Turnfurlong Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Turnfurlong Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this friendly and inclusive school. The established values are evident in the warm and positive relationships. Pupils show high levels of respect for staff and towards each other.

As a result, pupils feel happy and safe, and are well looked after.

The school has a calm and purposeful ethos. Leaders' high expectations are evident in pupils' exemplary conduct.

From their first days in nursery, children thrive in an environment that encourages them to explore and learn. This fosters a love for learning that grows as pupils move through the school. Du...ring lessons, pupils are highly motivated and enjoy the activities the teachers provide for them.

Trips, such as to Warwick Castle, or visits, such as from a local farm, are carefully chosen to reinforce learning. Pupils delight in these opportunities, which bring the curriculum to life. The school provides a range of clubs, and these are well attended.

Pupils are encouraged to be physically active, and enjoy participating in a range of sports, including competing against other local schools.

Parents are overwhelming in their support for the school. They value the school's welcoming culture, with one parent stating that all children are 'holistically accepted and inclusively treated'.

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

The school's curriculum is meticulously designed, right from the early years, and based on ambitious goals for pupils' learning. In each subject, the school has specified the content and vocabulary that pupils will learn across the curriculum, with thoughtful connections made between subjects. Staff check pupils' progress carefully and provide support in 'early morning' work to help those at risk of falling behind to keep up.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are accurately and swiftly identified. The school ensures that staff are provided with the information they need to help pupils with additional needs to learn successfully.Pupils achieve highly in most subjects.

In class, teachers present information clearly in a way which helps pupils' understanding to deepen. In most areas, teachers revisit learning often. This ensures pupils' prior learning is secure before they are introduced to new ideas.

However, in a small number of foundation subjects, pupils do not routinely get chance to revisit and reinforce their prior learning. As a result, some pupils do not remember their previous learning well enough.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum.

Children start developing a love for reading and stories from their earliest days in school. The school's phonics programme is well established, and expertly delivered by well-trained adults. This helps pupils develop their understanding of the sounds letters make.

Teachers' checks on learning are effective and ensure that any gaps in knowledge are addressed. The books pupils read are appropriately matched to the sounds they know, building their fluency and confidence. In recent years, the school has acted to address a decline in the standards that pupils achieve in phonics by the end of Year 1, providing effective support to help them catch up.

Children in the early years access a first-class education. They benefit from high-quality interactions with adults. Leaders have rightly prioritised important early language and social skills.

In the provision, children learn to play alongside and cooperate with their peers. They engage well with the activities planned for them, in a stimulating environment. The focus on early communication skills and the breadth of the early curriculum ensure children are well prepared for the Year 1 curriculum.

Pupils' personal development is a strength of this school. The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn the important skills to help them keep safe, including online. They learn how to be a good friend, and speak to a trusted adult if they are worried.

Pupils are highly respectful of the different backgrounds and cultures represented within their school community. They enjoy learning about others' views and beliefs and participate keenly in activities such as Eid parties. Pupils are also keen to help others.

They appreciate the opportunities to represent their class in the elected school council or help their friends as 'Play Pals'. They also raise funds for causes important to them. For example, pupils have raised funds to help families following the Turkish earthquake and have collected for the local food bank.

Leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils. Governors know their school well and provide effective challenge to leaders. Staff feel valued and welcome leaders' consideration of their workload and well-being.

They are proud to be part of the school community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, prior learning is not revisited routinely to check pupils' understanding.

As a result, some pupils struggle to recall and build on their prior knowledge. The school should ensure that deliberate opportunities to revisit and use prior learning are consistently in place across the whole curriculum.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2014.

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