Hillside Infant School

Overview

Hillside Infant School continues to be a good school, characterised by a strong sense of community where pupils thrive. Leaders provide effective support for staff and maintain high expectations, ensuring pupils are happy, safe, and well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Strengths

• Staff implement a phonics programme with precision, ensuring a "sharp focus on language development" that supports pupils to read with increasing fluency.
• The curriculum is "well sequenced" so pupils develop a secure understanding of key concepts, with "low-level disruption in lessons is extremely rare."
• Leaders work closely with parents, fostering a "thriving relationship" and helping carers understand how to support learning at home.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support to access the "same ambitious curriculum as their peers."
• Staff feel supported by leaders regarding workload and professional development, contributing to a positive culture where everyone is "striving to enhance their own knowledge."

Areas to improve

• The school should ensure that tasks and activities "consistently match the ambition of the curriculum" to provide pupils with sufficient opportunity to embed their knowledge and understanding.

Safeguarding

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