Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a caring and happy place, where pupils feel safe, enjoy their learning and make good progress. Staff and pupils treat each other with respect. The school's Christian values are woven through the heart of everyday life.

Through being 'kind, caring and respectful', staff and pupils celebrate the school's different faiths.

Staff have very high expectations for all pupils. Pupils are supported very well to meet these high expectations.

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is taught well and meets the personal an...d academic needs of pupils. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn well. Pupils enjoy reading.

Pupils behave well. They are polite, friendly and kind to each other. At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils play happily together.

In lessons, they concentrate well on their learning and listen to their teachers. Bullying rarely happens.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

One parent, typical of many, said, 'My son always looks forward to going into Nursery. The staff are really friendly and accommodating. The teachers always listen to any concerns I have and act upon them promptly.'

Parents particularly appreciate the support for pupils with SEND.

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

Leaders have planned an ambitious curriculum for pupils. They have considered carefully the knowledge that pupils need to learn from early years to the end of Year 2.

The curriculum is adapted effectively for pupils with SEND. These pupils learn as well as their classmates.

Effective teaching helps pupils to remember what they are learning.

For example, 'Flash Back Friday' allows teachers to revisit prior knowledge once a week and fill any gaps. As a result, most pupils achieve well. In some subjects, including music and physical education (PE), the curriculum has recently been revised.

Leaders' plans were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders are not as far ahead with this work as they would have liked. They are making rapid progress now.

Children in Nursery get off to a good start with clear learning routines. For example, they take part in a range of activities independently, including writing, sharing books, putting on their coats and washing their hands.

Children in the early years settle well and develop positive attitudes to learning.

Staff have high expectations of children. They model early language and communication skills well. Teachers plan learning activities that match children's needs.

Children begin to learn phonics as soon as they join the school in the Reception Year. They enjoy learning about numbers through stories, songs and rhymes. Children apply their mathematical knowledge to describe shapes confidently.

For example, they describe a triangle as a shape with 'three straight lines and three corners'.

Early reading is a high priority in school. The curriculum is carefully planned.

Pupils learn to read well, especially those with very low starting points or those who speak English as an additional language. Children learn to read words and simple sentences accurately because most teachers teach phonics very well. However, some teachers are still refining their teaching of phonics.

Teachers ensure that reading books closely match the sounds pupils are learning. They check regularly how well pupils are learning to read. If pupils fall behind, teachers act quickly to give them extra help.

Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are expertly supported by adults. These pupils achieve well in school. The school takes every opportunity to promote a love of reading.

Pupils talk enthusiastically about books. One pupil said, 'I love reading because it makes me happy'.

Pupils behave very well.

The school is calm, orderly and full of pupils' excitement for learning.

The curriculum supports pupils' social and emotional development well. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including road safety and healthy living.

Through the curriculum and collective worship sessions, pupils have a good understanding of other faiths. Assemblies and personal, social and health education lessons help pupils to explore values and to understand the world around them. Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to take part in school life, including the student council group, 'munch bunch' group and the collective worship group.

Staff are proud to work at the school and feel part of a close-knit family. Governors know the school's strengths and priorities for improvement very well. Staff feel well supported by leaders, who manage workload effectively.

Representatives of the local authority and the diocese know the school well and provide appropriate support.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The headteacher and her deputy safeguarding leaders ensure that there is a culture of safeguarding in the school.

They understand pupils' wide-ranging needs very well. They make sure that the right external support is used when needed. Staff understand that it is everyone's responsibility to keep pupils safe.

Staff and governors benefit from regular safeguarding training. They are knowledgeable about what to look out for and what to do if they have any concerns. Leaders carry out thorough recruitment checks.

Pupils are safe in school. They learn how to stay safe and are shown how to make friends and respect the views of others.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculums for some foundation subjects, such as music and PE, are not embedded yet.

Pupils do not have rich and deep knowledge in these subjects. Leaders should continue with their plans to embed these curriculums to the same extent as the other curriculums in school. ? A small minority of staff do not implement the new phonics scheme well.

A small number of pupils do not learn to read quickly and fluently. Leaders should ensure that all staff deliver the phonics programme knowledgeably and confidently.

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 July 2013.