Joydens Wood Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Joydens Wood Infant School continues to be a good school.

The co-headteachers of this school are Gerard Strong and Rachel Hately. This school is part of Nexus Education Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Paula Farrow, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ann Golding.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and learning here. Teachers and pupils have warm relationships.

This helps everyone to feel happy, secure and well cared for. During the inspection, one pupil said, 'Teachers always look after the kids ...and make us feel safe.' Pupils behave well.

They live up to the school value of 'respect', being kind to one another. The school ensures pupils' emotional development is well catered for. The personal, social and health education programme that the school teaches helps pupils understand how their brains work, helping them to manage their feelings effectively.

The school has high expectations for pupils' learning. Pupils enjoy taking on challenges and striving to improve. The carefully designed curriculum means pupils can learn well.

Parents are highly positive about the school. One parent summed up the views of many, saying, 'All the staff go above and beyond for the children.'

Pupils have a strong sense of responsibility towards their school community and the wider world.

The 'eco warriors' promote the importance of caring for the environment. Pupils learn the journey of food, from 'field to mouth', through their work on the school vegetable garden. The canteen staff cook the vegetables grown, helping pupils understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

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

The school has constructed an ambitious curriculum. This is planned and sequenced well to build knowledge and skills over time. Learning is adapted appropriately so that pupils' needs are met.

The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately identified. They receive effective support. This includes valuable assistance provided by knowledgeable learning support assistants.

Children get off to a great start to their schooling in Reception. This is because careful thought is given to what children learn in readiness for key stage 1. Children receive expert support here from well-trained staff who focus on what each child might need to help them fulfil their potential.

Staff provide a range of interesting and purposeful activities. These develop children's communication and mathematical knowledge.

Overall, pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well.

Teachers present new information clearly and recap prior learning. In most cases teachers provide suitable activities that enable pupils to practise what they have learned. However, the school is continuing to work with staff to ensure that they all have the required subject and teaching knowledge to implement the curriculum consistently well in all areas.

Teachers check pupils' understanding throughout their lessons. This enables them to identify any gaps in learning. Further support is put in place for those who need it.

For example, in mathematics, teachers provide short additional lessons to recap important concepts.

Pupils love to read. They enjoy going to the 'reading forest' where they select from a wide range of high-quality books.

Children learn to read from their first days of Reception. Teachers deliver the school's phonics programme effectively. The school quickly identifies pupils who have fallen behind.

Reading interventions are carefully planned to address any gaps in understanding.

The school has recently introduced a new behaviour policy. Expectations for pupils are well known and the approaches taken by staff are consistent.

If pupils' attention wanders, teachers quickly address it. They insist pupils' 'magnet eyes' focus on them. Consequently, pupils behave well.

They enjoy rewards from their teachers for demonstrating the school values. This motivates them to always try their best.

Pupils' wider personal development is well catered for.

From Reception, children learn a strong understanding of their own identity. This helps develop inclusive attitudes. Pupils respect and value diversity.

They learn good morals, knowing to look out for one another. Pupils gain important strategies to keep themselves safe, including when online. They know to keep their passwords safe and private.

Pupils develop their leadership skills in a variety of roles of responsibility. 'Helpful heroes', prefects and the school council all contribute to the school's daily life. An extensive range of experiences and visits enhance pupils' learning outside of the classroom.

Guests from the uniformed services help equip pupils with valuable knowledge for later life. A wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities give pupils a broad experience of school. Football, dance, cheerleading, and arts and crafts clubs are all cherished by pupils.

The school ensures that all pupils, including those who may be most disadvantaged, benefit from this offer.

Leaders and trustees are sensitive to staff's workload. They take sensible steps to manage this.

Staff feel well supported and able to develop the expertise they need to help pupils succeed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not always have the secure subject and pedagogical knowledge to implement the curriculum consistently.

This means that pupils' knowledge does not always build systematically. The school needs to continue to improve teachers' expertise and skills to maximise pupils' learning across all subjects.

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 June 2014.