Fairfield Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Accelerate pupils’ progress and raise their attainment in writing, especially those who are most-able, by ensuring that:
  • pupils have regular opportunities to practise their basic skills in writing across areas of the curriculum other than in English lessons
  • teachers have high expectations of pupils’ handwriting, spelling and presentation in all written work
  • pupils use what they come across in their reading as a stimulus in their writing
  • pupils are always sufficiently challenged from their individual starting points.
• Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • leaders use evidence collected about how well pupils are doing to refine and improve self-evaluation and improve the school
  • middle leaders fully understand the part they play in whole school improvement
  • standards in foundation subjects are more closely monitored to check on pupils’ achievement
  • documentation for individual pupils is kept in one central place so that provision is easy to track and any patterns are identified.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders and governors share the same vision and high ambitions for the school. They have established a culture of continued learning and reflection which all adults respond to extremely positively.
• Leaders have high expectations for all groups and provide very effective support and guidance for pupils and parents. ‘Doing our best’ is one of the school’s ‘5 star rules’ and is evident throughout the whole school for adults and pupils alike. Including everyone underpins the school’s approach to everything. Very good records are kept to track progress and spot any pupils who are, or are at risk of, falling behind.
• Overall, leaders make accurate judgements about how well the school is doing. They collect evidence to support their evaluation. However, they do not always use the information as well as they could to ensure that plans for improvement are appropriately prioritised to respond to areas that require further development. Although leaders track and monitor many of the actions taken, there is insufficient focus placed on evaluating their impact on pupils’ outcomes.
• Senior leaders ‘go the extra mile’ in their commitment and dedication to ensuring that pupils are supported in whatever way they can be. The headteacher and special educational needs coordinator have built very effective relationships with a range of professionals and the local authority. Leaders are tenacious in following up other agencies’ actions whose services they have called upon. As a result, pupils and families are extremely well supported.
• Senior leaders regularly check on the quality of teaching, and provide opportunities for professional development and support where it is needed. Teachers share their expertise and observe their colleagues in the classroom. Staff are held accountable for their work through clear processes to manage their performance. Leaders make sure there are links between performance targets and what the school needs to improve.

The school is active in training and supporting teachers new to the profession. This has proved to be very successful in ‘growing their own’ teachers and developing them to be effective leaders.

• Middle leaders are enthusiastic and energetic. They are developing well. Some have a good understanding of the subject or area for which they are responsible and the standards that pupils are achieving; for example, in mathematics and science. However, leadership of subjects such as history, geography, art and religious education is still in its infancy.
• The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development highly effectively. Every opportunity is taken to ensure that pupils reflect on their learning and what helps them learn. They enjoy, clearly benefit from and talk animatedly about the many visits and visitors. For example, from the ‘fossil man’ to the sharing of Eid celebrations.
• Pupils have a secure and age-appropriate understanding of British values. This reflects the school’s ‘5 star rules’ which include listening well, showing respect and being kind to each other. Pupils are also given the opportunity to explore religions, faiths and different cultures which engenders understanding of difference and tolerance. Through such activities as cooking foods from other countries, and learning Indian dance, pupils are given many opportunities to broaden their horizons and appreciate life in modern Britain.
• The school makes effective use of the additional funding to ensure that disadvantaged pupils have similar opportunities as others and progress as well as they can. Provision is sensibly categorised as academic, well-being and enrichment, which ensures that pupils receive exactly what they need in any given area.
• Additional funding for physical education and sport is used well. Teachers have benefited from training to improve their skills. This was seen in lessons during the inspection, where, for example, teachers effectively modelled throwing and catching or balancing skills for pupils. The school also employs sports coaches to provide specialised tuition. A range of popular extra-curricular clubs at lunchtime and after school are offered, which include gymnastics, tennis and dance.
• The leadership of special educational needs and/or disabilities is very effective. The special educational needs coordinator knows this small group of pupils very well. She has ensured that adults have received well-targeted training to enable them to very effectively support individual pupils, some with complex needs, for example dyslexia. What is clear from the evidence of pupils’ outcomes and well-being is that ‘special educational needs is the responsibility of all teachers’, as the special educational needs coordinator emphatically stated to inspectors.
• Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and its staff. Inspectors spoke to many parents throughout the course of the two days. Such accolades as, ‘This is a fantastic school’ and ‘Support has been phenomenal [in this] really amazing school’ were common. Parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, are equally impressed with the school. So much so that 97% would recommend Fairfield to another parent.

