Cecil Gowing Infant School

Overview

Cecil Gowing Infant School continues to be a good school where pupils thrive in a supportive community. The report highlights exceptional behaviour, high staff expectations, and a well-sequenced curriculum that enables pupils to achieve well. Leaders are actively working to refine specific areas, particularly regarding reading standards and governance oversight.

Strengths

• Pupils display "exceptional" behaviour, listening attentively and treating peers with kindness, creating a safe and happy environment.
• The curriculum is "typically well sequenced and planned," with teachers demonstrating good subject knowledge and utilising "teachable moments" effectively.
• Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is carefully planned, ensuring they follow the same curriculum with appropriate adaptations.
• Weekly "outdoor learning" and community links, such as visits from vets and uniformed services, effectively support pupils’ broader development.
• Staff are dedicated and caring, with leaders taking staff workload seriously and governors playing an integral role in the school community.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure a "rigorous analysis" of the new systematic synthetic phonics programme’s effectiveness to address reading standards, as its impact has "not yet been realised."
• Governors are working to further improve their oversight, specifically by refining efforts to monitor safeguarding systems "rigorously."

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils feeling safe and staff capable of identifying risks and recording concerns appropriately.