Hilltop Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Hilltop Infant School is a welcoming and nurturing learning community where pupils thrive. Parents and carers are effusive in their praise for the school. Relationships between staff, pupils and their families are warm and respectful.

This helps to ensure pupils feel safe and are kept safe. Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons. In the playground, they engage positively with each other and the activities available.

Older pupils readily show care and kindness towards their younger peers, for example in helping them use the play equipment.

Pupils follow an ambitious and interesting curriculum. They are eager to learn, produce work of high quality and achi...eve well.

Pupils enjoy the wide range of visits and visitors. For example, outings to the theatre, places of worship and dinosaur workshops help bring the curriculum to life.

The 'HEARTS Promise' is designed to engage all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), in exciting opportunities.

A broad range of additional activities, such as dance and fitness, baking, yoga, gardening, gymnastics and sports, develop pupils' talents and interests. Planned experiences often link to the school's contribution to the local community. For example, the choir performs at the town's Christmas lights event and sings in a local care home.

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

The school has developed a rich and ambitious curriculum. In each subject, and area of learning, the knowledge that pupils need is clearly identified and logically sequenced. Pupils revisit, embed and apply their understanding.

For example, in mathematics, children in early years practise counting in different steps. Older pupils build on this when identifying and extending more complex number patterns. Similarly, in design technology, pupils practise measuring, cutting and sticking.

They apply these skills to tackle more-demanding projects, such as building a model car with a working chassis, axle and wheels. Over time, pupils develop a deep knowledge and understanding in different subjects and are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Pupils' early language development is well considered.

Tasks and activities in the early years typically allow children to develop their vocabulary and confidence with spoken language. However, there are occasions where this less consistent. Leaders are aware of this and have appropriate plans in place to further develop this aspect of early years.

Reading is given a high priority. This begins in the Nursery, where children listen to and join in with familiar stories, rhymes and songs. This prepares children well to learn phonics from the start of the Reception Year.

Staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme with precision. The books pupils read are closely matched to the sounds they are learning. Pupils who struggle are well supported to catch up.

As a result, pupils learn to read with accuracy and fluency. Pupils enjoy reading and being read to. Events such as the grandparents' reading workshop promote the importance of families enjoying books together.

Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified. Helpful guidance, including from speech and language therapists and educational psychologists, enables staff to support pupils to access the same curriculum as their peers. Some pupils follow a bespoke curriculum that is well matched to their more-complex needs.

Pupils with SEND achieve well from their different starting points.

Behaviour is exceptional because expectations are well understood and consistently applied. In the Nursery, two- and three-year old children settle quickly.

The curriculum is designed to help them understand what it means to behave well, including taking turns and working with others. This continues throughout the school. As a result, learning is not disrupted.

Robust systems and strong relationships with parents mean that pupils attend well. The school has had particular success in reducing persistent absence.

The school's work to promote pupils' personal development is exemplary.

The curriculum is well designed to help pupils understand the importance of maintaining good physical and mental health and staying safe online. Pupils are highly motivated to take on positions of responsibility. For example, lunchtime 'helpers and heroes' assist staff to serve food and design games to play outside.

The 'eco-warrior spokespeople' represent their peers, who are all seen as 'eco-warriors'. This group is proud to share its work to redesign parts of the school grounds into a vegetable garden to provide food for the community. Pupils elect their peers to many of these roles, helping to build an understanding of the importance of democracy.

Leaders and those responsible for governance are highly ambitious. Trustees have a detailed understanding of the school's many strengths and priorities for further development. They provide a high degree of constructive challenge and hold leaders fully accountable for their work.

The trust provides a wide range of support. For example, the trust-wide counsellor ensures the emotional well-being of pupils, their families and staff is a high priority. This has been achieved through mental health first-aid training and the development of mindfulness through the curriculum.

Staff, including those at the start of their careers, feel well supported to develop professionally. They are rightly proud to work here and recognise that their workload and well-being are well considered.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority) ? On occasion, some of the experiences provided in early years do not fully reflect the ambition of the intended curriculum. At times, this leads to variation in the quality of learning for some children. The school should take further action to ensure that tasks and activities provided are purposeful and consistently support the delivery of a high-quality education across the early years.

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