Pilton Infants’ Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Pilton Infants is an outstanding school. Within a distinctive caring, family ethos, everyone is committed to doing the very best they can for the children.

This highly effective unity of purpose and teamwork stems from the inspirational leadership of the headteacher. She receives highly effective support from senior managers and good support from the governing body. Underpinned by excellent self-evaluation, promoting school improvement and raising achievements by setting appropriately challenging targets are extremely well established and effective.

Higher attainment in reading, improved progress by boys and a rise in pupils' attendance represent the latest examples of the school's excellent ...capacity to improve. Pupils are nurtured and are encouraged to maximise their full potential. This was seen in the wholehearted way Year 1 pupils recited and signed their own story about 'Lady Lovely O'Shiny and the Castle in the Woods' during the school's celebration assembly and the joyful teamwork of children in the Reception Year as they practised their 'Morris Dancing' in readiness for the Royal Wedding.

Such examples typify the many stimulating and very well-supported learning activities provided within the school's outstanding curriculum and excellent care, support and guidance. One parent, reflecting the views of most, wrote 'What more can you ask when your daughters are desperate to be at school because they love it so much.' Inspection confirms that pupils, clearly, enjoy learning greatly and that additionally good safeguarding procedures mean that pupils feel very safe.

The pupils' exemplary behaviour and diligent adoption of healthy lifestyles contribute also in no small measure to their excellent academic achievement. In particular, the way pupils channel their enthusiasm into their own and in support of each other's learning enriches their progress significantly in all parts of the school. Children have an excellent time and make outstanding progress in the Reception and Year 1 classes, especially in enjoying school and becoming independent learners.

Good teaching and continuing efficient use of assessments lead to high levels of attainment by the end of Year 2 in speaking and listening, writing and mathematics, and now in reading. These show that pupils across the range of ability and backgrounds, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, achieve extremely well. Although an increasing proportion of the teaching is outstanding, new intentions to reduce the time spent in adult-led whole-class teaching have not had full effect in a few lessons in Years 2.

As a result, teaching is reported here as good overall and this confirms the school's own accurate monitoring. Even so, by analysing pupils' performance and planning work that is sharply matched to pupils' abilities, for example during guided reading sessions, the school has lifted pupils' reading skills in recent school terms. In addition, by providing learning activities and topics such as 'animals', which are relevant to the pupils' interests, the school has also accelerated the progress of boys during the course of this academic year.

The teachers' increasingly effective use of information and communication technology (ICT), including interactive whiteboards and their involvement of pupils in self-evaluation, is also making learning more interesting and enhancing pupils' independence as learners.

Information about the school

This is a broadly average-sized infants' school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average.

The majority of pupils are of White British heritage, but there is a below average percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and/or who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is also below average. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in two Reception classes.

Also at this postcode