St John's Catholic Infant School

Overview

Pupils and children in the early years “enjoy attending” the school, where they “consistently meet the high expectations” set for their achievement. The report highlights that pupils’ attitudes towards learning are “exemplary” and that they are “friendly, caring and respectful of others.” Overall, the school provides a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education.

Strengths

• Pupils behave “exceptionally well,” are “extremely well mannered,” and enjoy strong relationships with staff.
• A “love of reading permeates the school,” with teachers delivering the phonics programme “consistently well” so most pupils become “confident and fluent readers.”
• The curriculum is “ordered logically,” enabling pupils to “build securely on what they already know.”
• Governors “fulfil their responsibilities well” and “challenge and successfully hold the leadership team to account.”
• Staff receive strong support for their workload and well-being, with time allocated for training and qualifications.

Areas to improve

• Some staff do not “design learning activities consistently well,” which hinders the depth of learning for some pupils and children in the early years.
• Some pupils receiving additional support are not placed on the SEND register, meaning new schools may be unaware of the support required.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective.”