St John's Church of England Infant and Nursery School

Overview

Pupils at St John’s Church of England Infant and Nursery School live out the school’s ‘HAPPY’ motto, embodying a positive attitude towards learning. The report describes a school where pupils feel happy and safe, supported by strong relationships with staff and peers. Leaders have prioritised curriculum development, resulting in well-sequenced lessons that help pupils retain knowledge.

Strengths

• Pupils show ‘much self-control and a keenness to learn’, behaving with resilience and bouncing back quickly from mistakes.
• Reading is supported effectively, with pupils reading with confidence and excitement about the ‘well-stocked library’.
• The curriculum is well-planned, with clear links to early years learning areas, ensuring pupils ‘retain the knowledge they need to know’.
• Personal development is fostered through ‘careful thought’ in planning, including extra-curricular activities and pupil leadership roles that allow children to ‘effect change in school’.
• Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is delivered with ‘attention and care’, with regular plan reviews and appropriate adaptations.

Areas to improve

• Leaders, particularly those new to their roles, must organise training and systems to ‘oversee a clear cycle of monitoring and support for staff’. This is needed to ensure concerns over pedagogical approaches are addressed efficiently and pupils’ learning is maximised.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff trained to recognise and report concerns and systems in place to liaise with external agencies to support vulnerable pupils.