Governance of the school

• Governors share the passion of leaders to ensure that pupils do the best they can while they are at Fairfield Infant School. They have been proactive in exploring ways to ensure that leaders are enabled to successfully lead across the federation. They continue to be proactive and, in so doing, have put in place arrangements for the next academic year when the long-serving headteacher retires.
• Governors know the school well. They have a good understanding of what the school needs to do to improve even further. They challenge and support effectively and ask astute questions about how well pupils are doing.
• Governors take seriously their role to ensure that finances are managed effectively. They ensure that additional funding is suitably targeted to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged. As a result, this additional funding is having a good impact on improving the progress of these two groups of pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Governors, leaders and staff are well trained. They are aware of their statutory duties regarding safeguarding if they have any concerns, and are vigilant for any signs of danger.
• Staff details and checks on recruitment are recorded as required. The school works well with parents to keep children safe. Parents overwhelmingly say their children are safe and happy at school and that teachers care for them very well.
• Pupils are taught how to be safe. They understand how to look after themselves in a variety of situations, including when using the internet or crossing the road.
• Leaders responsible for safeguarding ensure that positive links with other agencies and professionals are maintained and regularly called upon for the benefit of pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching, learning and assessment is good. Teachers are enthusiastic and have good subject knowledge. As a result, pupils achieve well across the school.
• Leaders have made improving pupils’ writing a key priority this year. In lessons, teachers use, and expect pupils to use, a wide range of different vocabulary, phrases and sentence structures. As a result, pupils’ writing has improved across the school, which is clearly evident in lessons and in work in pupils’ books. For example, in English lessons teachers use word banks and posters to constantly remind pupils about trying out new words in their writing.
• Teachers use highly effective questioning that encourages pupils to discuss and think about their learning. Pupils answer questions enthusiastically and confidently. They learn well from the answers that other pupils give because they listen carefully. For example, in a science lesson pupils were exploring their environment and applying their knowledge of plants in the outside area. The teacher checked on the pupils’ understanding of the role of different plant structures. ‘A stem sucks up nutrients from the roots to the flower’ was an accurate reply from a Year 1 pupil that belied his age.
• Teachers know their pupils very well and the expectations for the year groups they teach. Teachers know the starting points of their pupils and mostly use this information when they plan lessons. This is very effective for lower-attaining pupils. However, it is less so for some other pupils. In particular, most-able pupils who do not always use their reading as a stimulus for writing. All teachers in a year group plan together to ensure that there is both consistency and equity across all three classes. Teachers’ regular formal assessments monitor how well pupils are doing over time. Most teachers follow the school’s marking policy and evidence shows that marking is supportive and focused. Pupils understand what teachers write. For example, one pupil was able to explain what ‘Brilliant sequencing’ meant.
• The teaching of reading promotes pupils’ love of books and stories. Pupils spend time reading independently and in groups and as a consequence are proficient readers. They can confidently apply phonic skills to break down and read unfamiliar words. Teachers regularly provide opportunities for pupils to apply these skills when they read during lessons. Ensuring that some of the literary techniques pupils notice in their reading is applied to their writing is still in its infancy. Some pupils in Year 2 are very capable of using their reading as a stimulus for developing their writing further.
• Teachers build in opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their writing skills across a range of subjects. This is more evident in, for example, science than it is in geography, history or religious education. Pupils respond well to imaginative and exciting opportunities to write. Having read a poem about underwater life, pupils in Year 2 were effectively using alliteration and interesting adverbs in their own countdown poems. ‘Nine clapping clams dancing to their music,’ wrote one pupil. There is, however, still some inconsistency in the expectations teachers have of the quality of pupils’ writing in subjects other than English. Handwriting, spelling and presentation are also not consistently of good quality in some classes.
• The teaching of mathematics is very effective. Teachers have good subject knowledge and are supported well by the highly effective leadership of mathematics. As a result, pupils’ skills in reasoning and problem-solving are very well developed. Teachers make sure pupils are given some opportunities to apply their mathematical skills through practical tasks. For example, in a physical education lesson pupils used stop watches to time how many jumps they could do in a minute, or used metre sticks to measure how far they could throw a beanbag. In another lesson, pupils were measuring volume with a variety of resources. ‘Conjecture and convincing’ between pupils is prevalent in classes.
• Teaching assistants are deployed well within classrooms and are highly effective in supporting pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, or indeed groups of most-able pupils. Overall, work to support these pupils makes a big difference. The outcomes for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are frequently better than those of their classmates.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Leaders promote high standards. As a result, pupils’ conduct is extremely good. Pupils know what to do if they are worried about anything. They are confident to speak to an adult if they feel they need to, but they all feel safe in and around the school.
• Pupils know about the different types of bullying and say it is very rare. They recognise that bullying can be about being ‘different’ and say, ‘You shouldn’t bully people who are different. Be kind and make them feel safe.’
