Stoke Hill Infant and Nursery School

Overview

Pupils are described as “happy and proud” to attend, showing “positive attitudes to their learning” in a “calm and orderly setting.” The school has raised its curriculum ambition, ensuring pupils are “well prepared for junior school” by the time they leave Year 2. Leaders have an “accurate view of the school” and have implemented changes to improve curriculum clarity and staff expertise.

Strengths

• Staff build “warm relationships with pupils,” ensuring children feel “well cared for” and know adults will help if they have worries.
• The curriculum design ensures teachers are clear about what to teach, helping pupils “learn the curriculum well,” including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Pupils benefit from “many opportunities that enrich the curriculum,” such as regular trips and pupil leadership roles like ‘wildlife champions’.
• Reading is prioritised effectively, with staff supporting pupils to “practise and apply new sounds” and identifying gaps in phonic knowledge.
• Pupils are taught the importance of “fundamental British Values,” fostering mutual respect and an understanding that “discrimination is wrong.”

Areas to improve

• Work given to some pupils does not consistently meet the curriculum’s high ambition or adapt to different starting points, limiting their ability to “deepen their understanding.”
• Some early writers are given tasks beyond their capabilities because they have not yet secured basic transcription skills like handwriting, spelling, and punctuation.
• Staff do not consistently recognise when early years children need support to develop their personal, social and emotional development (PSED), leaving them less prepared for the next stage.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”