Robinsfield Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Robinsfield Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well looked after. Leaders work with staff and external agencies to support pupils' mental health and well-being. The school is recognised for leaders' successes in supporting pupils' physical, mental, and emotional health.

Pupils are happy and safe at school. They are confident that adults in school will help them if they need help.

Leaders and staff expect pupils to be gentle and kind.

Across the school, staff and pupils interact warmly with each other. Pupils are polite, articulate, and courteous. Cases of bullying are rare.

Pupils know that if bu...llying should ever happen, it will be dealt with immediately by staff.

This is an inclusive school. Pupils join the school at various points during the year, often from abroad.

These pupils feel welcomed. Leaders and staff work hard to immediately identify what their needs are. By the time they leave school, they achieve as strong outcomes as their peers.

Across the curriculum, pupils are typically well supported to develop and remember knowledge.

Leaders take advantage of the many opportunities available in their local area to enrich pupils' experiences. Pupils get to play in famous cricket grounds.

They see veterinarians in action at the nearby zoo. Pupils are looking forward to an upcoming 'bake off' with the other school in the federation.

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

Leaders have put in place a curriculum which is well organised and carefully sequenced.

They have ensured that the end points in each of the subjects being studied are ambitious. Through the curriculum, pupils learn to know and understand the world beyond home and school. In the early years, for example, children learn about celebrations like Eid, Easter, the Lunar Festival, and the King's coronation.

By the time they are in Year 2, pupils know how major religions differ, and how they are also similar in some ways. Occasionally, however, teachers introduce too much information all at once.This affects how well pupils learn, as they find the amount of information difficult to process and retain.

In most areas, teachers deliver the curriculum as planned. They introduce subject matter clearly. They provide models and examples to support pupils to understand new concepts.

This results in pupils learning the curriculum well. In a few subjects, however, teachers' approaches to delivering the intended curriculum and ensuring that pupils remember knowledge are less effective. This is because they have not received training to extend their expertise.

As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not learn as well as they do in others.

Leaders use assessment information well to identify gaps in pupils' learning. For example, they found out that after the disruptions brought about by the pandemic, pupils' vocabulary was not as well developed as it should be.

Leaders acted promptly and made subject-specific vocabulary a focus when delivering the curriculum.

A range of suitable adaptations are made for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, staff make sure that they are clear about the vocabulary being used in lessons.

As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, use subject-specific vocabulary accurately in their learning.

Leaders prioritise reading. They ensure that pupils begin to learn phonics as soon as they start in Reception.

Prior to that, staff prepare them in Nursery by supporting them to recognise sounds around their environment. By the time they reach the end of Year 1, most pupils already know all their letter sounds. They use them effectively when reading, showing confidence, fluency and accuracy.

During their daily phonics teaching, classroom staff identify those pupils who are struggling, and they are supported through catch-up sessions. Those who are falling behind in their phonics receive additional lessons. These pupils are catching up quickly.

They practise their phonics by reading books with words containing sounds that they already know. Pupils show a genuine love of reading. They hear adults reading to them daily.

Leaders provide many experiences for pupils to get to know the world of work. For example, pupils have welcomed a pilot, an engineer and a farmer to school. Pupils also experience democracy first-hand as they vote for their school council representatives.

There is a wide range of after-school activities on offer, which are very popular.

Staff are proud to work in this school. They appreciate that leaders are approachable.

Leaders have streamlined systems and processes in school. Staff feel that those changes have made their workload more manageable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff maintain a safeguarding attitude of 'It could happen here.' This is reflected in their vigilance. Their knowledge of safeguarding issues and procedures is strong.

They know what signs to look for which might indicate that a pupil is at risk of neglect, abuse, or exploitation.

Leaders and governors ensure that arrangements to check the suitability of staff are rigorous. New staff undergo extensive induction on the school's safeguarding policies and procedures.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe at home, at school, or when online. Through the curriculum they learn about internet safety and road safety, for example.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, teachers introduce too much information all at once.

When this happens, pupils struggle to process and retain learning. Leaders should support teachers in breaking down learning to enable pupils to know and remember more of the subject content. ? In a few subjects, teachers are not choosing effective strategies to deliver the curriculum as leaders intend.

As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not learn as deeply as they do in other areas of the curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that teachers receive the training and guidance they need to deliver the intended curriculum consistently well.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2018.