• The school runs a popular breakfast club which pupils enjoy. The opportunity to mix with their friends and play games sets pupils up well for the day, not to mention the healthy options that pupils are offered for their breakfast which contribute to pupils’ good understanding of a healthy lifestyle. They particularly enjoy the ‘pick-n-mix’ lunch that is a regular occurrence. ‘I like it because my mum knows I will have had a healthy packed lunch every day,’ said one pupil.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in school and while using the internet. One pupil said, ‘We must never give out any of our personal details and, if something pops up we shouldn’t see, we click on the cross in the corner.’
• Support for pupils’ social, emotional and mental well-being is highly effective. The family support worker knows individual pupils and their families exceptionally well. She has developed good relationships with parents, knows and understands their needs and effectively draws on outside agencies when necessary. Pupils with complex behavioural issues and vulnerable pupils are very well supported in the classroom. Pupils in Year 2 enthusiastically spoke about their ‘learning buddies’ from Year 5 who help with their move to Colneis Junior School.
• Pupils are rightly proud of the work they do as members of the school council. They have an increasing voice in how the school works. Topics that have been discussed and actions taken have ranged from purchase of new playtime equipment to development of the outside area and changes to the school day.
• Attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities was in the lowest 10% of the country in 2016. There are, however, very good reasons why a very small number of individual pupils are not present in school, which affects the overall attendance of this group. Attendance for the whole school is broadly in line with the national average. However, despite every effort by the school and working with the educational welfare officer to enforce penalty notices, some parents still insist on taking their children out of school during term time. The impact that this has on such young children’s learning and social development is clearly evident in some of their outcomes.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Children as young as five greeted inspectors with ‘Hello, how are you?’ This beautifully demonstrates the school’s emphasis on social skills and confidence.
• ‘Our school is fantabulous!’ said one pupil. Pupils spoken to during the inspection say that they like the rewards they are given for doing things really well. They are proud of their achievement when they get, for example, ‘star of the week’ or a ‘golden ticket’ for reading more than four times a week.
• Pupils behave extremely well in lessons, in the playground and moving between activities. Their positive attitudes make a significant contribution to their achievement. As one pupil said, ‘We don’t say “I can’t do it’’, we say “I can’t do it yet.’’’
• Leaders are astute at encouraging pupils to manage their behaviour well. They recognise that the ‘triggers’ for some negative behaviour can come from frustration or fear of the unknown. Every opportunity is taken to explore feelings. For example, during an assembly the deputy headteacher retold a story about a ‘silly king’ and how he turned worry about change into excitement and happiness. This was great choice at such a pivotal point in the year for all pupils.
• Pupils are very polite to their classmates and adults. ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ are regularly used when pupils are working together. They are extremely respectful of others and listen attentively when other pupils are talking. When one pupil made a comment about himself being ‘boring’, another jumped in quickly with ‘You’re not boring at all!’ Respect and caring for each other permeates the school.
• During play and lunchtimes, and during outdoor activities like mathematics or physical education, pupils are very supportive of each other. They discuss and often debate what they are learning in a very mature way. They also clearly like to challenge each other.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• For a number of years since the previous inspection, attainment at the end of key stage 1 was significantly above the national average. In 2015, attainment was just above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. However, at the end of Year 2 in 2016, pupils’ attainment was below the national average in all areas. Lower-attaining pupils were significantly below average in reading and writing. Very few pupils achieved greater depth in their learning in writing or mathematics.
• Changes in and absence of key staff presented some challenges during the course of the year. However, leaders have worked with the local authority and provided appropriate training for teachers to ensure that this dip has not been repeated in 2017. Unconfirmed results for Year 2 this year have improved and are more in line with the national average. However, although the proportion of pupils who attain the higher standards has improved this year, it is not yet in line with the national average in writing.
• The school’s own assessment information shows that current pupils across the school are on track to achieve standards that match their age in reading, writing and mathematics. Work in pupils’ books and discussions with pupils during lessons show that pupils make good progress. This includes the small group of disadvantaged pupils who make better progress in reading and mathematics than in writing, but this is not markedly so. Pupils across the school who are more able are largely making good progress in reading and mathematics but less so in writing, although this is improving.
• Provision for pupils throughout the school who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is very effective. This enables pupils to make good and sometimes substantial progress from their starting points.
• The proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the phonics screening check in 2016 was in line with the national average, rising consistently for the last three years.
• Children enter the Nursery or Reception Year with skills and abilities that are at least typical for their age in some areas of development but significantly below in many other areas. The vast majority of children make good progress throughout their time in the early years. The proportion who achieved a good level of development is below the national average. However, a significantly higher proportion of children who have come through the school’s complete early years stage achieve a good level of development.

