Newport Infant School and Nursery

Overview

The report describes a school where pupils are “happy and well cared for” and feel they belong to “one big family.” Leaders are “ambitious” for pupil achievement, creating an “inclusive and welcoming environment” with strong routines that support positive behaviour. Most pupils achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, though inconsistencies in curriculum planning in some subjects slow progress.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit high expectations of themselves and “enjoy learning,” routinely exhibiting the school’s rules to “be ready, be kind, be safe.”
• The curriculum in subjects like history is “well planned,” with the local town of Newport central to learning, helping pupils develop a “strong understanding of their local area.”
• Reading is “celebrated and prioritised,” with adults sharing stories daily and a “wide range of diverse books” fostering a culture where pupils enjoy reading.
• Effective systems identify pupils with SEND accurately, providing quick support and teaching communication methods such as signing and visual aids.
• Pupils’ wider development is prioritised through activities like the “30 things to achieve at Newport Infant School,” broadening their experiences.

Areas to improve

• In mathematics, the school must “consistently identify and sequence the key knowledge” for Key Stage 1, as current gaps mean learning does not always build in a logical order.
• In English, the school should ensure “subject-specific knowledge... is clearly set out in lessons” to prevent gaps in pupils’ understanding of writing features.
• Systems for “checking, analysing and evaluating work across school are not sharp enough,” so leaders must implement effective methods to accurately evaluate the impact of their work.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”