Shakespeare Infant School

Overview

Shakespeare Infant School is described as a ‘well-run school, with happy pupils who love attending’. Leaders maintain ‘high expectations for all pupils’, fostering a culture where the motto ‘we care’ is evident throughout. The inspection highlights that pupils behave ‘exceedingly well’ and feel ‘listened to, valued and safe’.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate ‘exemplary’ attitudes to learning, showing ‘excellent manners’ and caring for others.
• The curriculum is ‘well sequenced from early years to Year 2’, ensuring children ‘get off to a flying start’.
• Leaders prioritise reading effectively, with staff acting as ‘experts in teaching early reading’ to help pupils read fluently.
• Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is ‘very effective’, allowing them to ‘learn well’.
• Staff are ‘passionate and knowledgeable’, contributing to a workforce that is ‘proud to work at Shakespeare Infants’.

Areas to improve

• In a minority of foundation subjects, leaders have not sufficiently narrowed down the ‘essential knowledge that pupils need for future learning’, leading to pupils not remembering content clearly. Leaders should ‘continue their work to refine the curriculum’ to ensure staff know what is most important to teach and recap.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’, noting that staff are well-trained, notice changes in pupil behaviour, and work closely with external agencies to ensure ‘timely help for individual pupils’.