Burbage Church of England Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Burbage Church of England Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Burbage Church of England Infant School is a happy, welcoming place.

The school's ethos of 'Loving; Living; Learning' is at the heart of school life and interwoven throughout the curriculum.

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. The school is inclusive.

Staff are determined that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive the support they need to thrive and achieve well.

Pupils behave well. They are polite and respectful.

Pupils embrace the school's values of 'friendship, truth, compassio...n, perseverance and respect'. Pupils have confidence in staff to address bullying and behaviour issues.

There are several leadership roles that pupils can benefit from taking on.

These include being a member of the school council or acting as a sports leader. Pupils take pride in these roles and speak about the skills they learn through participation. Pupils know that they make a positive contribution to the school and wider community.

The school offers a range of extra-curricular activities, including sports and music.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school, with a typical comment being: 'The teachers create a lovely, nurturing environment to help the children shine and encourage the right behaviours and values through everything they do.'

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

Leaders have designed a well-structured curriculum.

They have identified the key knowledge pupils need to know and remember. The curriculum sets out what pupils are expected to learn each term from the early years to Year 2. In most cases, pupils can recall what they have learned.

Curriculum leaders are passionate about their subjects. They want pupils to be subject experts, such as 'mathematicians in mathematics and historians in history'. They want pupils to be confident in their learning and to love the subjects they study.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge and clearly share important knowledge with pupils. Most teachers model new learning well and make sure that pupils have time to practise. This approach helps pupils to be successful.

In some subjects, such as mathematics, teachers ensure that pupils are able to recall what they have previously learned through the 'flashback' activities.

Leaders in some other subjects, like history, have made recent changes to the curriculum to ensure that it is fully sequenced and that prior learning is revisited. This work is still at an early stage of implementation.

Leaders are aware that assessment procedures are not fully developed across all subjects. Currently, assessments in some foundation subjects do not always identify gaps in pupils' knowledge. Teachers do not consistently use their checks on pupils' understanding of the key knowledge to inform their future teaching.

Leaders act quickly to accurately identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Staff provide effective support for pupils with SEND.

This means that these pupils get the extra help they need to succeed.

Leaders have prioritised early reading and phonics. Teachers are early reading experts and carry out regular assessments.

Interventions are in place to support pupils who are at risk of falling behind. Reading books are matched to the sounds that pupils know. Children enjoy reading and know that their teachers encourage them to read.

Children in the early years settle well. It is a happy learning environment. Leaders choose topics carefully to ensure that children have opportunities to explore language and develop a wide vocabulary.

The mathematical activities that children complete enable them to explore number and review their learning. This includes, for example, exploring patterns with a selection of shells, pebbles and pinecones. Children in the early years are well prepared for the next steps in their education.

The curriculum goes beyond the academic. Leaders promote pupils' personal development well through the curriculum and the school's core values. Leaders promote British, Christian and the school's values.

This instils the key characteristics and qualities that leaders want their pupils to develop and display. Pupils learn to understand the concept of equality and to respect difference. Pupils explain that 'everyone is unique, which is a good thing'.

They are well prepared for life in modern British society.

The school is well led. Leaders put pupils at the centre of everything they do.

Governors provide effective support and challenge. Leaders make sure that staff's workload and well-being are a priority. Staff describe themselves as a close team, who support each other well.

As a result, staff feel happy, valued and well supported.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff know the pupils well.

Positive relationships enable staff to identify any emerging concerns quickly. Leaders ensure that all staff receive safeguarding training and regular updates about how to keep pupils safe. They are knowledgeable about the local issues that may affect their pupils.

Leaders keep accurate records. They are quick to act when they are aware of a concern, involving other agencies when necessary. Those responsible for checking the safeguarding arrangements do so rigorously.

Pupils learn how to understand and manage risks they may face, including when they are online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, leaders' work to establish an effective assessment system is in the early stages of implementation. Teachers do not currently use assessments as well as they should to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.

They do not yet consistently use the outcomes of their checks to inform the next steps in learning. Leaders need to develop assessment procedures which ensure that pupils know and remember more, while also taking into consideration the workload of teachers.

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 October 2013.

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