Wescott Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive a strong start to their education. Children flourish in Reception, gaining confidence and developing resilience quickly. Pupils enjoy warm and positive relationships with each other and their teachers.

Wescott Infants is a school where everyone believes that 'anything is possible'.

Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils strive to follow the school rules.

They understand clearly why it is important that these rules exist and why they should be followed. Pupils live up to the school's high expectations and work extremely hard in lessons. Pupils are kind and respectful citizens.

They have a strong understanding of right and wrong and what is fair.... Pupils overwhelmingly feel safe and happy and enjoy coming to school.

This is a school that is aspirational for pupils to fulfil their potential and to develop a deep love of learning.

Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are supported to achieve well.

Pupils are proud to share their achievements in assemblies and cannot wait for their work to be published in the 'Wescott Infant School World's Greatest Children Book'. Pupils learn about individual differences and are happy to share their own life experiences with each other.

As a result, they celebrate diversity and welcome everyone to their school.

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

The provision for early years is exceptional. Staff establish excellent routines with children quickly and effectively.

The curriculum is ambitious and is designed to engage children, who are inspired to learn and focus well. Children use their mathematical and phonics knowledge confidently and fluently. They relish talking about and explaining the work they are doing.

Leaders build highly positive relationships with parents from the start of the school journey and know children well.

There is a well-constructed and ambitious curriculum in place across all year groups. It carefully sets out the precise knowledge and skills pupils will learn.

Leaders have identified clear end points for each subject as well as the key vocabulary pupils will learn. The school adapts the curriculum regularly so that it meets the needs of the school community. Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and receive effective support in lessons to access the same curriculum as their peers.

Staff check pupils' understanding carefully and use this to inform future teaching.

Staff have secure subject knowledge. This is a consistently strong feature in the teaching of mathematics and reading.

Staff use effective strategies to enable pupils to recall more of the key learning. For example, in mathematics, revisiting key content helps children in Reception to develop a secure understanding of number bonds and mathematical vocabulary. This impressive work with number continues in the rest of the school.

However, in some other subjects, staff do not use the same approach to support pupils to learn and recall important content. As a result, pupils do not securely remember the key knowledge they are taught.

Pupils relish listening to the stories that staff read aloud.

Reading is an important part of school life. Expert staff teach phonics with precision. They quickly identify pupils who may need additional support.

Children in early years accurately learn the sounds they are being taught. They use this knowledge to help them sound, spell and write words confidently. Older pupils develop their fluency and confidence to become independent readers.

Pupils' behaviour is excellent. They follow routines impeccably, and they confidently meet the school's high expectations of them. Pupils are resilient when faced with challenges.

They work hard in lessons with focus and determination. As a result, pupils develop highly positive attitudes to learning and are self-motivated.

Pupils' personal development is exceptional.

They are supported to become confident individuals with a strong sense of moral purpose. For example, pupils value the work of the Eco Council and know they must help to protect our planet and nature. Leaders share news stories with pupils to give them a deep understanding of events that are happening around the world.

Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy and fit and can discuss the reasons why they should do this. In addition, they know how to keep themselves safe when online. The school encourages pupils to celebrate difference and feel confident to be who they want to be.

Staff are proud to work at Wescott. They feel well supported by the trust and leaders. Because of this, the school exudes positive teamwork with all staff collaborating together for the benefit of the pupils.

Staff benefit from high-quality training, which enables them to support pupils effectively. Parents are overwhelmingly full of praise for the nurturing approach taken by the school.

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 foundation subjects, teachers do not consistently use the most effective strategies to enable pupils to remember the key knowledge. This means that pupils do not achieve as securely as they could across the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff revisit prior learning and link new learning to what pupils have learned before to support them to learn the essential knowledge and skills across the curriculum.

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