Cardinal Road Infant and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school Since the previous inspection, senior leaders have raised the quality of teaching and assessment to improve pupils' progress.

The impact of this work is now evident across all subjects. Leadership of the early years is also highly effective. The governing body is extremely diligent and provides school leaders with effective support and challenge.

Governors have a long association with the school and have been instrumental in improving it. Staff provide pupils with a balance of excellent care and guidance, and academic challenge across a range of subjects. This prepares them very well for junior school.

Pupils in all year ...groups make outstanding progress. Leaders make effective use of monitoring records to create small-group and individual teaching sessions that quickly address any underachievement. Teaching is outstanding and provides exactly the right balance of challenge because of teachers' insightful knowledge of their pupils.

Teaching develops pupils' skills strongly in reading, writing and mathematics, as well as in other subjects including art and the humanities. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do well because care is taken to plan work that meets their individual needs. Pupils show great respect, tolerance and kindness towards others.

They are very well behaved and willing to work hard. Leaders ensure that pupils are very well cared for, and make excellent provision for their personal development. In the early years, the outstanding provision in the Nursery and Reception classes means that children make strong progress and are very well prepared for Year 1.

Pupils in the local authority additional resource provision do well because of careful curriculum planning, high-quality interaction and excellent care and support. In the last school year, attendance was slightly below average. School leaders have worked effectively with parents and carers to help improve pupils' attendance.

Information about this school

The school is larger than most infant and primary schools. The proportion of pupils with SEND is about average. The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well above average.

The majority of pupils speak English as an additional language. Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The largest group of children is from White British, Asian or Asian British Indian backgrounds, with children from Other Asian backgrounds forming the next sizeable ethnic group.

The school has a 30-place additional resource base called The Speech and Language Workshop. All pupils in the base are identified as having additional language needs and attend part time from a variety of schools within the local authority. They are taught in a single class group.