Longshaw Infant School

Overview

Longshaw Infant School provides an education that meets the expected standard, with inclusion rated at a strong standard. Leaders are “extremely ambitious” for pupils facing significant disadvantages, ensuring they thrive and achieve well despite barriers. The school fosters a “caring, nurturing atmosphere” where pupils behave well and make sound progress.

Strengths

• Leaders take “meticulous care” to ensure disadvantaged pupils keep up with learning, using pupil premium funding effectively so they “typically achieve as well as other pupils.”
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are “quickly identified” and receive “well-judged adjustments” to teaching, allowing them to progress well.
• The curriculum is “broad, balanced and carefully ordered,” helping pupils build a “solid body of knowledge” in readiness for the next stage.
• Staff provide “warm and supportive care,” creating an environment where children feel “safe and secure” and settle quickly.
• Attendance is improving, with leaders working with “vigour and success” to reduce persistent absence, which is now “reducing considerably over time.”

Areas to improve

• Leaders should ensure staff “consistently select and design activities” that help pupils learn and remember intended knowledge securely, as some lessons are not as carefully designed.
• Leaders should ensure pupils have sufficient time to “think and reflect” when asked for their views, so they can clearly express their thoughts and ideas.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an “open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility” and concerns are actively identified and managed.