Henleaze Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at this nurturing school. Since the previous inspection, leaders, including governors, have successfully raised expectations across the school.

There is a strong sense of teamwork that runs through all they do. Parents agree. The vast majority hold the school in high regard.

The 'ELLI' characters help pupils develop the skills needed to become effective learners. Pupils know the importance of the 'teamwork' bee, 'curious' cat and 'stickability' tortoise. This helps them build good learning habits right from the start.

Pupils are polite and friendly. They try hard to follow the '5 Star' rules when lining up outside and moving through th...e school. Bullying is very rare.

Pupils say that adults expect them to act kindly towards each other, and they do. They know about the difference between bullying and minor friendship issues. Pupils feel safe because the staff care for and look after them well.

Pupils' personal development is given a high priority at the school. Staff use various strategies to help reduce pupils' anxieties, such as 'worry bins' and 'well-being' time. Leaders use carefully selected books and assemblies to celebrate diversity and difference.

Pupils are proud to take on responsibilities, for example by becoming school councillors or eco-committee members.

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

Leaders give reading a high profile. From the moment children start in Reception, they learn phonics.

Staff have expert knowledge. They step in quickly to correct pupils' misunderstandings. Pupils not keeping up with the pace of the programme receive effective support.

This helps make sure that no one is left behind when learning to read. Pupils enjoy reading, including taking part in reading challenges. Leaders work well with parents.

They run workshops to give parents the information they need to support their children at home. By the time pupils leave key stage 1, they become increasingly confident readers.

Leaders have built an engaging curriculum that starts in the early years.

Teachers have mapped out the exact knowledge that pupils need to learn in each subject. In religious education, for example, pupils deepen their knowledge and understanding of places of worship through visits to mosques and churches. This help pupils to appreciate different faiths and traditions.

In mathematics, leaders have sequenced the content so that pupils can connect and remember their learning over time. Teachers use 'flashback four' at the start of lessons to help important knowledge stick. Pupils grasp concepts well because teachers break learning down into small, manageable steps.

Nevertheless, in a few subjects, teachers do not adapt the curriculum well enough. When this happens, some groups of pupils struggle to learn new concepts.

In many subjects, staff use assessment well.

Where it is most effective, leaders use the information about what pupils know and can do to help plan the next steps. This allows pupils to remember more over time. However, systems to assess pupils' learning in some of the wider curriculum subjects are at an early stage of development.

As a result, not all subject leaders know how well different groups of pupils are learning in their subject.

Leaders expect pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to receive the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Staff know the pupils and their individual needs.

They identify these early through home visits and links with local nurseries before children start in the Reception Year. Specialist staff, such as the emotional literacy teaching assistants, provide bespoke support to help pupils overcome their challenges. They intervene quickly when pupils need more support.

Consequently, classrooms are typically calm places to learn.

Leaders provide pupils with many experiences to support their wider development. Pupils enthuse about trips to museums and castles to enrich the curriculum.

For example, they recall why it is important to protect the environment after visiting an arboretum. Pupils enjoy celebrating festivals in school, such as Diwali, Harvest and Hanukkah. This helps broaden their cultural understanding.

Pupils say, 'It doesn't matter who you play with as long as you are kind'. They are developing into respectful young citizens.

Staff and parents recognise the positive changes since the previous inspection.

Morale among staff is high. They speak positively about the professional development they receive from leaders. Staff value how senior leaders and governors take their workload and well-being seriously.

They are very proud to work at Henleaze Infant School.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have effective systems in place to keep pupils safe.

Staff know how to spot any signs of concern. Leaders respond swiftly to offer pupils and families the support they need, including the use of external specialists. Staff carry out the required checks to ensure that adults are safe to work with pupils.

Pupils know many ways to keep themselves safe. They understand the rules for safe computer use and how to handle sharp objects safely. Pupils feel confident to seek help from adults if they have any concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some lessons, teachers do not successfully adapt the curriculum well enough to meet different groups of pupils' precise needs. When this happens, some pupils struggle to acquire new learning. Leaders need to support teachers to adapt the curriculum effectively to ensure that all groups of pupils learn the essential knowledge in lessons.

• Leaders' systems to assess how well pupils are learning in some of the wider curriculum subjects are in their infancy. Consequently, not all subject leaders have a detailed enough understanding of how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum. Leaders should support subject leaders to evaluate the impact the curriculum is having on pupils' learning.

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