Killamarsh Infant School

Overview

This ungraded inspection found that "aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection," triggering a future graded inspection. While the school remains "welcoming" with "happy and safe" pupils, inconsistencies in teaching quality, behaviour management, and support for vulnerable groups have been identified.

Strengths

• The Nursery provision is "caring and nurturing," helping children make a "positive start" through engaging play and "story language."
• Science teaching is effective, with pupils benefiting from "revisiting prior learning" and using "relevant vocabulary" to investigate concepts.
• Reading is prioritised, with pupils generally understanding phonics routines and using them to "sound out unfamiliar words."
• Staff are described as a "positive and collegiate team" who appreciate support for their workload and well-being.
• Pupils enjoy "wider experiences," including popular outdoor activities like ‘muddy Mondays’ and ‘welly Wednesdays’.

Areas to improve

• Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) must be reviewed to ensure curriculum adaptations are effective and staff have suitable expertise.
• The curriculum in some subjects lacks sufficient opportunities for pupils to "revisit what they have learned," leading to uncorrected mistakes and weak foundations.
• Teaching of writing is inconsistent; pupils do not routinely use phonic knowledge to spell accurately or apply a "fluent handwriting style."
• Behaviour management during lessons is not applied consistently, with some pupils interrupting learning due to a lack of "consistently high expectations."

Safeguarding

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