Iver Village Infant Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Caring, learning and growing are the values that staff and pupils live by at Iver Village Infant School. Staff have high expectations of pupils and what they learn.

Pupils like coming to school. Consequently, they attend more often than they did in the past.

Pupils are happy and confident.

Pupils spoken to during the inspection said they would tell an adult if they were worried about something and felt that the adults would help them. Despite this, leaders do not keep pupils safe. This is because they do not take the actions they should to ensure that pupils are protected from harm.'

Wonderful walking', 'beautiful sitting' and 'magnet eyes' are phras...es used by staff which serve as helpful reminders to pupils of the expectations. In class, pupils behave well, are attentive and enjoy learning. They listen, ask questions, help each other and are keen to please.

Very occasionally, some pupils struggle to do this but staff quickly provide support so that learning is not disrupted.

Pupil leadership is encouraged at Iver Village. For example, children in the Nursery are elected to become part of the 'Nursery council'.

They are involved in making decisions about what happens in the Nursery.

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

Leaders have improved many aspects of the school since they took up their posts in September 2020. Their commitment to providing a good quality of education for the pupils at Iver Village is clear.

They have worked hard to stay focused on achieving this goal throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pupils enjoy the many different subjects they learn at school. Each of these subjects has been well thought out from Nursery to Year 2.

Leaders have made important decisions about what pupils need to learn and when. The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It has been developed with Iver Village pupils in mind.

Despite the improved curriculum, there is some inconsistency in how well it is delivered in the foundation subjects.

In lessons, particularly phonics, reading and mathematics, staff check that pupils understand what they have learned before moving pupils on. However, this does not happen consistently in other subjects.

This means that some pupils have gaps in their learning, which makes it more difficult for them to grasp new concepts and ideas.

Staff want all pupils to be able to read with fluency and confidence. Leaders quickly introduced a new phonics programme when they arrived and wasted no time in ensuring that staff received training in how to deliver it.

As a result, the teaching of phonics is consistent and effective. Those pupils who find reading more difficult are supported well by staff, who have received additional training. Leaders have invested heavily in books that are tailored to the needs of the pupils and the sounds they have learned.

Children in early years get off to a flying start learning mathematics. This is because the mathematics curriculum has been well thought out. Pupils start to explore numbers in Nursery.

As they move through the school, what they learn becomes more complex and pupils cope well with this because of how well the mathematics curriculum is taught.

The support and help provided for pupils is personalised so that it meets their needs. This is particularly true of pupils with SEND.

Their education has improved significantly since the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) joined the school. These pupils' needs are clearly identified and understood by staff. Consequently, pupils with SEND receive the support they need and most make the same progress as other pupils.

Leaders work well with other professionals to ensure that pupils with more-complex needs get the right help at the right time.

Pupils learn about many different issues and topics that mean they are prepared well for the future. The school's personal, social and health education programme ensures that pupils learn how to keep themselves fit and healthy.

They learn about different religions and how important it is to treat others equally. The school's international day is an event organised to promote diversity and broaden pupils' horizons. Pupils also enjoy the clubs they attend which help to develop their interests.

The local authority has supported leaders to improve the curriculum and early years. Governors are knowledgeable about their roles and the duties they have. They are deeply committed to improving the school and provide support and challenge to leaders.

However, governors have not challenged leaders enough to ensure that the school's arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet the statutory requirements.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

While the headteacher and other leaders are very caring, they do not understand how to keep pupils safe from harm.

Leaders and governors have not checked that safeguarding arrangements are secure at the school.

While staff receive regular training and carry out the necessary checks on adults working at the school, there is a lack of vigilance among staff and leaders. When concerns about pupils are raised, leaders do not always take appropriate actions.

Sometimes, leaders' actions could place pupils in harm's way. Allegations made about adults are not dealt with correctly. For example, leaders do not always share important information with partners in a timely manner.

Sometimes, they do not share information at all. This means that key parts of the jigsaw puzzle could be missing for those who are working to support and protect pupils.

Record-keeping is poor because leaders do not understand the importance of keeping accurate, detailed records about the actions that are being taken to protect pupils from harm so that all adults are clear about what has been done and any next planned actions.

Child protection records are disorganised and often lack important information.

The physical environment for pupils is not safe. For example, medicines and cleaning products, such as bleach and sharp scissors, were not stored securely and were in reach of pupils.

While governors challenge leaders, there is a lack of rigour and oversight of safeguarding. This means that, for too long, the arrangements for safeguarding have not been effective and governors have not realised.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The arrangements for safeguarding pupils do not meet statutory requirements.

Leaders do not consistently follow the school's own policies or the local partnership arrangements to safeguard pupils. Leaders do not have an accurate picture of the risks facing pupils and the support they are receiving. Record-keeping is poor.

Records about pupils contain inaccuracies and lack detail and precision. When concerns are raised about pupils, leaders do not always take appropriate actions or refer concerns to appropriate partner agencies. This means that pupils are being placed at risk of harm.

Leaders need to strengthen the systems and processes they have in place so that the arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements. ? Governors do not hold leaders to account well enough. The questions they ask about safeguarding lack rigour.

They do not probe enough to assure themselves that safeguarding arrangements are effective. This means that pupils have been placed at risk of harm for too long. Governance needs to be further strengthened so that governors have a clearer view of the strengths and areas for improvement at the school.

• In the foundation subjects, teachers do not consistently check what pupils have learned. This means that pupils have gaps in their learning and teachers do not make sure pupils have secured what they have learned before they learn something new. Teachers need to check what pupils have learned and retained more consistently in the foundation subjects.

• Teachers do not deliver the curriculum with enough consistency in the foundation subjects. This leads to pupils having gaps in what they know and remember. Leaders need to ensure that the implementation of the planned curriculum is consistent in each of the foundation subjects.