Signhills Infant Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Signhills is a nurturing, happy community. Pupils love coming to school.

They enjoy being with their friends and learning together. Leaders and staff have high expectations of all pupils. All staff work with dedication towards the school aim of 'building our future'.

Classrooms and outdoor learning spaces are full of purposeful chatter and activity. Pupils behave sensibly, focus on their learning, and try their best.

Pupils are polite and friendly.

Leaders give pupils lots of opportunities in which they can develop their imagination and curiosity. Breaktimes and lunchtimes are happy, social occasions, where pupils enjoy playing with their friends and... being active. There are many activities for pupils to enjoy outside the classroom.

They can represent their classmates on the school council or take part in live musical performances. Pupils can grow their own plants in the class gardens and make obstacle courses with the outdoor equipment.

Pupils feel safe and well looked after by adults in school.

Pupils understand what bullying is and those spoken to say this rarely happens. Parents and carers are keen to share their positive experiences of the school. One parent's comment was typical of many when they said, '[It is] a school that puts the child at the centre [of all it does].'



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

The headteacher, leaders and staff at Signhills Infant Academy form a caring team with a passion to achieve the very best for every pupil. Leaders are developing a broad and ambitious curriculum. They have ensured that the curriculum builds from the early years foundation stage.

In many subjects, leaders have carefully identified all the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils need to have and build up over time. In a few foundation curriculum subjects, some of the specific knowledge that pupils should learn has not been fully identified. Leaders have this work underway.

In lessons, teachers help pupils make connections to what they have already learned. Staff are skilful at explaining new learning. They give pupils plenty of opportunities to practise and apply their understanding.

Leaders prioritise support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) so that they access the same curriculum as other pupils. Staff support and challenge disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND particularly well. Staff take well-thought-out actions to help pupils overcome any barriers to learning.

Teachers frequently check what pupils know and remember in lessons. Staff then provide effective support to pupils and challenge any misconceptions. Pupils can talk with confidence about what they are learning and what they have learned before that helps them now.

However, in some foundation subjects, such as physical education (PE) and history, approaches to assessing what pupils know and remember over time do not help teachers to identify clearly enough, and then address, gaps in pupils' understanding. Leaders are aware of this and have plans in place to develop these systems.

Leaders know how important it is for all pupils to read well.

Children start to learn to read as soon as they enter the Reception Year. Staff are skilful in the ways that they support pupils to build phonics knowledge. Pupils have plenty of opportunities to practise and become fluent readers.

Reading books closely match the sounds pupils know. Pupils achieve well because of this well-delivered programme. Staff identify where pupils have gaps in their phonics knowledge.

They get the additional help that they need. As a result of well-targeted support, pupils catch up quickly.

Children in the early years settle well to school life.

Staff have high expectations of children. They develop very positive attitudes to learning. Teachers plan engaging learning activities that match children's needs.

Children have lots of opportunities to develop their understanding, both in and outside the classroom. They learn to make choices about their learning and develop independence.

Staff are well supported by leaders and governors.

Staff value this. They know that they can ask for help, particularly with workload. They appreciate the care and consideration given to their well-being.

Governors understand and have commitment to their roles. However, they are not consistently effective in providing support and challenge for some areas of school life and particularly in assuring themselves about the quality of education.

Pupils behave very well, and any disruption to learning is rare.

Pupils are sometimes overly keen to share their ideas. Staff manage this enthusiasm positively and ensure that it does not impact on the learning of others. Pupils' personal development is at the heart of the curriculum at Signhills.

There is a programme of well-considered learning, activities, experiences and clubs from which pupils benefit. The school endows pupils with confidence, curiosity and an enthusiasm for learning. They are well prepared for their next stage of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding throughout the school. Leaders act in the best interests of the pupils to keep them safe.

Staff are well trained. They are alert to the potential signs that a pupil may be at risk. Staff understand and follow the school's safeguarding procedures.

Staff report concerns promptly. Leaders take the action required to ensure that pupils and families access the support that they need.

The curriculum supports pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe.

Pupils know what to do if they have a concern. Leaders provide regular updates on the website and on newsletters for parents to support them with online safety at home.

Suitable checks are made to ensure that all adults are safe to work with children.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum in some foundation subjects is not consistently well defined and developed. This means that teachers are not clear about the precise knowledge that pupils need to know and remember over time in a few subjects. Leaders have clear plans in place for the development of these subjects and so the transitional arrangements have been applied.

• While teachers are effective in checking and supporting pupils' understanding in individual lessons, assessment approaches in some foundation subjects are not consistently effective. As a result, leaders and teachers do not have a precise enough picture of what pupils remember over time in some subjects. Leaders need to ensure that assessment systems in all foundation subjects are sharply focused and used well.

• Governors have not taken suitable steps to assure themselves about the quality of education. They have not provided sufficient support and challenge to leaders in this regard. Governors should take the necessary steps to assure themselves about the information that leaders share with them and to ensure that they robustly review the impact of the curriculum.

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