The Orchard Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at The Orchard Infant School. They know that staff care for them and listen to them, and they feel safe because of this. They identify 'kindness' as one of the most important aspects of their school.

Pupils eagerly explain what kindness is and what being a good friend means. They are proud of being part of a community that values such behaviours.

Pupils understand that some people sometimes find it harder to focus on their learning or to communicate with others.

They follow the lead of staff to include everyone, making adaptations thoughtfully. Pupils know what bullying is and are confident that any bullying would be dealt with quickly a...nd effectively by teachers. Their behaviour and attitudes are exceptional.

Running through this happy, inclusive community is a sense of a calm joy in learning. Pupils know that staff have high expectations of them. They are keen to rise to these expectations and delighted to share their work, especially their reading and writing.

They love learning new words and cherish the books that are everywhere.

Parents are equally happy with the school, many saying that their children have been nurtured to develop a real love of learning.

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

Staff work as a united team, all dedicated to providing a high-quality education for the pupils in their care.

They have exceptionally high expectations for all pupils and understand how to adapt resources to enable all, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to flourish. Governors share the passion for inclusion and ensure that resources are used well to this end.

From Reception upwards, pupils benefit from clear structures and routines.

They tidy resources and move to their next task efficiently and impressively quickly, keen to have a go at their new learning.

The mathematics curriculum is a strength of the school. Staff use assessment with precision to understand what pupils know and what they need to know next.

The picture is very similar with reading. In both these areas, staff move swiftly to correct misconceptions or help pupils at risk of falling behind. Leaders have ensured that all staff are experts in these areas, so their work is highly effective.

Consequently, from the word go in Reception Year, pupils quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident and successful with reading and mathematics.

Leaders have learned from this very successful approach to assessment and planning. They are helping staff to apply it across the wider curriculum.

In many curriculum areas this work is already showing success. In these cases, staff systematically identify exactly what pupils can remember and what they need to revisit or move on to. However, there are a few areas where the thinking about what pupils need to learn is not as clear.

In these situations, activities lose their learning focus and can become more about the activity than the knowledge that pupils need to learn.

Senior leaders have planned routine reviews of each curriculum area, so that they can identify how to refine and develop each area to the standard they intend. However, because this has not happened across all subjects, partly hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, some are not delivered as leaders intend.

Some subject leaders have not considered how they can check that staff in other year groups fully understand what plans mean and what learning is intended. Consequently, there is variation in how well pupils learn across the school.

Provision for pupils with SEND is a strength of the school.

This is a highly inclusive school and the ethos at all times is about understanding pupils' needs, so that they can be met. The special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo) trains staff well to identify and understand pupils' needs.

The school ethos of inclusion is impressively demonstrated by pupils whose behaviour and attitudes are consistently strong.

They actively support each other and celebrate difference. They are excited to learn about different cultures and their own heritage. They give reasoned views for choices, especially those that affect others, such as which games to play outside.

Leaders have high ambition for pupils' personal development. However, there is some inconsistency in how each year group has followed the planned curriculum. This means that some pupils have not fully grasped what leaders intend.

Leaders are delighted to be able to re-start extra-curricular activities. They are following due diligence as they try to engage external providers to offer a full range of clubs to cater for all.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have made sure that all staff know the importance of being alert to any indicators of worry. Staff follow the school's processes well and leaders take prompt action when concerns are raised. This action helps to secure help that pupils need.

Staff teach pupils how to identify risks and keep themselves safe. Pupils are knowledgeable about keeping safe online. They explain when they need to tell a grown up about worries.

They are confident that adults at school always take them seriously.

Safer recruitment processes are followed. Minor administrative errors in the recording of these checks were corrected during the inspection.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few curriculum areas, some activities are more about the experience than the knowledge that pupils will learn. Consequently, in these areas, pupils do not build or secure the knowledge that they need well enough. Leaders need to ensure that all staff understand what knowledge pupils are intended to learn and how best to help pupils to learn it.

• Some subject leaders are not confident about how they will ensure that all staff deliver the curriculum as planned. This means that there is variation in how well pupils learn across the school. Senior leaders need to consider how they can best support subject leaders to grow in confidence to manage other staff and recognise it as their responsibility.