Maytree Nursery and Infants’ School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a warm and nurturing environment. From Nursery onwards, pupils are taught the school routines and shared values of 'caring, sharing and aiming high'.

This caring ethos permeates throughout the school, resulting in pupils being happy and safe. Pupils enjoy the opportunities they have to play an active role in school life. They are proud to be a member of the school council or a play buddy.

The diverse nature of the community is celebrated throughout the school. Pupils are eager to share the different languages they can speak and demonstrate tolerance for the varied cultures and beliefs within their school. This is modelled by adults.

Leaders ...have high expectations for pupils' behaviour, and pupils rise to these expectations. They behave well. Bullying rarely happens, but any instances of unkindness are dealt with effectively by adults.

Playtimes are joyful occasions. Pupils play together, sharing the climbing frame and monkey bars. They ensure that everyone is included.

Pupils enjoy learning. They recall recent visits fondly and are eager to share their experiences. However, due to weaknesses in the curriculum, pupils sometimes struggle to recall what they have learned.

As a result, pupils are not learning as well as they could.

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

Leaders ensure that children get off to a strong start in early years. In Nursery and Reception, staff prioritise developing children's communication skills.

They support children to use vocabulary independently. Adults plan activities well. This helps children to apply their learning across the provision.

Leaders' determination to get pupils off to the best possible start in reading is now being realised. All staff have been trained in how to deliver the new phonics scheme. Leaders have checked how well this is being delivered, and staff have successfully adapted provision following feedback.

Books are matched to the sounds pupils have learned. As a result, pupils are learning to read in a consistently planned way. The keep-up programme for phonics is yet to be fully introduced across the school.

This means that the support for some pupils outside of phonics lessons does not always align with the learning in class.

Leaders' ambitions for pupils are yet to be achieved due to weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum. In most subjects, there is clear planning in place that details what pupils will learn over time.

There are appropriate systems in place to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Learning is adapted for pupils with SEND so they can access this alongside their peers. Despite this, inconsistencies in some teachers' subject knowledge result in key content not being explained in a way that pupils understand.

This means that pupils are not always able to recall or remember their learning. Sometimes, adults do not model the use of precise vocabulary. Consequently, pupils do not have the language they need to access learning.

The use of assessment across the school is not as focused as it needs to be. End-of-unit assessments are used to inform future learning. However, teachers do not consistently check pupils' understanding during all lessons.

This means that sometimes pupils do not understand tasks or have gaps in their knowledge. Leaders are developing the use of assessment to rectify this.

Due to the shared expectations, behaviour around school is calm and purposeful.

These expectations are modelled by all adults, and pupils are taught these from the start of their time in school. From Nursery onwards, staff encourage warm relationships, which support pupils to settle quickly. Pupils are proud to have their positive behaviour recognised.

They respond to the school's 'show me five' system by demonstrating the school's five rules for paying attention. Caring relationships are evident throughout the school, with a clear culture of respect for all.

The school's sharp focus on pupils' personal development is apparent through the effective strategies staff use.

There are opportunities for talents and interests to be developed. Pupils across the school performed in the Nativity show during the inspection with enthusiasm. They have a robust understanding of how to stay healthy, including drinking water and eating vegetables.

Leaders know that dental hygiene is an important issue, so they ensure all pupils are taught how to keep their teeth healthy.

Leaders' aim to provide a high-quality education for all pupils is not yet realised. The successful system used for checking the implementation of phonics has not yet been adopted in other curriculum areas.

Recently, governors have adapted their quality assurance processes. They know that they need to continue to embed these.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong safeguarding culture within the school. Leaders understand the community they serve and know that some families have complex needs. Staff and governors are well trained.

As a result, there is a shared awareness of the procedures for raising concerns. Leaders are tenacious and make referrals to other agencies when families need help.

Pupils learn how to stay safe in a number of ways, including learning about road safety, when to call the emergency services and how to protect themselves from harm.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There are inconsistencies in teachers' subject knowledge, particularly in relation to the use of precise vocabulary. As a result, pupils are not learning as well as they could. Leaders should continue to develop staff's expertise and practice.

• Checks on pupils' learning are not always timely. This means that misconceptions and gaps in knowledge are not identified quickly enough. Leaders should continue to develop teachers' use of assessment strategies within lessons.

• The phonics scheme is newly implemented and the keep-up programme has not been introduced across the school. This means that the additional support for some pupils is not in line with the learning in lessons. Leaders should implement this as planned and continue to ensure that there is fidelity to the scheme.

• Leaders do not consistently check how well the curriculum is being implemented. Therefore, weaknesses are not always swiftly identified and dealt with. Leaders should ensure that they apply the rigour of the phonics' monitoring and follow-up actions to other areas of the curriculum.