Ashley Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Ashley Infant School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

As one parent summed up perfectly, Ashley Infants 'nurtures and brings out the best in children'. The simple school 'promises' set a high bar and successfully cultivate a happy, inclusive working atmosphere. There is a notable abundance of smiles from pupils and staff throughout the day.

Pupils' behaviour in and out of class is impressive. They are kind to each other and rarely fall out. Pupils of all ages are respectful, listen to adults and to each other and try their best.

There is an unmistakeable sense of purpose in cl...assrooms. The carefully designed curriculum grabs pupils' interest and builds their knowledge and understanding step by step.

Pupils get so much more than an academic education at Ashley.

Everything is centred on the mantra that 'childhood is precious', both in itself and in preparing pupils for their future. The 'CHARM' values are the golden thread through daily life, encouraging pupils' 'can do' attitudes and equipping them with important life skills. From Reception upwards, they learn to recognise their feelings and how to manage them if they are sad or angry.

Pupils benefit hugely from working and playing alongside their friends from other backgrounds and those with different needs. They have a mature understanding of, and respect for, diversity.

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

An unfaltering commitment from everyone to offer 'the best learning experiences and pastoral care possible' underpins pupils' social and academic achievements.

Ongoing improvements to the school's work are steered by an honest analysis of what is going well and constant reflection about what could be even better. Staff's, pupils' and parents' thoughts and contributions are encouraged and valued. Strong governance holds the school to account.

Careful consideration of the changing school community, and with it some pupils' needs, informs decisions and pertinent professional development for staff. Testament to this is their strengthened understanding of neurodiversity and how pupils who speak English as an additional language learn.

Equality and equity are at the heart of the school's work.

Pupils in the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (specially resourced provision) thrive. Carefully personalised teaching supports their learning and development effectively. The expertise within the specially resourced provision is used well to support staff in the main school to pinpoint and meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Those at risk of not keeping up with their classmates benefit from effective support from both teachers and teaching assistants, for example through carefully considered group work.

All pupils, particularly those who speak English as an additional language, are gaining from the renewed focus on explicitly teaching speaking and listening skills to support their language development and understanding. The same determination that all pupils will fully benefit from what the school offers drives the relentless work to tackle unnecessary absence.

Pupils achieve well in English and mathematics. Phonics teaching is skilful and precise, making the best use of well-trained staff, time and space. Pupils are grouped carefully according to their knowledge and skills and those who need it get additional tailored support.

The teaching of early reading goes well beyond pupils acquiring the skills to work out what is written on the page and make sense of it. Dedicated time to read and be read to are part of their daily experience. Staff's book recommendations are all around the school.

Pupils' love of reading is evident in the tangible buzz as they and their parents choose new books to share during library sessions. The focus on the methodical teaching of writing skills in recent years has reaped benefits, as is making sure that pupils can recall and apply important mathematical knowledge.

The wider curriculum in the main school is equally well thought through from Reception to Year 2.

Last year's investment in overhauling the content, ensuring 'purpose and realism' in each unit, is paying dividends. There is absolute clarity about what the new learning should be each half term and how that fits with what came before and what will come next. The vocabulary which pupils need to explain their learning in different subjects is explicitly identified.

The local area is used to great effect to bring learning to life, as pupils visit the New Forest, the beach, castles and museums.

Guidance for teachers ensures that they build pupils' learning systematically from lesson to lesson. They are skilled at explaining new ideas to pupils, checking who has grasped them before they move on.

Pupils are confident and keen to talk about the interesting facts they have learned. There is, though, still work to do to ensure that checking whether pupils understand what it means, for example, to be a historian or a scientist, is thorough enough.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The ambitious curriculum in the foundation subjects is not fully realised in practice. Pupils do not readily remember some of the intended learning. The school should ensure that, as part of its plans to further develop assessment, that checks cover subject-specific skills as well as knowledge.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in March 2015.

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