Coteford Infant School

Overview

Coteford Infant School continues to be a good school where pupils enjoy attending and benefit from well-maintained facilities. Leaders and staff maintain high expectations, fostering an inclusive environment where pupils are kind, polite, and feel safe. The school demonstrates effective leadership in reviewing the curriculum and supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Strengths

• Pupils show a "genuine love of reading," with early reading identified as a strength and staff trained as "expert teachers of reading."
• The school is inclusive, with staff working effectively to promote the "best possible outcomes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)."
• Pupils behave well, are "kind, polite and courteous," and disruptions in lessons are rare.
• Leaders work well to improve the curriculum, ensuring it matches national aims and addressing gaps in learning, such as in geography.
• Staff find their workload manageable and appreciate opportunities to develop their practice.

Areas to improve

• In a small number of subjects, leaders have not set out the essential knowledge pupils need to know and remember, reducing long-term retention.
• In some instances, teaching does not fully support pupils to grasp new ideas, as teachers sometimes give "too much information in one go."

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a strong culture where concerns are identified and acted on promptly and checks on staff suitability are rigorous.