Park Hall Infant Academy

Overview

The report describes a school where leaders’ vision for pupils to be “successful, confident, enthusiastic, caring and happy” is “a reality”. Key Stage 1 pupils achieve well in most subjects, with “consistently strong outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics”, and staff are proud of their work. However, the early years provision requires improvement, as staff do not sufficiently promote language development or engage children in sustained interaction.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well, are safe, and understand that bullying is not acceptable, trusting adults to resolve issues.
• Leaders have managed recent changes in trust membership and leadership well, with staff valuing the consideration shown to their workload and well-being.
• The curriculum is well thought out in subjects such as mathematics, science, and design and technology, enabling pupils to remember their learning.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with rigorous training and a strong culture of diligence among staff.
• Pupils enjoy school, take pride in roles such as school councillors, and contribute positively to the wider community.

Areas to improve

• Subject leaders must identify key building blocks of knowledge from Nursery to Year 2 to ensure consistent, well-sequenced teaching across all subjects.
• Leaders should ensure phonics teaching is effective and consistent, particularly to support lower-attaining pupils in reaching fluency.
• Staff in the early years must deliver the curriculum in a way that successfully engages children, challenges them, and develops vocabulary across all areas.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders making the right checks and staff having the right knowledge to notice and report concerns.