

They enjoy planting and weeding. Pupils also take part in school trips, such as to Kings Dyke Nature Reserve. They loved hunting for fossils and going on a nature trail.

Governors and leaders have a strong understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. They work effectively to ensure that pupils are very well cared for and receive a high-quality education. Staff feel leaders support them well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have made sure that a strong safeguarding culture exists throughout the school. There is a clear, shared understanding of how to keep pupils safe.

Adults are confident in spotting any signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Safeguarding leads respond quickly and appropriately to any concerns. They keep clear and accurate records which explain their actions and rationale for any decisions taken.

Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding about how to stay safe and healthy, online and offline.

Leaders ensure that adults have the appropriate pre-employment checks carried out before they start work at the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In key stage 1, the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn are not clearly defined in all curriculum plans.

Teachers are not clear what the important learning is for every topic. Therefore, sometimes, the activities provided for pupils are not the most appropriate to help them achieve highly. Leaders need to ensure that the plans for all subjects clearly break down the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and remember.

• In some subjects, teachers do not check well enough what pupils know, or if they remember their prior learning. Some pupils do not remember important knowledge. Others do not have the depth of understanding that they should.

Leaders need to ensure that teachers understand how to check what pupils know and can do. They need to ensure that gaps in knowledge are addressed promptly and that pupils are given sufficient opportunities to fix any misunderstandings they may have.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2013.