The Minster Nursery and Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching and learning by:
  • ensuring that all pupils are always sufficiently challenged with well-matched tasks, especially for the most able.
  • ensuring that leaders provide further opportunities to develop teaching by sharing the most effective teaching strategies across the school.
• Improve the early years provision so that:
  • all adults are providing children with high-quality models of language, including questioning to enhance and extend their learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The school has changed significantly since the last inspection. Leaders and governors have made sure that they have focused on ensuring that the school continues to improve still further. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have ensured that rigorous improvement plans are in place.
• Leaders are rightly proud of the inclusive ethos of the school. They have high expectations of what pupils can do and can achieve. These are shared by teaching and support staff. Leaders’ ambition and drive to secure the best outcomes for all pupils have ensured that all staff are working well to support pupils’ learning.
• Leaders work well to continually improve the quality of teaching. They ensure that all staff have access to high-quality professional development. A collaborative approach through projects linked to the school development plan has ensured that teaching staff can develop their subject knowledge and leadership skills. Staff are very appreciative of these opportunities.
• Middle leaders are knowledgeable and demonstrate a strong commitment to the school. They are enthusiastic and proactive in the development of their subjects. They ensure that they monitor the quality of the teaching and learning well by visiting classrooms and scrutinising pupils’ work. Any actions are followed up regularly, thus ensuring that developments are sustainable.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. The curriculum is enriched by a wide range of visits, including to local places of worship. These provide opportunities for pupils to learn about other faiths and cultures. Home learning and half-termly learning projects enables pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding across the curriculum.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well. Pupils are encouraged to respect differences and treat others with respect. They gain an understanding of British values through exploring the school’s values and ‘Five Bs’. For example, they learn how to be respectful, be kind and be responsible. In daily collective worship, they reflect respectfully on their learning and enjoy celebrating the achievements of others.
• Leaders responsible for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are highly knowledgeable. The ‘Ducklings’ provision is well resourced and provides quality learning support for those pupils who require more intensive help. This resource is an integral part of the school. Additional funding is used effectively. Well-targeted support is provided for those pupils who need extra help, including pupils with SEND. Subsequently, these pupils make good progress from their different starting points.
• Leaders and governors have a strong strategic overview of the pupil premium funding and ensure that it is used effectively. This ensures that pupils receive the targeted support they require for their learning and to meet their social and emotional needs. Leaders check and track the progress of these pupils closely. As a result, pupils make strong progress and achieve well.
• Leaders have developed a clear and sustainable strategy to ensure that the additional funding for primary school physical education (PE) and sport is spent effectively. Training and development from specialist sports coaches for staff has ensured that their knowledge and understanding of how to deliver sports and PE has been enhanced. As a result of high-quality provision at lunchtimes and after school, pupils’ participation in various sports has increased and behaviour has improved.

