Alvaston Infant and Nursery School

Overview

Alvaston Infant and Nursery School continues to be a good school, described as a place where children thrive and feel part of a ‘school family’. Pupils are happy, well-behaved, and attend well, with staff maintaining high expectations for achievement and well-being.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and supported, benefiting from initiatives like the ‘talk and sort’ group to resolve difficulties.
• Leaders have prioritised reading, with staff expertise in phonics helping pupils build confidence and fluency quickly.
• The mathematics curriculum logically builds learning over time, with teachers effectively addressing gaps and challenging pupils.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn well alongside peers, with teachers adapting lessons effectively.
• Governors form a strong team that understands their roles and fulfils statutory duties effectively.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure the curriculum consistently sets out precise knowledge for foundation subjects, as it is currently less defined than in English and mathematics.
• Leaders need to develop a consistent approach to assessing pupils’ learning in foundation subjects to ensure teachers clearly know what pupils have learned.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, underpinned by a strong culture where staff know pupils well, receive regular training, and act swiftly on concerns.