Marchwood Church of England Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Marchwood Church of England Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this school and are proud to be part of this caring community. They understand the school's values of love, courage and hope and try their best to demonstrate them.

Pupils are polite, kind and considerate. At breaktimes, they enjoy playing with their friends on the 'galleon' or learning to balance on stilts. Pupils feel safe in school.

They know what to do if people are not kind to them and they trust adults to help them to sort things out quickly. Bullying is rare and is always dealt with promptly.

Pupils rise to the high expectat...ions of staff.

They develop independence because they are always encouraged to have a go at tasks, from doing up their coat to explaining the meaning of challenging words. Pupils are keen to talk about their learning. They work hard in lessons and take pride in their work.

Pupils are active members of the village community and delight in visiting the church and being part of 'army day' in collaboration with the local military barracks. They welcome new pupils to the school and use the 'buddy bench' to ensure that everyone is included in their games.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is broad and ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Since the last inspection, there has been a significant change of leadership. Leaders have made sure that important knowledge has been selected and organised so that pupils' learning builds over time. Pupils make links between new knowledge and things that they have learned before.

This helps them to achieve well. Teachers check how well pupils are doing and use this information to plan and reshape teaching. On the whole, teachers present key ideas and concepts clearly.

However, this is not always the case in subjects such as mathematics. Sometimes, teachers do not present new content clearly enough. This means that not all pupils learn important concepts as securely or deeply as they could.

Leaders have prioritised reading and have trained staff to deliver a carefully sequenced phonics curriculum. Children start to learn phonics as soon as they arrive in Reception. Staff are skilled and adept at identifying any pupils who are falling behind with their reading.

They provide targeted support to help them catch up quickly. Books match the sounds that pupils know, and pupils read regularly to adults in school. This helps them to read accurately with fluency and confidence.

Pupils enjoy reading the books that are available in the playground at breaktimes. This encourages reading for relaxation and pleasure. Story times help pupils to acquire new vocabulary, which they use in conversations.

They develop a love of reading and talk enthusiastically about the poems and stories they have read and listened to.

Pupils behave well because leaders have put in place a very clear system that is applied consistently by all staff. They are keen to be 'counted in' by showing their 'ready, respectful and safe' behaviour.

In Reception, children are taught to take turns, helping them to work together cooperatively from when they start school.

Teachers and leaders know their pupils well. Families, especially those in the armed forces, appreciate the time and care that all staff take to support their children.

Leaders have developed clear systems to help teachers identify quickly if a pupil may have SEND. They guide teachers on how to help pupils and ensure that support is effective. Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum alongside their friends and make progress against their individual targets.

Governors have set a clear and inclusive vision for the school. As a result, all pupils benefit from activities to develop their character. These range from weekly clubs to theatre productions of classic novels.

Pupils learn about the democratic process through voting for the charity of the year and class representatives on the school council. Pupils are proud of these roles of responsibility. Play leaders and 'redcaps' organise activities and equipment for their peers.

This means that breaktimes are full of a range of interesting games that pupils enjoy.

Governors are diligent in their roles and have a strong understanding of the school. They are mindful of staff's workload and ensure that staff's well-being is considered and promoted.

Staff, including those at the start of their careers, value this approach.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding.

Their clear and effective training programme means that staff are alert and responsive to the signs of abuse. They report any concerns, no matter how small. Leaders have created robust systems for managing concerns.

Records show that they are tenacious in their work with external agencies so that pupils get the help they need. Pupils know how to stay safe both online and offline because safeguarding forms part of the curriculum.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff do not always present and explain new concepts well enough when introducing new content in subjects such as mathematics.

As a result, pupils' learning is not as deep as it could be. Leaders should ensure that all teachers receive the training that they need so that the curriculum is implemented as intended in 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 October 2013.

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