Governance of the school

• Governors are knowledgeable and have a range of expertise which they use effectively to support and challenge leaders. They are ambitious and have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have a good understanding of the quality of teaching.
• Records from governing body meetings demonstrate that they robustly challenge leaders. They check that additional funding is used effectively, evaluating the impact for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Governors receive regular reports from leaders about how well pupils are achieving and observe pupil progress meetings. As a result, they have an accurate picture of how pupils are progressing and their attainment levels.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• A strong culture of safeguarding exists within the school. Procedures for vetting staff are rigorous and checked regularly by leaders and governors. Safeguarding records are well organised and maintained.
• Leaders and staff know the pupils and their families well. They hold regular meetings to discuss ongoing concerns, review their actions and ensure that the most vulnerable pupils are well supported, for example through well-established targeted ‘early help’ strategies, which includes parental support.
• Staff and governors are knowledgeable about the risks pupils face in the community. Staff have a thorough understanding of safeguarding procedures and the signs to look for to ensure that pupils are kept safe. They receive up-to-date training and review their understanding regularly. A well-designed safeguarding flowchart acts as a reminder to all staff regarding their responsibilities and the actions to take. As a result, staff are vigilant, ensuring that concerns and referrals are shared in a timely manner.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in the school; parents and inspectors agree. A strong focus on teaching pupils how to keep themselves safe ensures that they have a thorough understanding of any risks, for example through learning about stranger danger, the NSPCC ‘pants rule’ and online safety using the book ‘Webster’s Friend’.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching in the school is good and most pupils make strong progress from their starting points. The relationships between teachers and pupils are positive. Consequently, pupils are keen to learn and their attitudes to learning are strong. Teachers instil in pupils a focus on being successful and not giving up.
• Where teaching is strongest, teachers have high expectations and strong subject knowledge. They use effective teaching strategies to reinforce and develop pupils’ learning skills and make progress. Assessment using the ‘pen in hand approach’ is used effectively to support or challenge where required. This enables teachers to provide instant feedback to pupils, ensuring that any misconceptions are addressed. Teachers plan opportunities for pupils to work together. Pupils are identified as ‘experts’, allowing them to collaborate in learning and respect each other’s opinions. Consequently, pupils’ outcomes are improving.
• Phonics is taught well. Throughout the school, phonics learning is systematically planned to build on prior knowledge. This ensures that pupils learn their letters and sounds effectively over time. Pupils’ reading books are accurately linked to their level of knowledge. Therefore, they are challenged in their reading with opportunities to practise the letters and sounds they have learned.
• The teaching of reading across the school is good. Teachers ensure that pupils are developing their comprehension skills well. For example, in Year 2, pupils are taught to use inference and deduction skills to answer complex questions using a range of texts. As a result, pupils make good progress in reading.
• Pupils are encouraged to write for different purposes and opportunities to write are linked to topics of interest across the curriculum. Teachers’ use of high-quality discussions and effective questioning ensures that pupils’ technical vocabulary is developed. Teachers model writing accurately and provide pupils with learning prompts to support their learning. As a result, progression is evident in pupils’ workbooks.
• Effective teaching of mathematics enables pupils to have a good understanding of the subject. Teachers provide pupils with opportunities to practise and embed their learning. They build on prior knowledge, which enables pupils to solve more complex problems and develop their reasoning skills. As a result, all pupils make strong progress and achieve well in mathematics.
• Teaching assistants support pupils well, particularly those pupils with SEND and lower-attaining pupils. They are skilled and make a strong contribution to ensuring that teaching is good. They provide high-quality targeted support for all pupils to enable them to practise and embed the learning skills needed for them to be successful learners.
• In some classes, a variation in teaching quality exists. Some teachers do not have consistently high enough expectations, particularly for the most able pupils. Some teaching does not take sufficient account of pupils’ prior learning. As a result, tasks are not always well matched to fully meet the needs of all groups of pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are respectful towards each other and adults. As a result, a caring and nurturing environment exists within the school. Pupils demonstrate this in the playground buddy system, ‘Playground Friends’, where they support activities and ensure that all pupils are included. Pupils have positive attitudes and work hard to make the school a friendly place to learn.
• Pupils are knowledgeable about the school values of ‘determination’, ‘honour’ and ‘believe’. Daily assemblies provide pupils with opportunities to develop a thorough understanding of these values. For example, during collective worship, pupils were able to discuss and reflect on how to achieve their ‘learning goals’ and not give up.
• Pupils say that bullying is not a problem at the school and parents spoken to agree. Pupils say they feel safe and happy and know who to speak to if they have a worry or concern.
• Leaders provide opportunities to promote equality throughout the school. Their work on attaining the Inclusion Quality Mark and the ‘All together – united against bullying’ gold award has ensured that the school is fully inclusive. Pupils are articulate and those who spoke with inspectors said that ‘we are different, we are all equal’.
• Leaders ensure that pupils are aware of how to be safe online. Online safety is taught at the beginning of every new computing unit and also through the wider curriculum.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. This is because leaders have embedded a successful model of behaviour management across the school. High expectations of behaviour, which are modelled excellently by all adults in the school, ensure that pupils have a strong understanding of right and wrong.
• Pupils are well behaved in lessons and are enthusiastic to learn. Pupils listen well and most participate fully in learning. However, some low-level behaviour is seen when tasks are not as well matched to the pupils’ ability.
• Leaders have successfully ensured that whole-school rates of attendance have improved over time. They are aware that this will remain a focus, as they continue to work with those pupils who do not attend as regularly as they should.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2018, most pupils achieved the expected standard in the phonics screening check. This is due to the strong teaching of phonics across the school.
• In 2018, most pupils achieved the age-related expectations at the end of key stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, most of the pupils were well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Work in books demonstrates that current pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, are making strong progress from their starting points. This was supported by information provided by the school.
• Some of the most able pupils are not always sufficiently challenged. As a result, they do not make as much progress as they could. Evidence in books and through observations shows that although there are opportunities to extend their learning, the tasks offered do not always challenge them.

