Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School

Overview

Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School is fulfilling the "expected standard" of education, with pupils achieving well in phonics and demonstrating secure knowledge across the curriculum. The report highlights a "supportive and nurturing environment" where pupils behave very well and feel safe, though it identifies specific areas requiring attention regarding attendance, teaching consistency, and governance.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve very well in phonics, with most passing the screening check and developing a "love of reading" through initiatives like the '100 book challenge'.
• The early years curriculum is "well considered," with staff using a "warm and nurturing approach" to help children settle and develop essential skills.
• Inclusion is strong, with a culture where "all pupils are included in school life" and barriers to learning are reduced through targeted support and adaptations.
• Pupils demonstrate a "secure understanding of difference and respect," engaging positively in discussions about diversity, mental health, and healthy relationships.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure teachers "consistently use effective strategies to check pupils' understanding" to secure knowledge before moving to complex learning.
• Leaders should maintain focus on attendance to reduce "persistent absence," particularly among disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs.
• Governors must implement revised systems effectively to "hold leaders to account more rigorously" and ensure they have the necessary information to challenge leadership.

Safeguarding

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