Falconer’s Hill Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to this school, and their attendance is high.

They say that it is a very good place to be, because they know that staff care for them and want them to be 'safe, loved and happy'. If ever they feel worried, they can sit on the 'safe chairs', where they know staff will help them.

They explain to visitors how everybody is kind and gets on well together.

There are, they say, 'no outsiders - everyone's welcome!' Lunchtimes and breaktimes are happy times, when pupils enjoy the big outdoor spaces to play games and chat.

Children feel secure from the Reception Year onwards. This is because highly trained staff show them how lessons work at... Falconer's Hill, and how everyone must behave.

Staff want everyone to succeed. Children start learning to read in their very first week. The exciting, well-planned activities in the early years mean that children make good progress there.

This is then continued in key stage 1. Pupils love their lessons. They learn to tell the time and discover this relates to fractions.

They study Van Gogh and visit the 'Think Tank' science museum. They enjoy the many activities and clubs, such as cooking and gardening.

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

All staff at this school work closely together to make sure that every pupil can flourish.

The school's well-planned curriculum, and its consistently effective delivery, ensure that pupils leave ready for their next school. The education and care provided meets the needs of all pupils. This includes those who are disadvantaged and/or vulnerable.

Children enter the early years and make quick gains from their starting points. Routines and expectations are clear, and children are helped to be ready to learn. The school builds children's language skills and increases their confidence.

They respond well to the school's 'my turn, your turn' approach.

Children make progress across the different areas of learning. They learn to mix primary colours, to control a ball with a hockey stick and why, for example, four and four equals eight.

The teaching of early reading, across year groups, is impressive. Staff are highly trained. They know precisely which sounds every pupil knows at any point.

Pupils use their 'special friends' to read unfamiliar words like 'settee'. They use 'pinny time' to revise their sounds. The school gives any weaker readers rapid support to boost their confidence.

They are given well-chosen reading books so that they can catch up. Pupils become accurate and fluent readers because the school has made the effective teaching of reading a priority.

Lessons follow a consistent structure and approach which builds pupils' independence.

The school shows them how to 'tick or fix' their own work. Pupils learn to write creative sentences, such as 'Stars guided her way, shiny and shimmering, white and wonderful.' In geography, pupils study continents and the capital cities and the United Kingdom.

They find out about the Gunpowder Plot and the Great Fire of London. Pupils recap things they have already learned to help them to remember them.

Across subjects, the education pupils receive is good.

A particular strength is how well lessons are adapted for those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils receive precisely planned provision that meets their needs. The school's work has resulted in it being one of the very few in England to receive the Global Inclusion Award.

Pupils behave consistently well. They know the school's high expectations, and that they must work hard. They are respectful to others and cooperate happily.

They are strong supporters of the school's approach here. They know, and can explain, the school's six values, such as responsibility and honesty. They like filling up their class vases with the bottle tops that they receive.

They look forward to getting a 'Superstar' token and being made a 'Star of the Week'.

The programme for pupils' personal development is excellent. The school provides exceptional pastoral provision, including yoga therapy and nurture.

This is complemented by the teaching of relationships. Pupils learn effective strategies to keep themselves safe, including online. They become young citizens who, for example, raise money to help children in Uganda to go to the school that Falconer's Hill Infants has linked with.

The school assists pupils to become moral young people, who help around the school and in their community.

The trust provides good support and the school's leadership is effective. Staff feel they are well supported.

The leadership of some subjects is still at the early stages of being developed. The school continues to develop these roles so that they can be fully effective.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The leadership of some subjects is still at an early stage of development. In these subjects, leaders are not yet able to perform their duties fully without support. The school should ensure that the leadership of all subjects is highly effective.

Also at this postcode