Furze Platt Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Furze Platt Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Furze Platt are excited about coming to school and learning. The school sets ambitious aims for every pupil to succeed.

In early years, the outdoor environment supports children to develop their imagination and creativity. In key stage 1, pupils use 'busy learning' time to take on interesting challenges. This approach enables pupils to achieve highly.

They also become more confident and resilient in their learning.

The school's values of passion, well-being and respect are embraced by pupils. By setting clear routines, staff make sure that pupils know how to m...anage their own behaviour.

Pupils build confidence to talk about their feelings, and they trust staff to help them. As a result, the school has an atmosphere that supports and values learning.

The school organises many opportunities to extend and broaden pupils' experiences.

All pupils benefit from an entitlement to engaging activities within and beyond school. For example, pupils work with a local author to develop their poetry composition. Visiting Windsor Castle helps to bring their history learning to life.

Each term, pupils bring together what they have learned to put on a 'marketplace' for their parents. This showcases and celebrates what they have achieved in school.

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

The curriculum is designed to spark pupils' curiosity.

It gives pupils the knowledge and skills they need to succeed when moving to junior school. At each stage, pupils follow small steps to build their understanding. Leaders make sure that the learning journey is equally ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND develop communication and language skills to enable them to succeed within school.

Teachers extend pupils' learning by explaining important ideas clearly. Pupils undertake challenging tasks that develop their understanding.

By selecting how to tackle these, pupils become discerning and independent in their use of resources. For example, pupils choose classroom objects to prove mathematical concepts. Teachers deepen pupils' understanding through questioning and discussion.

In early years, this gives staff a detailed picture of what children need when starting school. As a result, additional needs are identified swiftly. Teachers are systematic in checking whether all pupils have understood.

They adapt their teaching and give feedback that helps pupils to correct any misconceptions they might have. The school emphasises securing knowledge in pupils' long-term memory. Teachers 'drip feed' important knowledge over time to make sure of this.

Leaders make reading a priority for pupils from the outset of early years. Pupils love reading and developing their vocabulary well. Staff are supported by 'expert guides' in each subject to introduce key words.

The books that pupils read are matched to the sounds they have learned. The school provides further reading support for those who need it. For some weaker readers, this additional support does not help them to improve their reading effectively enough.

Across the school, pupils achieve highly. They know and remember more over time and produce high-quality work. Pupils' mathematical knowledge is exceptionally strong.

This is built on the secure understanding that children develop in early years. Published outcomes show that pupils achieve very well. The support that is in place for pupils with SEND enables them to achieve very well given their starting points.

Pupils conduct themselves very well in school. They are polite, welcoming and kind. All pupils learn about managing their emotions.

In early years, staff make sure that children follow clear routines. The school is passionate about pupils' entitlement to cultural experiences and opportunities. It ensures that all pupils benefit from an enriching and varied programme.

This ranges from art based on cloud drawings in Reception to visiting London in Year 2. Pupils learn about being a good friend and contributing to the local community. They explore ideas about belief through visits to nearby places of worship.

School clubs, including sewing, dance and drama, are popular with pupils. 'Courtyard club' is available at lunchtime for pupils who benefit from a smaller setting. The school makes considered use of alternative provision.

Staff are very positive about leaders' engagement with them. The school's approach to assessment strengthens teachers' practice without being a burden. Governors are active in monitoring the school's development.

They also ensure that they have the right training and knowledge to undertake this.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The additional support provided by adults for some weaker readers is not fully effective in identifying and addressing gaps in phonic knowledge.

As a result, these pupils are not developing their reading fluency as rapidly as they could. Leaders should continue to strengthen the impact of this aspect of the reading curriculum to enable all weaker readers to catch up rapidly.

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 September 2014.

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