Drayton Community Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Drayton Community Infant School. The care and support that staff provide are of the highest quality. Pupils feel safe.

They say they have several adults they can talk to if they have any worries. Their parents agree, stating that the school is a lovely, friendly and supportive environment.

Pupils are polite and respectful towards each other, staff and visitors.

They learn to appreciate and celebrate the differences between groups of people. Pupils feel safe from bullying. They understand what bullying is and when to ask for help.

Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities. These include being school councillors and eco-counc...illors. Pupils take these roles seriously.

They like making the school better for each other. Pupils are keen to contribute to society. They speak enthusiastically about taking part in activities, such as fitness sessions, to raise money for charities.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy learning a broad and interesting curriculum. However, while the quality of education pupils receive is improving, it is not good. Pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding.

Pupils do not know and remember as much as they need to.

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

The school has been through a substantial period of change. A new and effective senior leadership team is now in place.

Leaders have accurately identified the key priorities and have made a good start to improving the overall effectiveness of the school. The curriculum, including in the early years, is developing. Leaders have begun to set out clearly the specific knowledge pupils must learn from Reception to Year 2.

They know there is more to do to ensure consistency in how the curriculum is delivered.

Leaders are exploring new systems for assessment. Presently, teachers do not know how best to check and respond to what pupils know in all subjects.

Also, some leaders have not had the training or opportunity to drive improvements in the curriculum. This means subject leaders do not know if plans are being consistently delivered across all year groups. As a result, learning is variable and some pupils are not able to remember what leaders want them to know.

Leaders prioritise reading. Pupils can choose from a wide range of appealing books. Pupils talk with pleasure about books they are reading.

Staff receive training to plan and deliver the recently introduced phonics programme. Staff identify pupils who struggle to read, and offer extra support throughout the school day. This helps some pupils to catch up quickly.

However, the teaching of phonics is not consistent. Some staff are less confident than others in teaching phonics. As a result, some pupils are not catching up as quickly as others.

The quality of support for pupils with SEND varies. Pupils with SEND have their needs identified. All pupils with SEND have support plans.

However, leaders do not make sure all pupils with SEND have individual targets that are specific enough to ensure they get the right support to learn successfully. This means small steps of progress are difficult to measure and leaders cannot be sure all pupils with SEND are achieving as well as they should.

In early years, the trust has provided guidance and support which has focused on developing the learning environment.

Positive relationships between staff and children in the early years help to embed an eagerness to learn and play kindly. Teachers ensure that children have opportunities to do fun activities, but these do not always build on what they already know. As a result, some children are not fully challenged to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding that they need.

Pupils' wider development is at the heart of the school's work. Leaders see pupils' well-being as paramount. Pupils celebrate diversity and can explain how they value difference and uniqueness.

They enjoy attending a range of clubs, including cake decorating, mad science and a number of sports clubs. Leaders make sure that pupils learn the importance of staying fit and healthy. The personal, social and health education curriculum sets out what pupils need to know about keeping safe and understanding and respect.

The revised behaviour policy provides clarity in how staff support pupils' behaviour. Pupils behave well and show respect and kindness to each other.

Staff enjoy working at the school.

They appreciate the stability in staffing since the appointment of the headteacher. They said that leaders and trustees consider their workload when they make changes at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff overseeing the checks on adults working or volunteering in the school do so carefully. Leaders ensure they and their staff receive regular training. Staff find the weekly partnership bulletin helpful in keeping them alert to the signs a pupil may be at risk of harm.

Staff report any concerns readily. Leaders demonstrate tenacity in how they manage support for vulnerable pupils and their families.

Leaders ensure that staff and outside agencies teach pupils how to stay safe on and offline.

As a result, pupils are clear and confident about how to protect themselves and others.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not completed the work to implement an ambitious curriculum. The way that the curriculum, including reading and in early years, is implemented is inconsistent across classes.

Teachers do not all have the confidence or subject knowledge to deliver the intended outcomes. Consequently, pupils do not learn and remember as much as they should over time. Leaders need to ensure that a consistent approach is in place and that staff have appropriate training and support to improve their practice.

• Teachers do not use assessment information well enough to adapt lessons to meet the needs of all pupils, including those in the early years and pupils with SEND. As a result, not all pupils achieve as well as they could. Leaders must provide effective training for teachers so they know how to check learning well, and then make sure that this is carried out effectively to ensure that pupils achieve well.

• Individual intervention targets for pupils with SEND are not always specific. This means small steps of progress cannot be evidenced. Leaders need to ensure pupils' individual targets are specific and measurable.

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