St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this warm and welcoming school.

Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils are confident and want to learn. They enjoy lessons because staff are enthusiastic and kind.

Staff do not tolerate bullying and deal with it effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe and secure.

Current leaders know that their high expectations for pupils are not being met.

Pupils achieve well, but leaders recognise that they could achieve even more. Until very recently, leaders have not fully supported teachers to enable them to deliver the curriculum consistently well.

Pupils behave well at play times.

They are friendl...y and caring towards each other. They know they can get certificates for being kind. Occasionally, some pupils are not respectful to others.

They talk over their friends or adults. Pupils are tolerant of their peers who may find it harder to manage their emotions.

Pupils regularly visit the local church and learn about other world faiths.

They can attend clubs such as martial arts, football, French and Spanish. These help them to develop wider interests and talents. Sometimes, pupils help staff with jobs by showing parents around the school or taking messages.

These opportunities help pupils to develop a sense of responsibility.

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

Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils to achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, this ambition does not translate well into consistent practice in all subjects or in all year groups.

Current leaders have identified the next steps to move the school further forward and have acted swiftly to make many recent improvements.

The curriculum is well organised and identifies the information that pupils need to know. For example, in science, leaders ensure that pupils build their knowledge from Nursery to Year 2.

Children watch how cress grows in Nursery. In Reception, children then grow their own plants from seed. Older pupils learn to name the function of each part of a plant.

However, until very recently, leaders have not checked that teachers are delivering the curriculum as intended. As a result, pupils are not learning as much as they should.

Children are happy and behave well in early years.

They enjoy their learning. However, staff are not always clear about what children should be learning, and some activities lack a clear focus. For example, staff give Reception pupils play dough for a mathematics activity but do not guide the children about what to do with it.

This results in children making things such as pretend bowls of porridge rather than developing their understanding of number.Leaders understand the range of special educational needs across the school. They have developed a range of early identification techniques to ensure that any gaps are identified quickly, and support is put in place.

Pupils with significant needs receive effective support, so they achieve well.

Reading is a priority. Classrooms have reading corners, and pupils read regularly.

They enjoy listening to teachers reading to them. Teachers use assessment well in reading. This ensures that pupils are reading books that match the sounds they know.

There is some inconsistency in the teaching of phonics. Some adults are not pronouncing sounds accurately. This means that some pupils do not learn the correct sounds.

As a result, some pupils with gaps in their learning are not catching up as quickly as they should.

Pupils are keen to learn. They are inquisitive and ask lots of questions.

However, some teachers do not use assessment well enough to identify what pupils know and remember. As a result, they do not adapt their teaching well enough. This means that some pupils, particularly those who are achieving highly, are not successfully building on their prior learning.

Pupils benefit from a range of wider opportunities that enrich the curriculum. For example, pupils talk enthusiastically about experimenting with slime during science week. They enjoy visiting synagogues, which enables them to see how people of different faiths worship.

Staff encourage pupils to respect difference through the school's values. Pupils also understand how to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy. While there is a range of activities and events, these are not planned in a coherent way.

As a result, leaders cannot track how pupils are building on previous experiences in order to develop and build their character.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They care about the pupils and each other.

They recognise that there have been positive improvements recently. They say that leaders are considerate and that the staff team works well together.

Most parents are positive about the school.

They recognise recent improvements and say the teachers 'are great'. However, in the past, leaders have not always engaged with parents and carers effectively. Some parents feel that they do not receive enough information about how well their children are doing.

They would like communication between home and school to be more effective.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Current leaders ensure that adults receive extensive safeguarding training.

Staff know pupils well. They are alert to any changes that might indicate that pupils need help or support and report concerns swiftly.

There are clear safeguarding processes and procedures in place.

Leaders respond swiftly and appropriately when staff raise concerns. Leaders make effective use of external agencies to provide help where it is needed. Governors and leaders ensure that staff carry out required checks on people who are working at the school.

Pupils learn about staying safe. They know who to talk to if they have a worry or a concern.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Until recently, leaders have not checked how well the curriculum is being delivered.

Therefore, they do not have all the information they need to provide teachers with appropriate support to develop their practice and subject knowledge. As a result, there is considerable variability in how well the curriculum is delivered, including in early years. Leaders should monitor how the curriculum is delivered across the school and provide teachers with support and training to improve their curriculum delivery and subject knowledge.

• Leaders have not ensured that the phonics curriculum is delivered consistently by all staff. This means that some pupils are not making the progress they should in reading. Leaders should ensure that all staff are trained and supported to teach phonics well.

• Some parents feel that communication between home and school is not as effective as it could be. Some parents do not feel fully informed about how well their child is doing at school. Leaders should ensure that they engage with parents, share information with parents and improve communication between home and school.

• The curriculum for pupils' personal development is not planned in a coherent and organised way. Pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be. Leaders need to ensure that wider opportunities and enrichment activities are planned to support pupils' personal development more effectively.