Cumberland Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen and excited to learn. Leaders have high expectations for pupils to learn a broad range of knowledge in a wide variety of subjects.

This starts in the early years, where children enjoy learning to jump, climb and construct in the brand new 'physical development zone'.

Pupils feel safe here. Older pupils educate younger pupils about keeping safe.

The Year 2 'ambassadors' are rightly proud of the anti-bullying information leaflet they helped leaders produce. Incidents of bullying are very rare, but when they happen, staff take them seriously and resolve them quickly.

Leaders ensure that pupils have the chance to make a positive contribut...ion to their local community.

Pupils have learned how to encourage wildlife into urban areas through helping to install wildflower planters on local streets. Pupils also know the importance of being kind to all. They showed this through donating specially made artwork to the residents of a local care home.

Pupils enjoy opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. Trips to places such as Portchester Castle and Marwell Zoo broaden pupils' knowledge of the local area. Pupils also enjoy learning from visitors to the school.

This has included learning about orchestral instruments from a brass band.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to do their very best and achieve highly. Leaders have designed a broad, well-sequenced curriculum for all subjects.

The knowledge and skills that all pupils need to learn in all subjects is clearly set out right from the beginning of Nursery to the end of Year 2. All subject leaders have strong knowledge of their subjects and are clearly passionate for these to be taught well.

In some subjects, for example art and mathematics, the curriculum is well established and pupils achieve well.

Teachers' detailed subject knowledge enables them to plan frequent opportunities for pupils to revisit and apply their learning. For example, in mathematics, teachers in Reception provide independent activities which reinforce the number and shape work children have previously learned. Teachers in all year groups ensure that pupils with SEND access the curriculum effectively.

For example, in art, teachers adapt resources effectively to enable pupils to practise the important skills of painting and drawing. This helps all pupils to recall and use their knowledge confidently in different contexts.

However, some subjects are at an earlier stage of development.

In these subjects, some teachers' subject knowledge is not as deep and detailed as it could be. This means that they do not consistently design tasks that enable all pupils to achieve as well as they could. For example, in religious education, sometimes the important knowledge that pupils need to remember is not taught until right at the end of the topic and then not revisited until the following year.

This means that pupils do not remember information as well as they do in stronger subjects.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils to love reading. Pupils value the 'Cumberland Collection', a set of high-quality stories that leaders want all pupils to know in detail.

Teachers share these books with pupils during daily story time. The keen engagement of pupils as they listen to these stories is a joy to watch. Children are taught to read right from the start of Reception using a well-sequenced phonics programme.

This is generally taught well. However, occasionally, pupils are not supported to practise their reading consistently well enough. This is because some staff do not always use the most effective teaching strategies.

Leaders are addressing this as a matter of urgency.

Pupils behave well and their attendance is high. Leaders have built strong relationships with pupils and their families.

Pupils are polite and well mannered to adults and to each other. Pupils engage well in lessons and have positive attitudes to their learning.

Leaders have developed a clear approach to promoting pupils' personal development based on the school values.

These include collaboration, perseverance and imagination. Pupils learn about these values through specific, targeted activities. For instance, children in Reception learn about collaboration by carrying out group problem-solving tasks.

Extra-curricular opportunities, such as football, art club and choir, provide opportunities for pupils to use their imagination and to develop their perseverance.

Leaders and governors share a clear vision to continue to improve the school. Staff enjoy working at the school.

They feel well supported by leaders and governors to do their best for all pupils. As one member of staff stated: 'I really enjoy being part of the Cumberland team. Everything we do is centred around our little community all working together to be the best that we can be.'



Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding practice is strong. Highly effective policies ensure that all adults know what to do to keep children safe.

Leaders have established a strong culture of vigilance to identify pupils who are at risk of harm. Procedures and record-keeping are clear and comprehensive. Leaders work well with outside agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get the help and support they need.

Pupils feel safe in school and know where to go for help if they need it. They are confident that their concerns will be dealt with well. Pupils have a clear, age-appropriate knowledge of how to keep themselves safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There are some inconsistencies in how well some pupils are supported to learn to read. This means that not all pupils can read confidently and fluently. Leaders should ensure that these inconsistencies are ironed out, so that all pupils learn to read quickly.

• Some of the learning activities that teachers provide do not always allow pupils to develop a deep and detailed understanding in all subjects. This means that, while pupils achieve highly in some subjects, this is not the case in all. Leaders need to ensure that teachers provide pupils with appropriate learning opportunities to enable them to acquire deep and detailed knowledge across the ambitious curriculum.