Elson Infant School

Overview

Elson Infant School continues to be a good school, offering a highly inclusive environment where pupils are welcomed and feel safe. The report highlights a broad and interesting curriculum that is well sequenced in core subjects, supported by expert staff who maintain high expectations for behaviour and learning.

Strengths

• The curriculum is "broad and interesting" with "well sequenced" content in core areas, ensuring understanding builds over time through regular practice and revisiting of topics.
• Staff are described as "expert" with a "good understanding of what pupils know and can do," allowing them to rapidly address gaps in understanding.
• Reading is a clear priority, with "effective phonics teaching" from the start and high-quality texts carefully matched to pupils’ developing skills.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from "precise targets" and "targeted intervention" adapted to meet their specific needs.
• Leaders have "driven improvement... with determination," creating a supportive culture where staff are motivated and governors hold leaders to account appropriately.

Areas to improve

• In a small number of subjects within the wider curriculum, leaders have not yet "precisely identified and sequenced the detailed knowledge" pupils should learn, meaning teachers lack clarity on what to teach and in what order.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."