Brook Infant School and Nursery

Overview

Brook Infant School and Nursery is judged as ‘Good’ across all inspection categories, maintaining its previous rating. The report highlights a school with a strong ethos of ‘Learning with Love and Laughter’, where staff hold high expectations for both academic development and personal growth. Pupils generally behave well, feel safe, and are supported to achieve, particularly in the early years and core subjects like English and mathematics.

Strengths

• Early years provision is a strength, with knowledgeable staff expertly developing children’s language and communication in a carefully designed setting.
• The curriculum is ambitious and inclusive, ensuring pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully involved in school life.
• Teaching in established subjects such as English and mathematics is ‘highly effective’, using modelling and regular revisits to secure long-term learning.
• The school has prioritised reading with a new phonics programme, resulting in pupils developing ‘increasing confidence and fluency’.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and staff work positively to support families and improve attendance.

Areas to improve

• In a small number of subjects, assessment is not used consistently well to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge.
• Low-level disruption from a small number of pupils is not always addressed effectively, occasionally distracting others.
• The wider offer beyond the taught curriculum is limited, restricting opportunities for pupils to develop diverse talents and interests.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’.