St Michael’s Church of England Infant School Maidstone

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to this small, welcoming school. They are warmly cared for by kind, nurturing adults.

Clear, well-established routines and kind, reassuring guidance from staff help pupils to behave well and feel safe. Pupils know there are trusted adults they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns.

Pupils enjoy tackling the challenges of the school's curriculum.

They are curious about their learning and are keen to show what they can do. They achieve well overall and are ready for the next stage of their education. Pupils benefit from 'wow' events that bring learning to life.

They particularly enjoy local trips, which include visits to t...he forest to learn outdoors. Learning through workshops enriches pupils' understanding in different subjects. For example, learning in a mobile planetarium enhances pupils' learning about space in science.

The school's values of friendship, perseverance, happiness and respect are important to pupils. They talk about being kind, being a good friend, and saying please and thank you. Pupils embody these values throughout the day.

They get along well. They play and learn together happily. Any friendship issues are addressed promptly.

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

The school has designed a curriculum that is ambitious. When children first start school, staff quickly get to know them and any challenges or barriers that they or their families may face. Staff use this information to adapt the curriculum and to make best use of the learning environment.

For example, the school has developed the outside space to give children the opportunity to garden, build dens and climb. The curriculum is also designed to support pupils to develop important attributes for learning, such as curiosity and perseverance.

The school invests in training for all staff.

As a result, staff have the knowledge and expertise they need to teach the curriculum effectively. They support pupils well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school precisely identifies the specific needs of pupils with SEND.

Staff make sure these pupils get the help and resources they need to succeed.

The school has identified the knowledge they want pupils to gain over time. In many subjects, including in the core subjects of English and mathematics, this is clear and well ordered.

Leaders know that some elements of the wider curriculum are too vague, and that subject specific vocabulary needs emphasis. Consequently, while pupils achieve well overall, they do not learn and remember some of the curriculum, including important language, as well as they should.

The majority of the wider curriculum is taught through continuous provision.

Teachers give pupils challenges to tackle. Some are designed for them to practise and apply the knowledge they have been taught independently. Others are guided by adults, who model important concepts and question pupils skilfully to check their understanding.

These interactions move pupils' learning on and deepen their understanding. Pupils are keen to engage actively in their learning. They concentrate and persevere with their tasks.

They confidently talk about their learning, using appropriate vocabulary.

The school makes learning to read a priority. The school has recently reviewed and adapted its approach to teaching phonics.

There are greater opportunities for pupils to retrieve and practise their phonic knowledge. This is helping pupils, including those with SEND, to remember the sounds they have been taught. Pupils with gaps in their phonic knowledge catch up quickly.

This is because staff use the information from the checks they make to carefully identify and address the gaps in pupils' knowledge. Over time, pupils read with increasing confidence and fluency.

Staff make the most of every opportunity to inspire pupils' awe and wonder of the world.

Workshops about fire, road and rail safety teach pupils how to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn about the world around them and how they can be responsible citizens. They support international charities, learning about how to protect endangered species.'

Eco- warriors' do litter picking locally.

The majority of pupils attend school regularly. The school supports families effectively to improve attendance when it is too low.

Starting in the early years, children learn the school's high expectations of their behaviour. As such the school is calm and orderly. The school's restorative approach, for dealing with rare instances of poor behaviour, is having a positive impact.

Staff describe working at the school as being part of a close and supportive community. They feel valued and listened to by leaders. They say that leaders are mindful of their workload and that they genuinely care about their well-being.

Governors know the school well. They provide the school with an appropriate balance of support and challenge.

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 aspects of the wider curriculum, details of the content that pupils need to learn are not made explicit enough. As a result, while pupils achieve well overall, they do not consistently retain and recall some aspects of the curriculum, including key language, as effectively as leaders expect. The school should identify precisely what pupils need to learn to help pupils to learn important knowledge and achieve the school's ambitious curriculum goals.

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