Filey Church of England Nursery and Infants Academy

Overview

This ungraded inspection confirms that Filey Church of England Nursery and Infants Academy has “taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.” The school continues to provide a nurturing environment where pupils behave well, enjoy their learning, and make good progress towards being ready for junior school.

Strengths

• Pupils thrive in a “nurturing school” where they learn to manage their emotions using techniques like breathing and yoga, and they feel safe knowing adults care for them.
• The curriculum has been carefully improved with “clear links between subjects” to aid memory, and staff deliver it with “secure subject knowledge” and confidence.
• Reading instruction is highly effective; pupils “learn to read quickly,” achieve well in phonics checks, and enjoy a wide range of quality texts, including those on the ‘big red bus library’.
• The school is “very inclusive,” with staff quickly identifying additional needs and adapting lessons so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) work alongside peers and achieve well.
• Leaders and governors are “determined that pupils will achieve well,” fostering a positive community where parents appreciate regular communication and staff feel supported.

Areas to improve

• The school must ensure that “writing transcription skills are securely embedded,” as too many pupils lack fluency in writing.
• Staff need to teach the planned handwriting curriculum “consistently well” so that all pupils develop “automaticity and fluency in handwriting.”

Safeguarding

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