Devonshire Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Devonshire Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school that cares for every pupil. There are strong relationships between adults and pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is because staff know pupils and their families well.

Pupils love coming to school and enjoy their friendships.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils, including the youngest children, do not disappoint them.

They focus on their learning. Pupils listen and concentrate and do not disturb others. A few pupils do struggle with their behaviour.

However, adults are c...onsistent in reminding pupils of the school rules and this limits any interruption to learning. If there were to be any bullying, pupils are confident that they could go to any adult who will deal with it at once. Pupils feel safe because they know that adults are there to help if they have any worries.

Pupils take their roles of responsibility seriously. School council members know they are working for their class. They agree to support a national charity.

Pupils raise money by 'walking a mile to raise a smile'. Children in the Reception Year are able to explain that the money is to help people who 'do not have a home'.

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

Reading is a top priority for leaders.

They believe that pupils must 'learn to read, to read to learn'. Leaders develop pupils' love for reading, for example through reading a story every day. Teachers read a variety of texts.

This is to broaden pupils' horizons. Alongside celebrating World Book Day, pupils enjoy the opportunity to come to school 'dressed as a word'. This is to help pupils to increase their vocabulary.

The youngest children start to learn phonics as soon as they start school. Leaders have bought new books to enable pupils to practise reading books that match the sounds they know. This is helping pupils to become fluent readers.

Support is in place for pupils with SEND and those who struggle with early reading to enable them to catch up quickly.

Pupils study all the national curriculum subjects. Leaders are ambitious and have a curriculum that engages and delights pupils.

They ensure that learning in every subject starts in the Reception Year so that children are ready for Year 1. Subject leaders' learning overviews show clearly the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn. They also show what learning has come before.

This enables teachers to check what pupils know and remember. In some subjects, pupils build on their prior learning well. Teachers check to establish if there are any gaps before moving on.

Pupils with SEND receive effective support, particularly in mathematics, that ensures that they follow the same learning as their peers. However, in other subjects, teachers focus more on the activities and pupils are less able to talk about their learning. Instead, they talk about the exciting activities they do.

Pupils are not clear which subject they are learning. This prevents them from building knowledge over time as well as they could.

The special educational needs coordinator knows pupils with SEND well, especially those attending the inclusion centre.

Staff know the barriers that pupils in the centre face and break learning into small steps. There are clear procedures in place to support the identification of pupils with additional needs across the school. Pupils with SEND do not, however, consistently get the same high quality of support, in other subjects, as they do in reading and mathematics.

The school's values teach pupils to learn to respect and celebrate differences through the various festivals that they celebrate within the school's diverse community. Key stage 1 pupils are able to talk about differences, such as the different make-up of families. As pupils say, 'That doesn't matter, as long as people are kind.'

Year 2 pupils enjoy the roles of responsibility, such as being a playground friend, a lunchtime reader or a librarian. Being a Christmas stallholder and helping younger children to buy presents for their families is their favourite memory.

Pupils have a variety of opportunities to get to know their local area and beyond.

Visits and visitors are interwoven through the different topics. All year groups have the opportunity to apply their learning in art. They study an artist and then paint in the style of their artist.

Pupils are proud to see their pictures exhibited and show their parents and carers the skills they have learned.

Staff appreciate leaders' care for their well-being. They know that leaders consider their workload and do not add to it unnecessarily.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know pupils and their families well. They are able to spot any change that indicates that pupils may be at risk and they report these promptly.

This is due to the safeguarding team making sure that staff are well trained. Leaders work closely with other agencies to make sure that pupils and their families receive the support they need. Record-keeping is comprehensive.

Pupils are taught how to keep safe. Pupils can talk about how the school helps them to keep safe when crossing the road and not taking gifts from strangers.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Pupils are not always able to remember well what they have learned in some foundation subjects.

They describe the activities they have done rather than knowledge and skills. Leaders need to ensure that the teaching of all subjects consistently enables pupils to know and remember key ideas and build on these as they progress through the school.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2017.

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