Ranvilles Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are thriving in this exceptional school. They feel happy, safe and special.

Staff model high expectations and pupils are proud to meet them. The 'tree values' of trust, respect, empathy and excellence are well embedded. Pupils love achieving 'leaves' for demonstrating these qualities.

Pupils are excited when governors visit assemblies to celebrate everyone's success.

Behaviour is exemplary across the school. Pupils show high levels of engagement, sharing resources and learning together in harmony.

Pupils are proud to celebrate diversity. They passionately support the school's programme to ensure that nobody feels like an outsider. Any isolated... instances of bullying are taken seriously and stopped.

Pupils have no worries about bullying.

Pupils were thrilled to visit a local castle and museum to enhance their learning. Clubs are free of charge, so everyone can attend.

Staff share their expertise and time to offer rich experiences at lunchtime. Pupils enjoy mindfulness, drawing, baking and drama.

A significant number of families represent the armed services.

Leaders celebrate their community with special 'red, white and blue' days and 'forces family' events. All staff are trained to support pupils' mental health. As a result, pastoral care is excellent.

Parents say the school provides 'a supportive, creative and nurturing environment'.

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

Reading is highly prioritised from the moment children start in early years. All staff are well trained to teach phonics superbly well.

Lessons are engaging and children learn sounds with joyful enthusiasm. Books are diligently matched and changed to offer excellent practice. Assessment is well targeted to identify gaps.

Staff provide effective support for pupils to help them keep up. This involves one-to-one reading and revision of key sounds. Pupils achieve well with phonics, and love reading.

Teachers read a diverse range of books to include and excite everyone. In early years, children are transfixed during story time. They enjoy acting out characters' emotions and predicting what happens next.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) enjoy the full ambition of the school's curriculum and achieve well. Leaders expertly identify additional needs with skilful assessments. Support is well planned and staff are trained to deliver it effectively.

Pupils with worries, such as anxiety, receive bespoke 'emotional literacy' support. Leaders agree meaningful targets in individual plans for pupils. These ensure that pupils make strong improvements in learning, conduct and well-being.

When pupils reach the end of Year 2 at Ranvilles Infant School, they achieve significantly above national averages for reading, writing and mathematics.

Leaders have planned and embedded an innovative and inclusive curriculum. The school's 'project' approach is proving successful.

Every subject is precisely designed with specific knowledge, skills and vocabulary for pupils to master. Teachers use 'retrieval' activities to assess how securely pupils can recall their learning. Pupils remember and apply mathematical concepts, historical facts, scientific properties and rules for writing.

They enjoy becoming scientists when visiting the school's science laboratory dressed in lab coats and goggles. Pupils skilfully use scientific language, conduct experiments and report findings. This excellent work is shared with parents through online videos.

Teachers capitalise on pupils' high levels of engagement to help them write with adventurous vocabulary and impressive technical accuracy. In geography, pupils studied the Amazon rainforest. They acquired map skills and evaluated the human impact on animals' habitats.

Inspired by this rich learning, pupils used their subject expertise to write heartfelt and persuasive letters protesting against de-forestation. As young historians, pupils analysed primary and secondary sources to understand and compare events in the past.

Behaviour is brilliant.

Pupils take responsibility for their actions. If pupils find it hard to manage emotions, staff provide nurturing support and help them get on track. Attendance is high for all year groups.

Persistent absence is significantly lower than elsewhere in the country, but leaders engage with families positively to achieve constant improvements.

Pupils embrace diversity. Leaders promote global awareness when welcoming visitors from Africa and China.

The 'young interpreters' project celebrates languages around the world. Circle time activities help children to explore moral issues. Teachers sensitively plan curriculum activities to help pupils understand different family backgrounds.

Every member of staff is trained in 'mental health first aid'. The school-wide commitment to well-being is exemplary.

Leaders are inspirational.

Everyone feels highly valued and respected. Workloads are well managed, and morale is high. Teachers benefit from frequent professional development, and expertise is shared across the team.

Communication between school and home is superb. Governors and leaders share high aspirations for all in this incredibly nurturing school. Identifying limitless potential in every pupil, they offer a warm welcome to everyone who joins throughout the year.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Governors and leaders ensure that safeguarding practice is robust. Checks on staff and volunteers are updated with rigour.

Safeguarding procedures are fully understood and utilised. Training is frequently updated, and staff know how to identify risks. Staff report worries promptly to leaders who follow up every issue.

If families experience trauma, leaders work with social care, health and mental health services to offer strong support. Leaders make relentless efforts to seek extra help whenever needed, and always keep accurate records.

As a result of well-designed lessons and assemblies, pupils are knowledgeable about healthy living, relationships and online safety.

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