John of Gaunt Infant and Nursery School

Overview

The report describes a school that provides a "friendly and welcoming environment" where pupils are "happy, safe and enjoy learning." It highlights "caring relationships between staff and pupils" and notes that most parents hold positive views, describing staff as "skilled, supportive and encouraging."

Strengths

• The curriculum is "ambitious" and stems from the early years through to Year 2, helping pupils "make links between their current learning and what they have learned before."
• There is a strong focus on communication and language development, with all staff understanding how to deliver phonics and using assessment information well to help pupils "catch up quickly with learning to read."
• Children in the early years "get off to a flying start," with staff being "highly skilled at developing children’s language, knowledge and social skills through their play."
• The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately, ensuring they access the "same ambitious curriculum as their peers."
• A well-established behaviour system means pupils understand expectations, striving to achieve "gold" to earn rewards such as "afternoon tea with their headteacher."

Areas to improve

• Leaders need to ensure staff consistently identify and address basic errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling, as "not all staff have high expectations of pupils' writing skills."
• Staff must understand how to support all pupils to develop their writing skills, preventing some from repeating errors in subsequent activities.

Safeguarding

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