Callis Grange Nursery and Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Callis Grange Nursery and Infant School have a strong sense of what it means to be a good citizen.

For example, they take their responsibility for filling up the bird feeder very seriously. Pupils feel safe and enjoy coming to school. Bullying is very rare and managed effectively if it does happen.

The school value of respect is clearly understood and modelled by all. There is a positive and friendly buzz in the school and children play well together at break and lunchtimes.

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEND).

Pupils enjoy coming to school and are enthusiastic about their lear...ning. They are polite and friendly and are particularly eager to talk about the books they are reading. Children in the Early Years engage in learning in cheerful and well-resourced classrooms and outside areas.

Most pupils, including those in the Early Years, take part in a range of interesting extracurricular activities. Trips and visits are well planned to enrich pupils' learning. For example, pupils were excited to tell inspectors about their visit to the local Mosque.

Regular visits to forest school have increased pupils' interest in becoming eco-friendly.

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

Leaders have planned an ambitious and broad curriculum so that all pupils, including those with SEND, learn and achieve well. In phonics and mathematics, the curriculum is particularly well sequenced.

Teachers check learning regularly so that pupils make strong progress, learning and remembering more. In some subjects, such as geography and music, what pupils need to know and do is not set out clearly enough. As a result, teachers cannot plan further to ensure that pupils' knowledge is secure in these subjects.

Senior leaders work hard to ensure that teachers have strong subject knowledge to teach and question pupils well. Teachers in the early years have a good knowledge of the early years curriculum. They plan a range of learning activities to support learning in each development area.

Reading is a priority in the school. Pupils learn to read and spell accurately because phonics teaching is highly effective. Leaders have started to invest in a new programme in phonics that aims to build further on the current successful teaching.

Pupils with SEND are supported well by adults so that they can access the full curriculum alongside their peers.

Personal, social and health education lessons are thoughtfully planned to allow pupils to discuss and appreciate diversity. Themed days such as French Day and International Day encourage an understanding of different cultures across the world.

Pupils have many opportunities to be active citizens in the school community. For example, as part of the school council or as community club representatives. Most pupils, including those with SEND, explore their interests and enrich their learning through clubs, trips and visits.

Children in the early years enjoy visits from the local fire brigade and paramedics to develop their understanding of the world.

Behaviour in the school is exemplary. Pupils want to behave well.

They manage their own behaviour so that teachers do not have to. Pupils understand the importance of cooperation and teamwork and try hard to include others. Teachers regularly support pupils to manage their emotions.

For example, children in the early years use feeling faces to show adults how they are feeling.

Governors and the senior leadership team know the pupils and their needs well. The newly appointed headteacher has managed the school effectively through the pandemic and a period of change.

She has an accurate understanding of the many things the school does well. Senior leaders and governors have a clear ambition to improve the school further. Staff say that leaders care about their well-being and take actions to ensure that workload is manageable.

Parents and staff are eager to offer their full support to the new headteacher, who they believe has the best interests of the school at heart.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that all staff know their responsibilities for safeguarding.

Governors hold leaders to account, contributing to a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders monitor and respond to safeguarding concerns effectively. They work well alongside external agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

Pupils know who to speak to if they are worried about themselves or others.

Pupils benefit from many opportunities in the curriculum to learn to keep themselves safe. They also know how to keep themselves safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The content teachers want pupils to learn, beyond mathematics and reading, is not yet fully matched to the assessment approaches in place. This means that teachers do not explicitly identify what pupils need to know, understand, and do, to meet the demands of the ambitious intended curriculum. Leaders should ensure that assessment approaches are aligned with the taught curriculum, so that teachers can identify where learning is less secure and use this information to inform planning.