Cupernham Infant School

Overview

Cupernham Infant School is described as a “welcoming and friendly” environment where pupils “feel happy and safe.” The report highlights strong relationships between adults and pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and notes that parents value the school’s “nurturing ethos.”

Strengths

• The school has developed an “ambitious curriculum” that ensures pupils build a “depth of knowledge” from the early years onwards.
• Teachers are “experts in early reading,” following phonics schemes rigorously and providing “carefully planned interventions” for those needing support.
• Pupils with SEND benefit from “precise” individual plans and learn the same curriculum as their peers, achieving well.
• Personal development is a strength, with a curriculum supporting pupils to be “ready for their next stage of learning” and understanding the “diverse world.”
• Governors “carry out their statutory duties effectively,” and staff morale is high due to valued training.

Areas to improve

• In some subjects, teachers do not check well enough what pupils know and remember, meaning subsequent learning does not always account for prior knowledge.
• The school needs to ensure teachers check retention across all subjects to help pupils build knowledge effectively over time.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”