Field Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Field Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School is a place where pupils feel welcome and valued. Staff warmly greet pupils and their families every morning. Pupils trust staff to help them with any worries they may have.

This makes pupils feel safe and supported.

Leaders expect pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to try their best. Pupils work hard to meet these expectations.

As a result, pupils achieve well in most areas of the curriculum.

In the classroom and throughout the school, pupils behave well. During breaktimes and lunchtimes, they enjoy spending time with friends.

They get along well with... each other. Pupils treat each other and staff with high levels of respect. Any bullying incidents are effectively addressed by the staff.

School leaders nurture strong relationships with the broader school community. Parents and carers appreciate the opportunities provided by leaders to visit the school and learn how to support their children at home.

Many pupils access a range of activities that broaden their experience and increase their self-confidence.

The gardening club is particularly popular. In this club, pupils take care of community vegetable plots. They take pride in their contribution to the local area.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Pupils study a broad range of subjects. In most subjects, leaders have successfully organised the curriculum so that pupils build on what they already know and can do.

Pupils build the vocabulary that they need for future learning.

Teachers are well trained to teach the curriculum effectively. They present new information clearly and they choose activities that help pupils to learn.

Assessment is used appropriately to check on pupils' understanding. This allows teachers to give pupils extra help and address any misconceptions quickly. This helps pupils, including those with SEND, to learn well in most subjects.

In a few subjects, the curriculum is still at an early stage of development. In these subjects, teachers do not have clear direction of what to teach and when. Leaders do not check the implementation of the curriculum in some subjects well enough.

This means that pupils do not learn important information as well as they should. In addition, in some areas, the early years curriculum does not fully prepare pupils for their subsequent learning in key stage one.

Leaders prioritise teaching pupils to read.

In the Reception class, children begin learning phonics. Leaders ensure that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of early reading. Pupils read books containing the sounds they have learned.

This supports them to become fluent and confident readers. Teachers identify struggling readers and provide extra help. Teachers share many different books with pupils.

Pupils like reading on their own at school and at home. Older pupils talk in depth about their favourite books and authors.

Leaders have implemented appropriate strategies for identifying and assessing pupils with SEND.

Pupils with SEND receive the support they need to achieve well. Parents and carers of pupils with SEND are positive about the support that their children receive.

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and they listen carefully in lessons.

Children in the early years settle into school well. This is because staff make sure that the learning environment is calm and well organised.

The approach that leaders take to support pupils to become citizens of the future is exemplary.

Pupils learn about different families and faiths. They show a strong awareness and understanding of different beliefs and cultures. Leaders further broaden pupils' experiences by inviting a wide range of visitors to the school, including children from other schools and local sporting heroes.

Leaders equip pupils well to make a positive contribution to society. For example, pupils support the community to help to tackle loneliness.

Staff said that leaders provide strong support for their workload and well-being.

They enjoy working at this school. Trustees and governors know the school well and provide effective support and challenge. They have a clear and ambitious vision for 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 a few subjects, leaders have not mapped out the specific knowledge they want pupils to learn. This hinders pupils from learning all that they should.

The school should take further action to support teachers to teach important knowledge and skills and to check that this has happened. ? In some areas, the early years curriculum does not map out with sufficient clarity the knowledge and skills that children will need to learn in order to support some aspects of their future learning at key stage one. Leaders should enhance the early years curriculum so that it is further aligned to what children need to know to support their future learning.