Carlton Vale Infant School

Overview

Pupils “love coming to this school” within a “strong community feel” where staff know every child and family well. Leaders maintain “high aspirations for all the pupils,” ensuring an “ambitious” curriculum that is carefully sequenced to deepen knowledge and understanding across subjects.

Strengths

• Staff create a “positive and caring” environment where behaviour is “generally calm” and pupils concentrate well.
• The curriculum is “well developed,” with early years planning effectively preparing children for Year 1, such as through confident movement techniques in PE.
• Phonics and reading are developed well; staff follow the programme “consistently” and provide “bespoke support” for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Teachers possess “strong subject knowledge” and use resources “skilfully,” enabling pupils to calculate with “great expertise and accuracy” in mathematics.
• Staff work closely with external specialists and parents to support pupils’ social, communication, and wider interests through clubs and workshops.

Areas to improve

• Teaching must more securely identify and address pupils’ misconceptions, as current gaps mean some pupils are “not fully ready for future content.”
• The school must ensure all staff have the expertise to “routinely check pupils’ understanding” so they “know more and remember more” of the taught curriculum consistently across all subjects.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective,” with a “vigilant culture” where all staff are aware of their statutory duties and leaders have “rigorous systems” to follow up on concerns.