Early years provision Outstanding

• The early years leader’s determination to help children make the best possible start to their school life is underpinned by a high degree of expertise and very effective skills in management. As a result, effective provision in both the Nursery and Reception classes ensures that children make excellent progress during their time in the early years.
• Approximately half of the cohort of children go through the whole early years provision at Fairfield. The proportion of this group of children who go on to achieve a good level of development is above the national average, and double that of children who join the school in the Reception class.
• On average, children enter the Reception class with skills and abilities that are below those expected for their age in many areas of learning. This is particularly so for communication, speech and language, reading and writing. The vast majority of children make good and often substantial progress and are well prepared for Year 1.
• Teaching is outstanding. Leaders use accurate assessments effectively to identify gaps in pupils’ learning. Strong subject knowledge enables teachers to anticipate children’s barriers to learning. Children are encouraged to ‘think, pair, share’ with their classmates. Teachers use this as yet another opportunity to check on and respond to children’s understanding and development. As a result of such strategies and well-targeted training of all adults, children get just what they need which leads to rapid progress in all areas of learning.
• Children clearly love being in the extensive indoor and outdoor provision in the Nursery and Reception areas. All areas are bright, stimulating and inviting. As a result, children are highly engaged in their learning, be it with their friends or independently. They have the skills they need to tackle the ‘star challenges’ and are prepared to make mistakes, a theme that runs throughout the whole school. Their excellent attitudes to learning make a significant contribution to the excellent progress they achieve.
• Carefully planned activities engage children’s interest. Sensitive and appropriate intervention by adults ensures that children think about what they are doing and learning. Children are confident and articulate. This is because the early years environment is rooted in the use of spoken and written language. Having read the story of ‘Handa’s surprise’, one child in Reception animatedly said, ‘I love it when the monkey takes the banana. He is a cheeky monkey!’
• Children are very keen to share their experiences with adults, and children happily play purposefully with their classmates, or indeed on their own. One child was absolutely determined to keep trying until he managed to throw a football through the basketball net. The teaching assistant gently supported him by suggesting he stand back a bit to give himself a better aim. Needless to say, he was successful and very pleased with himself.
• Children develop a high level of independence. Even those children in the Nursery class sign themselves into their classroom and are responsible for their own belongings. The expectations of them are high and, as a consequence, children demonstrate mature and responsible behaviour in moving between activities and in collaborating with each other. The highly stimulating and engaging activities develop children’s number and social skills. Inspectors were impressed to observe children counting up what they had scored in a game during free choice time. ‘I’ve scored 65 and he’s only got 60!’ said one child.
• The small but growing number of children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided for extremely well. Inspectors observed adults supporting children very effectively during their ‘café’ work, which is designed to promote speech and language.
• Disadvantaged pupils in the early years make good progress which is equal to or sometimes better than the progress of their classmates. Highly effective strategies are used to enable children to catch up should they be at risk of falling behind.
• Relationships with parents are extremely effective. Parents are very well informed about the progress of their children and value the opportunities that leaders provide for parents to contribute to ongoing assessment. ‘Wow’ moments are celebrated and displayed for all to see. Parents told inspectors that they very much appreciate the time leaders spend in ensuring that children start Nursery or school successfully. During the inspection, children who are due to start in September visited the school, mixing happily with children in both the Nursery and Reception classes. Children skipped out of the gate, clearly having had a great first experience at Fairfield.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 124582 Suffolk 10012441 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Infant School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 311 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Celia Davies Jane Reed 01394 283206 www.colneisjunior.co.uk fairfieldoffice@fairfieldandcolneis.co.uk Date of previous inspection 10 October 2011

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. The vast majority of pupils speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who have a statement of special educational needs and those who have an education, health and care plan, is below the national average.
• The school has a 26-place nursery which offers two daily sessions. Children are admitted to the nursery in the academic year in which their fourth birthday falls. There is only one intake per year, with all children starting in September.
• The school runs its own breakfast club.
• The infant school is federated with the Colneis Junior School. The headteacher leads both schools and there is one governing body. Some staff and senior leaders work across both schools.
• Having been in post for many years and seen the school through the federation process, both the headteacher and one of the deputy headteachers, who is also the special educational needs coordinator, retire at the end of the summer term 2017. The remaining deputy headteacher has been appointed as the acting headteacher across the federation until the recruitment process for the substantive post is completed. This is expected to be by the very latest September 2018.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator; a group of pupils; and governors, including the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector telephoned a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Inspectors observed learning in 22 lessons, or parts of lessons, some jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteachers.
• Together with leaders, inspectors looked in detail at a range of pupils’ books and work in different subjects. Inspectors heard some pupils read and spoke with pupils throughout the inspection about their learning.
• The lead inspector scrutinised a range of documentation including the school’s checks on the suitability of adults to work with children and other documentation regarding safer recruitment of staff. Leaders made available the school’s own self-evaluation document, termly raising attainment plans, subject action plans, minutes of governing body meetings, and documentation regarding child protection. The lead inspector gave all of these documents due consideration.

Inspection team

Ruth Brock, lead inspector Ceri Evans Richard Hopkins Rowena Simmons Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector