Combs Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this nurturing village school. Staff know the pupils and their families incredibly well.

They have respectful and positive relationships with pupils and their families. Pupils say that they are happy and feel safe in school. They know that staff will listen if they have a concern and that they will help them.

Pupils show an age-appropriate understanding of respect and tolerance. They are proud of their leadership roles. Pupils understand how being voted for as a member of the school council links with the fundamental British value of democracy.

They value the responsibility that comes with this role, such as choosing the prizes for the Easter... bonnet parade.

The school wants the best for pupils and effectively supports them to succeed. Pupils achieve well.

The school has high expectations of behaviour. Pupils rise to the challenge and behave very well. They respond enthusiastically to praise, and they are keen to please adults.

Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. They recognise the importance of listening to each other and valuing what others have to say.

Parents and carers are positive about the school.

Typical comments include, 'We feel very lucky that our child comes to this school.'

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

The school has prioritised reading. Children in Nursery, including two-year-olds, take part in buddy reading with other pupils.

They share books and talk enthusiastically about them. Children develop a love of reading from the time they join the school. Staff regularly read to them.

The phonics programme begins as soon as children start in the Reception Year. All staff are trained to teach early reading effectively. They ensure that pupils have sufficient practice when they learn new sounds so they can apply these to their reading.

Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. Staff carefully check how well pupils are learning. Staff ensure that pupils are supported well to catch up if they fall behind.

Pupils become confident, fluent readers.

Children in the early years have a great start to school life. They love to explore in the outdoors, where they learn to be curious about the world.

Early years staff support the development of communication and language skills well when children are engaged in imaginative play. Adults skilfully use questioning to challenge thinking and reinforce vocabulary.

The school has reviewed the curriculum.

Where subjects are most effective, key knowledge is clearly defined. Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge and create effective learning sequences. Pupils are familiar with revisiting prior knowledge, for example through 'stick it and fix it'.

Pupils apply their learning and talk about it with a depth of understanding. However, in some subjects there is too much to cover. This means that teaching is less well thought out and pupils do not remember the important knowledge.

The school identifies the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), effectively.

The school's personal development provision is a strength. The school ensures that pupils access a breadth of opportunities to enhance their time in school.

They utilise the rural setting to enhance learning, for example watching chicks hatch and the newborn lambs play. Pupils value their role in the community. They create posters to remind drivers to slow down when driving through the village.

Pupils benefit from visitors in school and school trips, for example going to the pantomime. Pupils develop their talents and interests through the range of clubs, including gardening, crafts and sporting activities. Pupils understand the importance of looking after their physical and mental health.

One pupil spoke for many when they said, 'Don't think bad of yourself.' Pupils talk about their personal goals and how they will achieve them.

Pupils want to come to school.

They attend well. Pupils learn in a calm and orderly environment. They work and play well together.

They support one another in their learning. There are very few incidents of inappropriate behaviour. When incidents do occur, however, they are not recorded.

This means that the school cannot analyse incidents to look for patterns, and governors do not have the information that they need.

Governors have undertaken training to support the development of their roles. They have an appropriate understanding of the strategic role they play in driving school improvement.

However, governors are not effectively holding leaders to account across all areas of school life.

Staff are proud to work at Combs. They praise the consideration that leaders give to their well-being and workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculum is too broad. It does not identify clearly what pupils will learn.

As a result, teaching does not secure the most important knowledge. In these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that the curriculum is designed effectively to specify key knowledge, so that pupils know and remember more.

• Governance has improved significantly since the last inspection but is not yet fully effective. Governors do not consistently monitor the effectiveness of the school's policies. The school should ensure that the plans to improve governance are implemented swiftly so that the governing body holds leaders to account effectively in all areas of the school's work.