Kempshott Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Respectful relationships are at the heart of this school.

Pupils are kind to each other and know that staff care about them. They are helped to understand the school rules of 'kind words, kind hands, kind feet'. This helps them to behave well.

Pupils say that bullying does happen on occasion, but it is dealt with swiftly. They have trusted adults in school they know will listen to them if they have a worry. This helps them to feel confident and safe.

Staff have high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. They help pupils to understand the importance of working hard. As a result, from the start of Reception, children listen well and usually try their bes...t.

Pupils know the school values and understand why they are important. They are keen to demonstrate being resilient or independent. As one pupil commented, 'The values help us understand how to be'.

Staff provide a range of interesting opportunities to motivate and support pupils. This includes visits to Wellington Country Park and Hilliers arboretum. Pupils contribute to improving the school through leadership positions such as eco-council and school council.

They enjoy playing with their friends at the welcoming lunchtime club.

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

Leaders and staff strongly promote pupils' personal development alongside academic learning. They are committed to developing pupils as well-rounded individuals.

Leaders provide high-quality training for staff about diversity. This supports teachers to address important issues at an age-appropriate level. Pupils learn to respect and celebrate differences between people.

Many pupils commented, 'It is okay to be different'. Pupils learn to engage with views that are different from their own. They are supported to understand it is possible to have differing opinions and still be friends.

Following the pandemic, staff have spent more time focused on pupils' well-being. Pupils learn to identify and manage feelings and to recognise what makes them feel calm and happy.

Pupils enjoy reading.

They like their teachers reading books aloud about important issues such as equality and friendship. From the start of Reception, children get off to a positive start by learning songs and poems to broaden their vocabulary. Staff follow the school's phonic programme closely and carefully check pupils' understanding.

Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds they have learned. They re-read texts which helps to develop their confidence and fluency. Struggling readers are given strong support to help them to keep up.

As a result, the teaching of reading is effective.

In mathematics, staff use small steps of learning effectively to help pupils develop their knowledge. They accurately check pupils' understanding.

Staff routinely revisit content from previous lessons to improve pupils' accuracy. For example, children in Reception revisit how to double two when learning to double four.

Curriculum thinking in other subjects is developed but needs some refinement.

In some subjects, staff have identified the precise knowledge and skills they intend pupils to learn. This helps staff to emphasise the most important content and to build on what pupils have learned before. For example, pupils in Year 1 learn about the events of the great fire of London and go on to look at sources to work out why it spread so quickly.

Leaders recognise they need to determine the precise content in each year group for each subject.

In subjects other than English and mathematics, staff carefully check that pupils can complete the tasks and they are skilled at addressing misconceptions. They do not always ensure that pupils have learned and remembered the essential content.

Leaders acknowledge this is an area to be strengthened.

The special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinator uses her expert knowledge to successfully support staff, families and pupils. She helps staff to identify pupils' needs quickly.

Support is put in place that meets their needs effectively. Staff work in partnership with parents. Many parents are positive about the care their child receives.

One parent commented, 'My child receives so much support through the school day and all this is communicated to us'.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They respond well to the positive praise from staff.

As a result, pupils are usually eager to learn. On occasion, there is behaviour that can disrupt learning but this is usually dealt with effectively by staff.

Governors know the school well, including its strengths and areas to develop.

They challenge and support leaders effectively. Governors have a strong understanding of how well pupils are learning in English and mathematics. Staff highly value the support that governors and leaders provide to help them develop their skills and manage their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Governors complete checks to ensure that a strong culture of safeguarding is maintained. This includes making sure that safer recruitment procedures are followed.

Leaders provide high-quality training for staff to help them understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff know what signs may indicate a child is at risk of harm and how to report concerns. Safeguarding records are detailed.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online. In Year 1, pupils learn about keeping passwords secure. In Year 2, they learn about using emails safely.

Pupils also learn how to manage risk when studying road, rail and sun safety.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In subjects other than mathematics and English, leaders have sequenced the broad content for pupils to learn. They have set out more precisely the key skills and knowledge in some subjects, but not all.

Leaders should identify the essential content they intend pupils to learn and remember starting from Reception. Leaders have already taken action to address this weakness over the coming year. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

• In some foundation subjects, staff do not check that pupils have learned and remembered the most important content. Pupils are not always helped to link new learning to what they have previously studied. Leaders should ensure that staff know what it is essential that pupils remember, check that they do and use information about any gaps to adjust future learning, where needed.

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