Portway Infant School

Overview

Portway Infant School continues to be a good school, offering a warm and welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and valued. Leaders have introduced effective initiatives in reading and mathematics, supported by staff who feel well-managed and appreciated. However, the report highlights inconsistencies in how assessment data is used to tailor learning activities and evaluate interventions.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud of the school and quickly learn to be ‘ready, respectful and safe’.
• Staff successfully help pupils recognise and blend sounds using a new phonics programme, with well-matched books.
• The newly designed library provides a vibrant environment where pupils can choose books and develop a love of reading.
• The history curriculum is well sequenced, helping pupils develop an understanding of monarchy, power and government.
• Staff report feeling valued, with positive workload management and a strong sense of community.

Areas to improve

• Curriculum activities do not always deepen pupils’ knowledge or meet the needs of all pupils; the school should ensure activities are well designed to embed knowledge.
• Details of additional support for pupils are not always clearly recorded, making it difficult to assess impact; leaders should regularly evaluate provision effectiveness.
• The school lacks a clear system to assess how well pupils have learned the curriculum, meaning adaptations do not always respond precisely to pupil needs.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.