Parsonage Farm Nursery and Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are rightly proud of their school. They attend well and arrive promptly each morning laughing and smiling, ready to start the day. Inspectors agreed with one parent and carer who said, 'This is a lovely little school with great learning and a great sense of community.'

Others commented that staff will always make time to listen to pupils and that they are seen as individuals. As a result, pupils feel valued and happy.

A highly nurturing and inclusive environment helps children settle in quickly.

Staff get to know children well, which means they are alert to their individual needs. Pupils behave well. Pupils develop lasting friendships with each other ...and enjoy playing together and talking to each other at social times.

Staff have created a culture where pupils are keen to please. Several pupils approached inspectors, excited to talk about the rewards they have received.

Expectations of pupils' learning are becoming more consistent.

The quality of education has improved since the last inspection. As a result, children and pupils achieve well both in the early years and key stage 1. This helps to prepare them for their new schools in Year 3.

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

Governors and leaders know the school well. They have an accurate view of the school's current strengths and priorities for development. The collaboration between governors, school leaders and the local authority has meant that the school has made great strides in improving the quality of education.

Staff agree unanimously that they enjoy working here. The school supports staff well with their workload and well-being.

Children achieve well in the early years.

This is the same for pupils at the end of key stage 1. This is, in part, because of the school's work to improve the quality of education. The curriculum is well planned and taught in a logical order in most subjects.

However, it is more developed in subjects such as religious education (RE) and personal, social and health education (PSHE) than it is in a small number of other subjects.

Children get off to a flying start in the early years. They settle in quickly and learn the routines of the school.

Staff reinforce social skills by encouraging pupils to talk to each other, take turns and solve problems. Most areas of the curriculum are well thought through. However, in a small number of areas, such as understanding the world and expressive arts and design, the school could give more careful thought to how these areas are structured and the links between the early years and key stage 1.

In lessons, pupils enjoy their learning and actively participate. They listen to staff respectfully, and thoughtfully answer questions. Opportunities for discussion help develop pupils' talking skills.

Pupils who need additional help, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are supported well. New learning is presented clearly and teachers check pupils' understanding effectively. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers' use of this information to adapt future learning for pupils is less developed.

Staff have created a buzz around reading. The profile of reading is high. Pupils have plenty of opportunities to read or be read to by an adult.

Lots of exciting, diverse books mean that there is something that sparks an interest for everyone. The school follows a phonics programme that has been thoughtfully tweaked to ensure that it meets the needs of pupils. Staff teach this programme effectively from Nursery through to the end of key stage 1.

As a result, pupils learn to read confidently. Those pupils who struggle receive targeted support to help with this.

The school's personal development programme is well designed.

Pupils learn about several important topics and themes, including healthy eating and staying safe. Pupils are taught to celebrate and embrace diversity and equalities. What they learn is brought to life by visitors who come into the school.

For example, pupils benefited highly from a visit from a Paralympic gold medal rugby player, who visited to talk to them. The school teaches pupils about different religions. It provides several opportunities for pupils to develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally.

Pastoral care at the school is of a high quality. Several parents, responding to Ofsted Parent View, praised this aspect of the school's work.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of foundation subjects, the school has not planned and sequenced the curriculum well enough. As a result, pupils do not make as much progression through the curriculum in these subjects. The school should ensure that the most important knowledge and skills pupils need to learn are planned and sequenced from Nursery through to Year 2.

• In a small number of subjects, the school does not use information about what pupils have learned well enough to inform teaching. Consequently, pupils' learning is not consistently adapted to meet their needs. The school should ensure that it uses information about what pupils have learned to inform planning and teaching more consistently in every subject.

• In the early years, the curriculum in a small number of areas is less well planned and sequenced. As a result, the links between the early years and key stage 1 are not as strong as they could be, and some children do not remember what they have learned sufficiently well. The school should ensure that all areas of the early years' curriculum are deliberately planned and logically sequenced to provide a firm foundation for children to build on in key stage 1.

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