Garrick Green Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at this school. Parents and carers value the nurturing environment.

Staff take good care of the pupils, which makes pupils feel safe and looked after. Pupils work hard and listen carefully. They are kind and polite.

The school song says 'Garrick Green, where we work as one big team', and pupils make this a reality. Pupils look after each other when peers are hurt or upset. They work well with each other in class.

Pupils talk enthusiastically about the fun they have with their friends. At playtimes, the youngest children quickly learn to be independent, for example, putting on their wellies and coats. These routines continue through the s...chool and mean that pupils can access all areas of the spacious grounds in all weathers.

They enjoy exploring the wildlife area and chasing their friends through the woodland copse. This all helps to develop pupils' independence and confidence.

The school is ambitious for its pupils.

Pupils enjoy learning, but equally study a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum. They develop strong knowledge and vocabulary linked to what they have learned. They quickly learn to read and love the many stories that staff share with them.

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

The school has a strong understanding of what it is doing well and what it needs to do more of to improve further. Staff have an up-to-date understanding of curriculum and teaching methods. The subject curriculums in place have been carefully chosen and are used well.

This all results in pupils developing strong knowledge across all subjects.

Reading is a high priority. There are books throughout the school, including outdoors.

Pupils are read stories and talk about them several times a day. The school has made sure that books reflect modern Britain. This helps pupils know about other lifestyles and cultures.

Phonics is taught well, right from the start. Children in Reception enthusiastically learn their first letter sounds and are proud to be learning to read. Anyone who needs extra help with reading gets the support they need to help them catch up quickly.

Pupils' academic achievement at the end of school has risen over the last few years. The school is aware that pupils' writing ability has not risen quite as fast as in reading and mathematics. Pupils do not all have strong enough basic skills in correctly forming letters.

This slows their writing when they are ready to write longer sentences. The school has started a greater emphasis on teaching fine motor skills and letter formation. It is using dictation to help older pupils practise these technical skills and build up stamina for writing.

This is starting to yield stronger writing skills but is at an early stage.

Across the curriculum, different resources help support pupils' learning, including physical objects and images in mathematics. Pupils love the games and drama activities that help bring their learning to life.

Through these, staff introduce subject-specific language, which helps pupils become strong verbal communicators. Staff help pupils to avoid misconceptions. Staff do this by giving immediate guidance and teaching points to pupils while they are working.

In early years, the youngest children have lots of opportunities to learn and explore through play. For example, they decided to take different containers out into the rain and poured rainwater into these. With careful questioning from adults, this resulted in children starting to learn about capacity.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have clearly thought-out plans that are used well by teachers to adapt learning. Pupils have access to a wide selection of support, including sound buttons to help them remember a sentence before writing it. Some staff have highly developed skills in supporting specific needs, others less so.

A recent restructure for support staff includes plans to provide training and guidance for staff who do not have these skills, but this is at an early stage. There is regular communication with all parents, but particularly so for pupils with SEND.

The school places high emphasis on pupils beginning to understand their own emotions and how this might make them feel.

Pupils can name ways they might feel and know ways that they can help themselves calm down, such as different breathing methods or places to go.

The school works closely with the multi-academy trust. Staff appreciate how this helps them develop in their roles.

For example, network groups have helped newly appointed leaders quickly become skilled. The local governing body works with trustees to provide both challenge and support effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils have still not developed correct letter formation or the stamina required for producing high-quality written work. This detracts from the quality of some pupils' written work and means that they do not achieve as well in writing as they could. The school needs to ensure that all pupils are supported to develop the knowledge and skills required to form letters correctly and write at length to improve the quality of pupils' writing.

• Not all staff have yet received the training and guidance required to support and meet the differing and diverse needs of some of the pupils they work with. This means that some pupils, and particularly pupils with SEND, are not supported to access the curriculum as well as they could be. The school needs to ensure that all staff have the knowledge and expertise required to meet the needs of the pupils they work with so that they can provide consistently effective support.