King’s Ford Infant School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children are happy to attend school. They enjoy playing with their friends at playtimes. They trust adults to keep them safe and to listen to any worries that they may have.

Pupils build strong relationships with each other and with staff. Pupils' behaviour is positive throughout the school. They play well together, making sure that everyone is included.

Pupils are cheerful, sensible and demonstrate good manners. Children in the early years learn to try hard and take great pleasure in working together.

The school sets high expectations for pupils' achievement, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils resp...ond positively to their work and most achieve well in a range of subjects. Pupils are well prepared for their next stages of learning.

Pupils enjoy a wide range of opportunities and experiences that enrich the curriculum.

These include donating food at Harvest Festival for the local food bank and raising funds for charities. Pupils also benefit from educational trips and visits, including to local historical sites, the zoo and a local farm. These experiences contribute strongly to their broader development.

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

This is a school where ambition is high for all pupils. There is a drive for everyone to succeed. The curriculum builds coherently from early years through to the end of key stage 1.

The curriculum is mostly well designed so that pupils learn skills and knowledge when they are ready to do so. However, in a small number of subjects the school has not identified exactly what pupils need to know with the same precision. This means that sometimes teachers find it difficult to design learning that helps pupils to learn and remember more.

On occasion, this leads to gaps in pupils' learning.

Children in the early years achieve well from their individual starting points. Routines are quickly established to help children feel safe and secure.

Children have many opportunities to learn how to share and take turns. Staff are skilful in creating meaningful learning opportunities for children. These spark curiosity.

Children show tenacity and perseverance in their learning, for example when comparing the weight of pumpkins and other autumnal items.

Pupils develop a love of reading from an early age. They are encouraged to read widely and often, with the vast majority obtaining awards for reading regularly at home.

The school has invested in high-quality and engaging books that pupils love to read. Pupils enjoy choosing books from the well-stocked library and class reading areas. Children in the school look forward to the special time each day when adults read to them.

Children learn phonics as soon as they start in the Nursery class. Staff have received training so that they implement the early reading programme effectively. Pupils read from books that match their current phonics knowledge.

This helps them to develop into confident readers.Pupils with SEND make strong progress through the curriculum. The school identifies pupils' needs quickly and puts appropriate, effective support in place.

When needed, the school seeks advice from external specialists. A range of adaptations are in place to help pupils with SEND to achieve extremely well. The school ensures that these pupils are fully included in all aspects of school life.

Pupils behave well in and out of the school building. They care about one another. Staff teach pupils to understand how their actions affect others.

Pupils trust that staff will help them to sort out any problems such as falling out with friends. Pupils understand what bullying is but say that it is very rare.

The school provides a broad programme to support pupils' personal development.

This helps pupils to develop into well-rounded citizens. Pupils learn about healthy relationships and how to keep themselves healthy. They embrace various leadership opportunities, such as being members of the school council.

Pupils welcome everyone into school, as they understand the importance of treating people equally and respectfully. They understand and demonstrate the school's 'SCARF' values of safety, caring, achievement, resilience and friendship in all that they do.

Staff feel well supported to be able to carry out their jobs effectively.

They know that the school listens carefully to their views. Workload is considered when changes to policies are implemented. The school ensures that professional development is prioritised so that staff feel appreciated.

Governors know the school well. They work closely with the staff to support and challenge their work effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the exact knowledge that the school would like pupils to learn lacks clarity and teachers do not plan activities that build on what pupils need to learn. As a result, gaps in pupils' learning are not addressed as quickly as they could be and pupils do not build their foundational knowledge as successfully as they should. The school should ensure that it provides teachers with greater clarity on the exact knowledge that pupils should learn, enabling pupils to learn more and remember more.

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