St Andrew's Church of England (VA) Infant School

Overview

Leaders have high ambitions for pupils, ensuring all receive a good education within a calm and orderly atmosphere. The school is praised for its exceptional personal development offer and impeccable behaviour, with pupils feeling happy and safe. While the curriculum is well-structured, there are inconsistencies in how knowledge is sequenced in some foundation subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is described as “impeccable,” with a “calm and orderly” atmosphere where bullying is rare.
• The school provides an “exceptional personal development offer,” promoting a strong Christian ethos and inclusive values.
• Reading is given the “highest priority,” with tightly focused lessons and effective phonics training for all staff.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same “ambitious curriculum” with closely targeted support.
• Early years provision is “carefully planned and sequenced,” allowing children to get off to a “good start.”

Areas to improve

• In some foundation subjects, leaders lack clarity on the “component knowledge” pupils should learn, meaning activities and assessments are not always focused on essential building blocks.
• Leaders must ensure staff use this information to focus activities and assessment on the “most important content” so pupils remember more securely.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a strong culture where staff receive regular training and know how to respond to concerns.