Clarendon Infants’ School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Nurturing pupils' well-being is at the heart of this school. Pupils experience high-quality pastoral support that helps them to learn well.

This is important because of the high number of pupils from families in the armed forces who join the school part way through their education due to redeployment. Pupils and families benefit greatly from the work of the service premium champion and family support adviser.

Pupils, including those in the resource base and early years, learn how to recognise their feelings.

They develop strategies that help them to be calm and positive. This means they can focus on their learning well. Leaders make sure that there are a rang...e of resources and support for those pupils who are struggling to manage their feelings or behaviour.

Pupils enjoy learning. They listen carefully to adults and join in with enthusiasm. They share their thinking with confidence and show respect to one another's contributions.

Pupils mix happily with one another during learning and breaktimes. They have a good understanding of bullying and say that it rarely happens at their school. They enjoy many different types of rewards and are clear about sanctions.

Through the carefully planned curriculum, pupils have a variety of visits, visitors and events that broaden their experience. They enjoy these and can explain how they help them to develop their knowledge and understanding.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for pupils.

They have identified and sequenced the key knowledge they want pupils to learn. Mindful of the high mobility of their pupils, they have ensured that this knowledge is revisited. This means that pupils joining the school are not at a disadvantage.

In reading and mathematics pupils learn well. This is because subject leadership has ensured that the curriculum is appropriate and that teaching is consistently effective. Pupils in the resource base also learn well because of well-tailored support.

In a few other subjects, although the curriculums are well designed, teaching is not always as effective as it is in reading and mathematics. This means pupils do not learn as well as they could. Nonetheless, overall, pupils are receiving a good quality of education.

In reading and mathematics, subject leaders work alongside teachers to refine teaching to make sure that all pupils learn well. As a result, teaching skilfully ensures that all pupils learn well. While subject leaders in other curriculum areas have identified key knowledge, teaching is not yet as consistent as it is in reading and mathematics.

Leaders ensure that pupils learn to read well. Pupils enjoy learning phonics and, in Reception, have lots of opportunities to practise the sounds they know in their play.Older pupils segment words and blend sounds together to read fluently.

They then apply this accurately in their writing. All pupils enjoy listening to stories. They say that teachers make this fun.

Pupils in the resource base have recently enjoyed a sensory telling of the three little pigs. They were able to feel straw, sticks and bricks, which brought the story to life for them.

Assessment is used well to make sure that pupils have secured their understanding.

Teachers share the key knowledge they want pupils to learn with pupils and parents in an accessible format. This makes sure that everyone is clear about what is to be learned. In mathematics, pupils recap previous learning to build fluency, which helps them to be ready for more complex tasks.

This is an inclusive school. The many different needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately identified by leaders and teachers. Staff work well with parents to develop these pupils' learning plans.

As a result, the support for these pupils in the main school enables them to learn successfully alongside their peers. Provision in the resource base is highly effective. Adults skilfully plan learning opportunities across the curriculum that build on each pupil's strengths and needs.

Governors are committed to carrying out their duties effectively. With support from the local authority, they have recently federated as one governing body with the junior school. Work to ensure that roles and responsibilities are clear in this new arrangement has recently been completed.

This has taken some of governors' focus away from their oversight of the curriculum. As a result, they are less clear about the impact that leaders' actions are having on the curriculum.

Staff thoroughly enjoy working at the school.

They work well as a team, using the many professional development opportunities to build their confidence and skill. They appreciate the efforts of leaders to manage their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is their highest priority. They have a very thorough understanding of the unique challenges their community faces. This awareness means they work effectively with many different agencies to secure the help pupils and families need at the right time.

Staff are vigilant. They know the signs to look out for and are confident in recording and reporting these. Records are thorough and accurate.

Leaders use these records to take swift action where necessary.

Pupils have a good understanding of keeping themselves safe online. They are confident that they could tell any adult if they were worried about something.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teaching is less effective in some subjects than it is in reading and mathematics. This means pupils do not learn as well in these subjects. Leaders must secure consistent high-quality teaching in all subjects to ensure that, across the curriculum, pupils learn as well as they do in mathematics and reading.

• Governors have worked hard to secure a federated governing body, which now has a clear organisational structure. However, this has taken some of their focus away from their oversight of school effectiveness and the quality of education provided. Governors need to develop their understanding of the school's curriculum so they can assure themselves of the quality of education pupils receive.

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