Stoke Park Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Stoke Park Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils are happy.

The atmosphere is calm. Pupils are engaged. They attend school regularly and behave well in their lessons.

Staff set high expectations. Pupils are well cared for and say that staff are kind. Pupils feel comfortable talking to an adult in school if they have any concerns, and they rightly trust that an adult will act to keep them safe and help them navigate any friendship issues.

Pupils are proud to follow the school's 'RANGER' values, which include a focus on positive behaviours, such as resilience, adaptability and resourcefulnes...s. They appreciate the rewards they can earn for kindness and helping others, as well as for trying their best in lessons.

Pupils embrace opportunities to lead.

They take these roles seriously. Eco warriors proudly contribute to the upkeep of the school environment, and lunchtime helpers are happy to support younger pupils at lunchtime. All pupils enjoy frequent outdoor learning in the forest on the school site.

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils benefit from a well-designed curriculum and achieve well. Pupils enjoy learning, and they are keen to participate fully in lessons.

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

The school provides pupils with a good-quality education. The school's curriculum is well planned and sequenced. In all subjects, the school has carefully broken down learning into appropriate small steps.

Leaders have identified key knowledge and important vocabulary that they want pupils to know and remember.

Teachers have good subject knowledge. The school has ensured that all teachers have access to appropriate training.

The impact of this is particularly evident in early reading and mathematics. In these subjects, adults present information clearly to pupils, then use questioning to check that knowledge has been understood. However, in some other subjects, staff do not always have a clear picture of pupils' prior knowledge.

This is because the school is still refining how to make best use of assessment and how to help pupils to remember the knowledge over time. Consequently, the work given to some pupils does not build on what they already know.

Most children get off to a successful start in the early years, benefiting from well-thought-out activities that deepen their knowledge of the intended curriculum.

Staff interact with children in a way that supports and nurtures their development of language and communication. For most, there are also clearly embedded routines, and children are developing the knowledge they need for the next stage of their education. However, at times, learning is not as well suited to the needs of the children, expectations are less clear and children can become disengaged.

Leaders are aware of this variability and are working to improve consistency.

Pupils with SEND are particularly well supported. Right from the start, pupils in need of additional help are swiftly identified.

Staff understand these pupils' needs well and adapt activities to help them access the curriculum. This enables pupils with SEND to learn alongside their peers. The work of the specialist resource provision is particularly effective.

Pupils flourish in this quiet, calm environment.

Reading is prioritised. Staff promote a love of reading through daily story times.

The popular 'book swaps' support families in accessing a wide range of texts. There is a well-established and systematic approach to teaching early reading. Pupils begin to learn phonics as soon they start in Reception.

Pupils read from books that match the sounds they know. Pupils who are not yet fluent readers receive skilled support to develop their confidence. Consequently, pupils build knowledge over time, which enables them to read with increasing fluency.

Pupils' wider development is well considered. A structured personal, social and health education programme ensures pupils learn about the importance of staying safe online. Pupils visit places of interest, such as the local church, and they learn about healthy eating.

The school's values help pupils to learn about right and wrong. Opportunities for pupils to develop talents and interests beyond the curriculum are currently limited. They have been impeded by the COVID-19 pandemic and recent building works at school.

There are plans in place to address this gap.

Governors have an accurate view of the strengths and needs of the school. They focus on the right things at the right time.

They support the school effectively and fulfil their statutory duties well. Leaders at all levels are conscious of staff's workload. Staff appreciate the consideration given to their well-being.

They are proud to work at the school, and there is a strong sense of teamwork.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, assessment is not used routinely to check what pupils have learned.

As a result, future teaching does not build precisely enough on what pupils know. The school should ensure that assessment is used consistently well across all subjects to match future learning to what pupils know and understand. ? Learning activities in the early years are not always as effective as they need to be.

This means that children sometimes miss out on opportunities to develop key skills. The school needs to ensure that the planned curriculum is delivered consistently well across the early years, so that children are suitably prepared for their key stage 1 learning.

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 May 2018.

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