Irthlingborough Nursery and Infant School

Overview

Irthlingborough Nursery and Infant School continues to be a good school, described as a happy place where pupils are keen to learn and staff enjoy being part of a supportive team. Leaders have set high standards for behaviour and attitudes, creating a calm, purposeful atmosphere where pupils feel secure and valued. The curriculum is ambitious and well-organised, with a strong focus on developing spoken language and reading skills from the early years.

Strengths

• The curriculum is structured in small steps, enabling pupils to build on previous knowledge and use precise technical vocabulary.
• Spoken language development is a priority, with staff using strategies like ‘stem sentences’ to help pupils explain their thinking clearly.
• Phonics is taught consistently well, supported by initiatives like the ‘reading caravan’ that encourage fluent and expressive reading.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive high-quality support, allowing them to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff reporting concerns promptly and pupils knowing how to seek help through systems like ‘hands of trust’.

Areas to improve

• Teachers must make precise checks on pupils’ learning in all lessons to ensure new content is introduced only when pupils are ready.
• Leaders should continue to work with families to reduce absence and ensure all pupils have high attendance.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff reporting worries about pupils’ welfare straight away and leaders working well with other agencies to support families.