Blossomfield Infant and Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 July 2022

Blossomfield Infant and Nursery is a welcoming school. One parent voiced the views of many, when they said, 'My children love attending; each morning they look forward to going.' Pupils feel safe. They understand what bullying is but say that it rarely happens in school. Pupils know that if it did, they would tell an adult and it would be dealt with. Pupils also know how to keep themselves active and healthy. They enjoy growing vegetables in the school allotment and eating them as part of their school lunch. Pupils are polite and well-mannered. They behave well in lessons and remind each other of the routines as they move around school. Pupils show tolerance of others, and respect difference. Pupils in breakfast club talked about characters in the book they were reading, who were being poorly treated because of their differences. They said, 'We must not treat people who are different badly.' Leaders are ambitious for pupils. They want pupils to achieve well in their lessons but also to have experiences beyond the classroom. For example, pupils in Year 2 took part in a golf festival. All pupils have the chance to join the school choir. There are plenty of opportunities for all pupils to 'blossom at Blossomfield'.

What the school should improve

• There are inconsistencies in the teaching of phonics and in teachers' subject knowledge. This means that some pupils, including those who need extra support, do not learn to read as fluently and confidently as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff receive the training they need to deliver the new scheme that leaders plan to adopt. Leaders should also ensure that they use their monitoring of the teaching of reading to assure themselves that the reading curriculum is delivered consistently across school.
• In several subjects, leaders have not identified the important content that pupils need to learn. They are not clear about the precise steps and skills pupils need to take to learn this content. As a result, learning is not consistently sequenced in a way to help pupils build on what they already know and to get ready for what they will learn next. Leaders should ensure that they identify what pupils should know and remember and support teachers in devising the steps to enable pupils to do so. Leaders should also ensure that they use their monitoring of the curriculum in all subjects to check that it is being delivered as intended.
• In some subjects, teachers do not have strong enough subject knowledge to be able to model content to pupils accurately, using appropriate resources and the correct language. Leaders should ensure that they identify where teachers need support to develop their subject knowledge, so that they can model accurately to pupils and select appropriate resources and language to enable all pupils to succeed.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)