Manor Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious that pupils will achieve well and become independent, lifelong learners. Recently, however, pupils have not received the high-quality education that leaders know they deserve. Although pupils' published results are not where the school would want them to be, there are early signs, in some more well-established areas of the curriculum, that the quality of education pupils are getting is improving.

However, there is still much work to do.

The school places considerable emphasis on pupils' well-being. Pupils learn about their emotions and are helped to recognise feelings, such as anger, sadness, or fear.

They make the most of the school's... many calm and relaxing spaces to reflect on how they are feeling during times of tension. One parent commented that: 'Teachers care a lot about children and their well-being. The school is very supportive and welcoming.'



Pupils are taught to 'be the best they can be'. They learn about the school values, saying that the most important one is kindness. Adults exemplify the values, demonstrating their high expectations.

Pupils often help each other, sharing pens and glue in lessons and holding doors open as they walk through the school.

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

The governing body is aware that pupils are not getting the education they would want for them. They are working with the help of the local authority to improve this situation.

Useful training is helping the governing body to better understand their statutory duties, and to provide helpful support and challenge to the school.

The school is working hard to design a coherent curriculum, so that pupils' learning builds from Reception to Year 2. In some subjects, the school has identified exactly which knowledge and skills pupils should learn and in which order.

In others, it has outlined the broad areas and is now breaking these down into smaller, logically sequenced steps, so teachers know precisely what must be taught and when. While this work remains ongoing, pupils are achieving better in some subjects than others.

In more well-developed subjects, such as mathematics and science, the school's well-planned curriculum from Reception onwards is starting to show impact.

In mathematics, for instance, pupils in Year 2 can explain how learning the idea of 'one more' in Year one helps them to add two-digit numbers. Because teachers know exactly what must be taught in these subjects, they focus on the most important skills and knowledge, returning to them periodically. Teachers use activities which help pupils to understand the curriculum better and practise new learning.

Teachers check for understanding regularly and help any pupils who need further explanation. As a result of this approach, pupils remember what they have learned in the long term. In other less well-developed areas of the curriculum in Reception, and key stage 1, there is less clarity about what pupils should learn, with the work given lacking any clear purpose or direction.

This means that progress for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), is hindered.

Pupils do not develop their early reading knowledge and skills quickly enough. The school recognises this and has made attempts to strengthen the teaching of phonics.

However, adults have not had the training they need to teach reading with accuracy, rigour and consistency. Consequently, pupils often lose concentration in lessons, daydreaming or chatting to their friends. This means they do not develop secure phonics knowledge and cannot access the wider curriculum well enough.

Furthermore, when pupils fall behind with the reading curriculum, not all adults have the expertise to help them catch up quickly. The books pupils read do not always precisely match the sounds they are learning, so those pupils who are falling behind do not get the specific practise they need to catch up.

Pupils' personal development is a strength of the school.

Pupils are taught how to keep safe on the internet. They learn about staying healthy through eating the right foods, getting enough sleep, and exercising. Every day they have the opportunity to walk or run a mile.

Pupils are taught about people's similarities and differences and why they should be respected and celebrated. There are opportunities to visit places of interest, such as the farm and the local cinema. Visits from the police, the nurse and members of the local church enrich the curriculum.

Pupils enjoy contributing to the school community and developing leadership skills through being corridor monitors and playground friends. They behave well, respecting adults whom they trust to help them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some parts of the curriculum, the components of knowledge that pupils need to learn are not identified. In these areas, teachers do not know exactly what to teach and when, so that pupils' learning can build securely over time. The school should ensure that the intended learning is identified equally well across the whole of the curriculum, so that pupils learn consistently well across their broad range of subjects.

• Not all staff who need to have been trained in phonics. Because of this, pupils who struggle with reading do not consistently get the help they need. The school should continue to develop staff's knowledge and expertise in teaching phonics, so all adults are able to give pupils the expert help they need in reading.

• The activities pupils undertake in lessons are not closely matched to what adults want them to learn. Consequently, pupils do not understand and remember what they have learned. As the curriculum develops further, the school should ensure that appropriate activities are used to teach the intended knowledge effectively.

Also at this postcode