Kells Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils' happy faces show how much they like this friendly school.

Their parents and carers have many positive things to say about the support that their children receive. Nursery children enter excited about what the day will bring. Older pupils relish the activities that the school provides at social times.

Pupils thrive in the knowledge that staff care for them well.

The school expects pupils to achieve well so that they are ready for junior school. Pupils work hard and try their best in lessons.

They listen carefully to teachers and show perseverance when they learn new skills. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabili...ties (SEND), typically achieve well in a range of subjects.

The school has established rules and routines for pupils to follow.

For example, pupils walk sensibly when moving around the school and show good manners when eating their lunch.

The school provides pupils with a varied programme of activities beyond their academic learning. For instance, pupils participate in a range of after-school clubs.

They visit art exhibitions and museums to learn more about the history of their own community. Pupils learn, in age-appropriate ways, about the differences between people and their families. These activities help to prepare pupils extremely well for future life.

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

The school has established a broad and ambitious curriculum. It has identified what pupils need to know and be able to do by the time that they leave the school. This important knowledge is broken down into carefully ordered steps, starting from the early years.

Staff deliver the curriculum well. They make effective adaptations so that pupils with SEND can fully access learning alongside their peers. Staff check regularly to ensure that pupils understand the knowledge that they are learning.

This ensures that any misconceptions are addressed swiftly and successfully.

In most subjects, the school checks that the curriculum is having the desired impact in helping pupils to know more and remember more over time. In a few subjects, work to develop this is at an early stage.

This limits the extent to which the school knows how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. In the Nursery class, children are introduced to a wide range of stories, songs and rhymes.

Older pupils are provided with an extensive selection of books to borrow and to read in school. Pupils relish regular visits to the new, vibrant library. Pupils gain the phonics knowledge that they need to become confident and fluent readers.

Nursery children quickly develop confidence and curiosity for learning because of the very high standard of care that they receive. Staff successfully develop children's language and communication skills. The sensitive support that staff provide enables children to learn to share and play happily alongside others.

This prepares them very well for the Reception Year.

Pupils are attentive in lessons, and they develop enthusiastic attitudes towards learning. Overall, they behave sensibly and appropriately for their age.

This helps to create a positive environment where everyone can learn with little disruption.

Pupils with SEND have their needs identified quickly. The school communicates well with parents and professionals to secure expert support for pupils who need it.

As a result, these pupils achieve well from their individual starting points.

The school has rightly prioritised pupils' regular attendance and punctuality. As a result of more rigorous action, attendance has now improved.

Pupils develop an understanding of difference and diversity in their community and the wider world. They learn about values such as tolerance and respect. Additionally, pupils learn about relationships and how to be healthy in an age-appropriate way.

These rich and varied experiences help to prepare pupils very well for their next stage of education.

Mostly, governors understand their role and carry this out effectively. However, they have not sufficiently held the school to account for the quality of education that it provides.

The school has ensured that staff have a manageable workload. Staff are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a very small number of subjects, the school has not checked the impact of the curriculum on pupils' learning. This limits its ability to identify necessary improvements to the curriculum so that pupils can build knowledge securely over time. The school should ensure that it checks how well pupils learn and remember the curriculum.

• Governors do not systematically review the impact of the school's actions to improve pupils' learning. As a result, they are not sufficiently clear about the areas that the school needs to improve. Governors should ensure that they consistently hold the school to account for the quality of education that pupils receive.

Also at this postcode