Aldercar Infant School

Overview

Aldercar Infant School is described as a "happy, vibrant and nurturing place" where pupils feel part of "one big family." The inspection found that the school provides a high-quality education with strong pastoral support, resulting in positive outcomes for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy attending, with one stating the school is "the best thing in the whole wide world."
• Reading is prioritised with a "consistent approach," ensuring pupils who fall behind "quickly" receive support and "soon catch up."
• The curriculum is "ambitious," with key knowledge "connected over time" to aid long-term retention.
• An inclusive ethos is fostered through an education resource facility for hearing-impaired children and a deaf club that helps pupils "celebrate differences."
• Early years provision is effective, with staff using tools like "Hector’s puppy" to build connections between home and school.

Areas to improve

• The school must "check with greater precision" the impact of recent curriculum changes, as it has not "fully checked" how well adaptations are made.
• In a few subjects, teachers do not "consistently adapt work well," meaning some higher attaining pupils lack opportunities to "extend their thinking."

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."