Early years provision Good

• All safeguarding and statutory welfare requirements are fully met. The setting is secure and staff have a thorough understanding of their responsibilities and how to keep children safe.
• The early years provision is well led. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the effectiveness of the setting. Strong leadership and teaching ensures that children make good progress from their low starting points.
• The provision for the two-year-olds is strong. Well-established routines and strong relationships between children and their key person enable children to settle very quickly. These young children have access to appropriate resources and learning experiences to develop their skills well. All welfare requirements are met.
• Children enter the Nursery and Reception classes from outside the school with skills that are below those typical for their age and sometimes well below. By the end of the early years, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is below that seen nationally. However, children make good progress from their low starting points. Subsequently, children who enter Reception from the Nursery make more progress and achieve well.
• Leaders have ensured that parents and school work in partnership. Through home visits and play sessions, important information about the children is gathered in advance. This shared information ensures that the baseline assessment is accurate. All children, including those with SEND, are supported right from the start.
• Teaching is typically good across the early years. Phonics is well taught. Teachers provide opportunities for children to use the sounds they have learned in their early writing. In Nursery, children were seen placing objects on a large alphabet mat using the correct initial letter sound, ably supported by an adult. During phonics lessons in Reception, children were able to practise writing the sounds taught and extend these skills to writing teacher-modelled sentences correctly.
• Positive relationships between adults and children are strong. Most adults support children’s language development well. They promote independence and have established clear routines which enables children to initiate their own learning. High-quality resources, both inside and outdoors, are easily accessible for all children. This ensures that all areas of learning across the early years curriculum are covered extensively.
• Some adults do not support children’s communication and language development as well as they could. For instance, in some adult interactions, the questions they ask children and the vocabulary used are not sharply focused on deepening learning.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 101791 Croydon 10086806 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 Nursery and infant School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 2 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 390 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mr Matthew Bligh Mrs Stephanie Edmonds Telephone number 02086 885844 Website Email address www.minsterinfants.co.uk office@minsterinfants.co.uk Date of previous inspection 7 May 2008

Information about this school

• Since the inspection of the school in May 2008, the school has changed significantly in the pupil demographic, leadership and governance.
• The Minster Nursery and Infant School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, with the largest group being Black or Black British–African.
• The school is in the top 20% of all schools nationally for the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is in the top 20% of schools nationally.
• The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes, jointly with members of the senior leadership team.
• Together with leaders, inspectors scrutinised pupils’ books from all year groups. Inspectors also analysed a range of information about pupils’ progress.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read. They spoke to pupils while visiting classrooms, in the dining hall and at playtimes. In addition, inspectors met with a group of pupils formally to find out their views of the school.
• The lead inspector met with the chair of governors, a group of governors and a representative from the local authority.
• A range of meetings were held with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, middle leaders, the family liaison officer, the attendance officer and teachers.
• Inspectors observed some extra-curricular activities.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during collective worship, lessons, at playtimes and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors reviewed various documents provided by the school. These included the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, the pupil premium statement, sports funding and governing body minutes.
• Inspectors reviewed documents relating to safeguarding and behaviour. These included the school’s single central record, staff human resources files, all behaviour incidents and exclusion records, first aid records, and child protection and safeguarding files.
• The views of some parents were collected at the beginning and end of the school day. Inspectors took account of the 13 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. They also considered responses from the school’s parent survey.
• Inspectors met with a range of teaching and support staff to consider their views of the school.

Inspection team

Andrew Hook, lead inspector Lando Du Plooy Alison Moller

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector