Orchards Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Field Place Infant School feel safe and secure. They trust their teachers to look after them. Pupils are happy.

They are kind and friendly towards each other.

Teachers have increasingly high expectations for their pupils. Since the beginning of term, they have focused on establishing routines in the school.

Pupils have settled well, but on occasions they lose concentration. At times, some pupils become distracted. They are either not sufficiently interested in, or do not fully understand the work.

Parents and pupils say that bullying seldom happens at the school. If it does occur, teachers act quickly to put matters right. Pupils know and u...nderstand the school's key values: 'Be ready, be kind, be safe'.

Pupils experience a broad curriculum. They particularly enjoy the sports activities provided. The full range of clubs and visits have yet to get fully back up and running.

Parents appreciate the hard work teachers put into helping their children learn. They are optimistic about the improvements the new headteacher will bring in. One parent commented, 'With new management in control, the school is already making changes that will have a big impact on the children'.

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

Leaders have spent time on developing their plans in all subjects. This is most evident in plans for reading, writing and mathematics. There is clarity and precision here in what teachers want pupils to learn.

Teachers are skilled and have appropriate subject knowledge in these curriculum areas. Pupils learn well in English and mathematics.

Pupils' learning in mathematics is well sequenced.

They learn about number in structured way. In reading, pupils practise sounding out letters from the very start in Reception. Teachers introduce phonics to pupils through a variety of well-chosen activities.

As they travel through the school, many pupils become fluent readers. Those who struggle receive targeted support.

Pupils of all ages love books.

Teachers encourage them to choose from the 'book basket' in each classroom. These carefully selected books engage and delight pupils. Most teachers know how to build pupils' understanding of what they read.

They do this through asking well-judged questions.

However, in the wider range of subjects, plans are not so well developed. Leaders have set out the key topic areas over the school year.

These plans, though, do not identify in detail exactly what teachers should teach. They do not make clear the reasoning for the order of learning that leaders have chosen. Teachers, as a result, do not always deliver the learning in a way that fully develops pupils' understanding.

Teachers are not yet expert in all subject areas.

Leaders have well-developed methods of assessment in English and mathematics. Again, checks are weaker in the rest of the curriculum.

This is because there is an insufficient focus on what precisely pupils should be learning.

Pupils in the special support centre receive well-judged interventions to meet their communication and language needs. Across the school, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective additional support in English and mathematics.

Teachers identify needs early. Staff in Nursery and Reception are alert to pupils whose development is slower. Leaders monitor carefully how well pupils with SEND do.

However, teachers do not adapt the curriculum in other subjects precisely enough to ensure pupils with SEND learn as effectively as possible.

Overall, pupils' attitudes towards learning are positive. Attendance has gone up.

Most pupils want to do well and please their teachers. Inspectors saw this in lessons and at break times. Behaviour incidents have also fallen sharply this term.

On occasions, though, a few pupils do not always try their best. Routines and expectations are improving but not always consistently reinforced.

Leaders are keen to return to the previously richer programme of activities and experiences pupils received before the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Pupils enjoy the sports activities which are provided by specialist coaches. All pupils take part in the Golden Mile activity. Pupils do have a clear sense of what is right and wrong.

They are accepting of difference and know the importance of kindness. Leaders have not yet introduced the new relationships and health education curriculum.

The headteacher took up his post at the start of the school year.

Governors have worked well with the local authority to secure this appointment. The headteacher has quickly gained the confidence and support of the school community. He has set out a 'road map' aimed at the areas needing improvement.

Staff, governors and parents are optimistic about the progress the school can now make.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders are alert to the safeguarding needs of pupils.

They are aware of what constitutes a safeguarding concern. Leaders have re-launched a digital method of sharing information. All staff are now able to log concerns in a consistent way.

Leaders work tenaciously to ensure children and their families receive the right support quickly. During the inspection, some issues with how the school maintains its safeguarding information were found. Inspectors looked at these carefully and found them to be relatively minor.

Leaders acted quickly to rectify them.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Not all subjects within the curriculum have been planned in sufficient detail. In foundation subjects, the specific components of knowledge have not been precisely identified and sequenced for the pupils to learn.

As a result, pupils' learning is not as deep and as broad as it should be. Leaders now need to ensure that this planning is completed and of a high quality. Subject leaders should be given appropriate support to complete this work.

In turn, subject leaders need to provide training and support for all teachers to be ready and able to deliver the revised curriculum so that pupils learn well. ? The foundation subject curriculum is not currently adapted sufficiently for pupils with SEND. The impact is that these pupils are not learning as fast and as well as they could.

Leaders should ensure that all teachers are trained to become adept at modifying learning to suit all pupils' needs. ? There is more to do so that all pupils meet the highest expectations for behaviour. Leaders should ensure that systems for encouraging and supporting good behaviour are consistently used.

• The personal development provision is not currently wide or rich. It does not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to grow and develop as individuals. Leaders should rapidly put in place a range of provision that will support pupils in keeping themselves safe, developing their character and expanding their horizons.

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