Horndean Infant School

Overview

Horndean Infant School provides a high-quality education where pupils develop both personally and academically. The report highlights an "exceptional" early years provision and a culture where pupils feel safe, supported, and kind to one another. Leaders maintain a "broad and rich curriculum" with ambitious expectations for pupil knowledge and retention.

Strengths

• Early years provision is judged "Outstanding," with staff who "know each pupil exceptionally well" and tailor learning to individual needs.
• Pupils benefit from a "broad and rich curriculum" where leaders are "ambitious about what they want all pupils to know, remember and be able to do."
• Behaviour is described as "typically calm and orderly," with bullying being "almost unheard of" and adults dealing with issues quickly.
• Parents rate the school highly, describing it as a "friendly school where teachers are supportive and genuinely care for the children."
• Safeguarding arrangements are "effective" and "securely embedded," with robust record-keeping and timely referrals.

Areas to improve

• Support for pupils in Years 1 and 2 who struggle to read is "not consistently effective," as resources are not always matched to specific sounds causing difficulty.
• Engagement in extra-curricular activities is "mixed," with a "narrow" range of options that limits participation for some pupil groups, particularly those with SEND.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective" and that safeguarding is a "securely embedded part of the way staff work."