Colebrook Infant Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Colebrook Infant Academy continues to be a good school.The headteacher of school is Annette Shakespeare.

This school is part of The Blue Kite Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Gary Evans, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Pauline Miller.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Colebrook Infant Academy thrive.

They are proud to be part of the school and attend well. The values of 'kindness, respect and resilience' are central to the ethos and culture of the school. Pupils are polite and caring to one another.

Their conduct with...in school is calm and well mannered.

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm. There are clear expectations for behaviour, which pupils understand.

Pupils feel safe.

Pupils develop their talents and interests through extra-curricular clubs and experiences. For example, gardening club provides pupils with the opportunity to grow and harvest their own vegetables.

Through experiences such as these, pupils develop confidence and patience.

Pupils are proud of the responsibilities they hold. These include being school councillors and class representatives.

Pupils build independence through these leadership positions. Children in Reception Year become 'buddies' for pre-school children, providing guidance and friendship at the 'buddies picnic'.

Pupils take an active part in local community events.

They support community and international charity projects. This prepares them to become active citizens in their community.

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

The school, with support from the trust, has reviewed and developed the curriculum.

The curriculum focuses on the important knowledge that pupils need to learn over time. Teachers have detailed knowledge of the subjects they teach and work with colleagues from across the trust. Pupils develop a secure understanding of ambitious vocabulary.

Pupils use this sophisticated language to explain complex issues. For example, in geography, pupils articulate the difference between climate and season confidently.

In most subjects, teachers use assessment effectively to check what pupils know and remember.

Teaching then builds on this, so pupils' knowledge extends over time. For example, pupils develop strong number sense which supports them to decide what action to take when solving complex problems. However, in a few subjects, teaching does not respond well to what assessment highlights.

In some cases, this results in pupils not learning key content securely before they move on. In other cases, pupils do not move on to more complex learning when they are ready to do so.

The school works with external agencies to provide support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

This has been particularly successful in meeting pupils' emotional and social needs. For example, the sensory room offers a therapeutic space. Staff adapt the curriculum to meet pupils' needs well.

The school places a sharp focus on reading. Pupils are immersed in high-quality texts which are carefully selected. These include books which reflect the importance of treating everyone with fairness.

Pupils are keen to read for pleasure. Classroom reading lofts provide an opportunity for pupils to enjoy a good book in a cosy space. Children in Reception Year learn to read as soon as they start school, using books which match the sounds they know.

Those who fall behind are supported to catch up quickly.

There is a carefully planned curriculum to support pupils' broader development. This is a particular strength of the school.

Pupils are knowledgeable about and respectful of other cultures and faiths. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils' visits to places of interest are woven into the curriculum.

For example, pupils link what they learned at a local museum to their knowledge of the history of the railways.

Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy, both physically and mentally. They appreciate opportunities for mindfulness and say that these help them to relax.

Considerable thought has gone into resourcing the playground and provision for outdoor learning. For example, 'noodle drumming' and dancing to music develop pupils' confidence and coordination.

The school, the trust and the local governing body continually strive to improve the school further.

To do so, they have built capacity by strengthening wider leadership roles across 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)

• In some subjects, teachers do not use what they know about pupils' understanding of the curriculum to make necessary adaptions.

Consequently, some teaching is not revised in light of what pupils already know and can do. Leaders should ensure that assessment is used to inform teaching and curriculum planning, so that it supports pupils to build their knowledge securely in all subjects.

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 January 2014.

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