St John the Evangelist CofE Infant and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St John the Evangelist C.E. Nursery and Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders strive to make this school a happy place where pupils learn well. Staff are kind, dedicated and caring. Pupils are friendly and chatty.

Everyone enjoys learning together. This is clearly a place where pupils feel safe and valued. As a result, they thrive.

Pupils learn the importance of being part of a community. Through the close links with the church and taking part in events such as Newbury in Bloom, they learn to take care of others and their surroundings. Parents and carers value the school's community ethos.

They say the school '...feels like a family'.

Teachers make sure that pupils understand the importance of working together, sharing and being kind. Most pupils demonstrate these skills at both work and play.

They behave well. When, occasionally, a few pupils find this difficult, staff guide and support them to manage more successfully, while remaining included in the life of the school. In lessons, pupils follow instructions and are keen to share their ideas.

Outside, pupils play happily together and enjoy using the well-developed play area. Pupils have no concerns about bullying. They are confident that staff will keep them safe.

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

Pupils benefit from a high-quality start to their education. By the end of Year 2, pupils are prepared well for their next school.

The school has experienced a period of leadership changes.

Despite this, the strong culture of teamwork that leaders have nurtured and the dedication of staff at all levels ensure that the school runs smoothly for pupils.

Teachers plan carefully so that pupils enjoy learning across a wide range of subjects. They ensure that learning in classes is linked and meaningful for pupils.

However, subject leaders have not checked that the content of all subject plans is carefully ordered over time. This means that, in science for example, pupils have plenty of opportunity to make and test predictions but do not build securely on what they already know and understand to help them in their work or when recording results.

Teachers and teaching assistants work extremely well together throughout the school.

This helps teaching assistants to provide high-quality support for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND benefit from additional support which is carefully matched to their needs. This helps them to be fully included in learning alongside their peers.

Adults adapt plans carefully so that learning for these pupils is broken down into manageable steps and they experience success.

Leaders ensure that reading is a high priority across the school. Adults read regularly to and with pupils from the nursery upwards.

Pupils relish joining in with stories and poems. When pupils are learning to read, they are given books which match their developing skills well. This helps them to tell and read stories accurately and with growing confidence and fluency.

Children entering Reception Year are taught phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) from the start. They quickly gain confidence in learning carefully chosen sounds which they then blend to read words. Teachers keep a very close eye on how pupils are doing.

If pupils struggle, they are given the help they need to catch up.

Right from the start in the early years, pupils are given plenty of opportunities to develop their mathematical understanding. Early years staff routinely incorporate activities such as measuring into children's play.

Teachers across the school pay careful attention to making sure that pupils, including those with SEND, have a firm grasp of mathematical ideas, such as 'whole' and 'parts', that will underpin their later learning. As a result, pupils become confident mathematicians.

Interactions across the school are characterised by warmth and good humour.

This adds to the strong sense of care which abounds and provides good models for pupils. They replicate this sense of care and kindness in their own behaviour around the school. Pupils grow in confidence.

This supports them in trying the wide range of extra activities that are on offer, from sports, including dancing, to lunchtime pottery. Leaders have taken care to ensure that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, benefit from this provision and the many trips they organise for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding pupils is of central importance. Leaders ensure that staff receive up-to-date training. Staff know what to do and who to talk to if they have concerns.

Leaders make sure that any concerns are looked into and followed through. They work well with other agencies when they need to so that pupils who need it receive appropriate support.

Adults teach pupils to share any worries they have.

They take time to listen and to build relationships that make pupils feel secure. This helps to keep pupils safe. They teach pupils to identify and manage risk in an age-appropriate way.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders should ensure that the effectiveness of subject leadership is strengthened. Subject leaders need to consistently monitor teaching in their subjects and pupils' developing progress and link these precisely to appropriate training and development for staff so that sequences of learning for pupils are even more effective.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 12 January 2011.