Dinglewell Infant School

Overview

Dinglewell Infant School continues to be a good school, where pupils are described as "happy, safe and enjoy their learning." Leaders effectively monitor teaching quality and have successfully implemented a new phonics curriculum that helps pupils develop "secure knowledge of phonics." The school fosters strong community ties, with staff who "care for and nurture their children" and governors who provide appropriate challenge to drive improvement.

Strengths

• Pupils are "proud to attend" and benefit from "warm relationships" with staff and parents that help them settle quickly.
• The phonics programme is well-delivered, with staff trained to "quickly spot those who need help" and provide extra practice.
• Leaders "plan carefully and review accurately" the support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Staff maintain "high expectations for pupils’ behaviour," creating a "calm and purposeful learning environment" from Reception Year.
• A wide range of enrichment activities, including the ‘Really Wild Reading Festival’, supports pupils’ personal development well.

Areas to improve

• Subject leaders must ensure pupils know and remember "subject-specific vocabulary" in foundation subjects, as some currently cannot recall it, hindering their comprehension of important concepts.
• Staff need to be more consistent in checking pupils’ understanding of vocabulary in reading books, as some do not comprehend the words they are reading.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders ensuring safer recruitment checks are completed and staff receiving regular training to report concerns appropriately.