Whitehorse Manor Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Whitehorse Manor Infant School. Staff know pupils very well.

Pupils are safe and cared for. Staff and pupils develop positive relationships as part of the community of 'Pegasus People'. Staff help pupils to put the Pegasus' values into practice, such as caring for each other and celebrating achievements.

Pupils behave well and only occasionally lose focus in lessons. Pupils do not experience bullying at this school. Teachers help them to resolve any minor disagreements quickly.

Pupils enjoy a broad range of experiences in school. They have lots of after-school clubs to choose from. They enjoy the trips that are planned to bring the curr...iculum to life, such as visits to Hampton Court.

Pupils show resilience and are keen to learn. Leaders and staff are ambitious for pupils and what they want pupils to learn. However, some pupils do not receive enough support to help them access the curriculum successfully.

This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils enjoy the stories and books that adults share with them. However, the reading curriculum does not help all pupils build up their phonics knowledge and use this when reading.

This means that some weaker readers struggle to develop accuracy or fluency in their reading.

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

Leaders and staff want the best for pupils in every respect. A broad curriculum is in place.

Leaders have created logically sequenced plans in most subjects, including mathematics, science, history and geography. In the early years, the curriculum is well sequenced and is themed around stories and books. This helps children to develop a love of stories and poetry.

However, teaching of the curriculum is not helping all pupils across the school to learn, remember and build on their knowledge in all subjects. Leaders have not worked together effectively to make sure that some lower-attaining pupils, or those with SEND, can access the curriculum. Teachers have not routinely received support with providing work that builds on what these pupils know and can do.

Reading is a clear priority in the school. However, the reading curriculum does not help all pupils to make progress. Assessments undertaken in the early years are not fully taken account of when pupils move to Year 1.

Teachers do not use assessment well to adapt the new phonics programme and ensure that teaching is at the right level for all pupils. This inhibits the progress pupils make in learning to read.

Leaders have invested in appropriate reading resources and books.

These match well to the phonics programme that they have implemented. However, some teachers are not skilled in matching books to pupils' phonics knowledge. This means that weaker readers, including some pupils with SEND, struggle to apply their phonics skills and read accurately.

Pupils who are struggling to read receive extra help. However, catch-up sessions do not relate precisely enough to the most important knowledge or skills that pupils need to catch up on. Not all adults have the expertise in teaching pupils at the very earliest stages of reading.

Leaders have not monitored the quality or impact of these sessions accurately.

Pupils behave well. Right from the start in the early years, adults support children in learning how to communicate well.

This helps children to learn and play together. These positive attitudes to learning and to each other develop across the school. Playtimes are fun and pupils enjoy the activities on offer.

Any minor conflicts are sorted out swiftly. Pupils are resilient and they try hard. However, sometimes pupils lose focus in lessons.

This is usually when their work is too difficult and does not build on what they already know.

Leaders and staff work hard to promote the personal development of pupils. Pupils' achievements are celebrated.

Pupils faces lit up during the inspection when they were given stickers for doing well, and when they talked about how proud they were to be school councillors. Pupils are tolerant and respectful and show that they know the difference between right and wrong.

Leaders, trustees and members of the local academy council are mindful of staff workload and considerate of staff well-being.

Staff feel valued and supported. They appreciate the training they receive from leaders within the school and across the trust. However, staff have not received training on how to adapt their teaching to make sure that pupils with SEND and lower-attaining pupils fully access the curriculum.

Trustees and the school's local academy council check the work of leaders and support their work. However, they do not have an entirely accurate view on the quality of education provided. They have not held leaders to account in enough depth to understand how well the curriculum is being taught, particularly in reading and for those pupils with SEND.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff keep a watchful eye on the safety and well-being of their pupils. They have a detailed knowledge of their most vulnerable families.

Training ensures that staff have a clear understanding of potential risks to children.

Leaders respond swiftly and effectively to any concerns raised by staff. Leaders are relentless in pursuing the right support for their pupils from outside agencies.

The curriculum is effective in helping pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Pupils trust staff and know they will be listened to if they have any concerns.

Leaders make sure that all relevant checks are made when staff are recruited.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Curriculum plans are ambitious and logically sequenced. However, in practice, teaching of the curriculum does not ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, develop the knowledge mapped out in curriculum plans. Leaders need to make clear how teachers and staff can make adaptations and ensure that all pupils learn successfully.

This includes providing staff with effective guidance and training on how to help all pupils build well on their prior learning, including in reading. ? Staff worked hard to implement a new phonics programme at the start of the year. The programme does not enable all pupils to learn to read as quickly as possible.

Pupils in each year group are taught the same sounds at the same time, irrespective of their existing phonics knowledge. Some staff lack the expertise to select suitable reading books and help those pupils who need to catch up. Leaders need to review the phonics programme so that all pupils build up their phonics knowledge securely.

Training for staff has begun but not been completed. Leaders should make sure that all staff have the expertise to support pupils' development as confident, fluent readers. ? Teachers value the training they have received from leaders.

Further training to help them adapt teaching and to match texts to pupils' phonic knowledge is now needed. Additional catch-up sessions are not always taught by staff who are confident in teaching phonics and early reading. This needs to be reviewed by leaders so that lower-attaining pupils and those with SEND receive the help they need to learn and achieve well.

• Leaders at all levels have worked hard to implement a revised curriculum. However, leaders and members of the academy council do not have an accurate view of the impact of this curriculum on all pupils. Leaders' monitoring and evaluation activities need to focus more precisely on this.

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