Heather Avenue Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key findings

This is an outstanding school. Pupils make rapid progress in their learning and develop excellent highly positive attitudes.

They engage in a wide range of activities, in the arts and in sports, enabling them to develop excellent social skills, a strong basis for deeper cultural understanding, and clear moral and spiritual values. Pupils' achievement is outstanding. By the end of Year 2 pupils are on average four terms ahead of other children of their age in their mathematical understanding and over three terms ahead in their reading and writing.

Teachers have an expert knowledge of teaching techniques and apply these creatively across the whole curriculum. Teachers use imaginative approaches ...which engage pupils to think with growing independence about their learning. Marking is thorough.

Pupils are ambitious to achieve their targets and teachers use assessment data very well to adapt planning and provision to ensure that no pupil gets left behind. Pupils' exemplary behaviour is the result of a very clear focus, that pupils respect one another's various abilities and differences. Pupils contribute to determining expectations of behaviour and openly express any concerns they may have.

They know and appreciate that adults are totally committed to ensuring their safety. Senior leaders focus relentlessly on developing very high standards of classroom practice. All staff take on responsibilities and undertake professional development willingly, contributing highly effectively to improving the school's performance.

The outstanding and constantly evolving curriculum ensures pupils are highly motivated to learn. The governing body supports the school effectively, but is over-reliant on a core group of experienced and committed members. Several new members have not yet received training and other governors are not yet equipped to take on more senior roles as the need arises.

Information about the school

Heather Avenue Infant is smaller than most infant schools and mainly serves the immediate community. Most pupils spend their whole infant education at the school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language is low, but increasing. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average, but the proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs is very small. Shortly after the last inspection the school changed from being a first school to an infant school.

The provision includes the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum in the Reception class. The school has a privately run nursery on site, the inspection of which is reported separately. The school's work has been recognised by the British Council Full International School award, Arts Mark Gold, Healthy Schools (Enhanced) status and the Eco-School (Silver) award.