Fakenham Infant and Nursery School

Overview

Pupils benefit from "warm relationships with adults" and feel "cared for and safe" in this calm, orderly school. Leaders have designed a curriculum that builds on prior knowledge, with pupils responding positively to high expectations, particularly in reading. The school fosters resilience and teamwork through engaging activities like the ‘outdoor adventurer’ programme and educational trips.

Strengths

• Pupils are "well supported to recognise and manage their feelings," contributing to a positive atmosphere where classes run with "little disruption."
• The curriculum is "carefully designed," with teachers having "secure knowledge" who explain learning clearly and address misconceptions effectively.
• Recent steps to strengthen phonics teaching have helped most pupils become "confident in knowing how to use their phonics knowledge to read new words."
• Children in the early years enjoy "high-quality interactions with adults" and leave Reception with the reading skills needed for Year 1.
• The curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is "carefully adapted," with adults setting clear targets to build confidence.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure staff receive training to develop expertise in supporting pupils who find reading difficult, as current support is not always "precise."
• The school needs to strengthen assessment processes in some foundation subjects to gain a "sufficiently accurate picture" of how securely pupils retain key knowledge over time.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.