Meon Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to 'be their best selves'. They make sure that pupils are taught about kindness, respect, being healthy in body and mind, and how to be confident and resilient.

Pupils understand these values and know that being kind and accepting each other's differences makes the school and the wider world a happier place. They learn how to keep themselves safe, including an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep safe online.

Pupils are encouraged to take a real interest in the world.

For example, they learn about the history of space travel and know interesting facts about the first dog in space and the astronaut Tim Peake's visit... to the moon. However, they do not learn as well as they could. Leaders are working hard to improve the curriculum, but it is still early days.

Pupils enjoy their time at school. They play well together at playtimes, making the most of the equipment in the playground, or simply enjoying the opportunity to chat together. Pupils are right to be confident that teachers sort out any unkindness and make sure it does not happen again.

Through assemblies and in lessons, staff teach them about the school values of kindness, respect and being healthy in body and mind so they develop confidence and resilience.

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

The new leadership team has an ambitious vision for the school and its pupils. Senior leaders are fully aware of what needs to be done and have introduced many improvements in the short time they have been in post.

With the support of trust leaders and through working with the other schools in the 'M3' partnership, they are strengthening the curriculum and the expertise of subject leaders. However, leaders' vision is not yet a reality. Local and regional governors are not fully aware of the extent of the improvements that are needed.

Reading is mostly taught well. The school has focused on improving this to ensure pupils can learn well in other subjects and grow to love books. Leaders are making sure that all staff are fully trained to teach phonics confidently and effectively.

They are looking closely at assessments to make sure that they know exactly what sounds pupils do not know, to better match any extra support. However, the teaching of phonics did not start early enough in the Reception class this year. Staff encourage pupils' interest in books by reading to them every day.

They make good use of these sessions to reinforce learning in other subjects and support pupils' personal development.

Learning in mathematics is carefully planned to develop pupils' confidence with calculation, problem-solving and reasoning. Pupils are given plenty of opportunities to revise what they have previously learned so number facts are committed securely to memory.

They are taught to make connections between different areas of the curriculum and apply their mathematical knowledge to solve problems. Teachers regularly analyse pupils' mathematical reasoning skills to understand their thinking, so they know what they understand and remember. Leaders are still refining the precise content of the mathematics curriculum in early years, to ensure that children are fully prepared for Year 1.

Leaders have got further with developing the curriculum in some subjects more than others. They are working to ensure that learning builds securely from Reception Year to the end of Year 2 and that pupils develop a deeper understanding of each subject. In the Reception Year, leaders are focusing on developing the skills of staff in using language to support children's thinking and learning.

Pupils behave well around school and in lessons. Staff treat them kindly and with encouragement. Pupils respond to this approach positively and there are good relationships between pupils and staff.

If pupils lose concentration or start to misbehave, teachers regain their attention quickly.

Staff know pupils well and any who need additional help are identified quickly. The new pastoral team works together effectively to make sure pupils, and their families, get the support they need to learn as well as their peers.

Leaders do their best to get support for pupils from other agencies where it is needed.

Pupils know that keeping mentally and physically healthy helps them to be their best selves. They learn how to recognise their own emotions and how others may be feeling.

Pupils know that people have different needs and are taught to be respectful of this. The school offers a range of clubs and activities, including yoga, to widen pupils' interests.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are knowledgeable about the safeguarding risks pupils may face. Leaders reinforce training through regularly discussing case studies, so safeguarding is kept high on the agenda. The new inclusion team works effectively to establish a strong culture of early identification.

When pupils and their families need help, staff make sure this happens quickly. There are well-established systems in place for reviewing cases to make sure pupils stay safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

• The component knowledge in subjects other than reading and mathematics is not yet fully defined.

Pupils' learning, therefore, is not as deep and broad as it should be. Leaders should ensure that there is a coherently sequenced curriculum for all subjects from Reception to Year 2 ? Leaders are still determining what the early years provision should look like. As a result, children are not learning as rapidly as they should be.

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum and pedagogy in the Reception Year are secure, so children are ready for learning in Year 1. ? Subject leaders do not all have sufficient experience in their role or the depth of subject knowledge to support teachers in delivering the curriculum. Senior leaders should continue to provide guidance and training to strengthen subject leaders' expertise.

Also at this postcode