Tibshelf Infant School

Overview

Tibshelf Infant School continues to be a good school, characterised by a "warm, caring ethos" where pupils "thrive" and feel safe. Leaders have prioritised reading and mathematics, with mathematics provision described as "strong" and inclusive for all learners. However, the report notes that curriculum refinement in some foundation subjects is incomplete, and too many pupils have not yet developed quickly enough as fluent readers.

Strengths

• Pupils display "good" behaviour, respond well to high expectations, and understand that "bullying hardly ever happens."
• The mathematics curriculum is "strong," with staff using a "confident and consistent approach" to ensure all pupils, including those with SEND, access learning effectively.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive "well-planned support" and are "fully included in the life of the school."
• The early years provide a "strong start," with staff effectively promoting language development and using indoor and outdoor areas to support learning.
• Staff form a "close, supportive team" who appreciate leaders’ care for their workload and well-being.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must refine the curriculum in a small number of foundation subjects to ensure it is "coherently planned and sequenced" so pupils know and remember more over time.
• Leaders should ensure the approach to teaching early reading enables all pupils to develop quickly as "fluent, confident readers," following the introduction of a systematic synthetic phonics programme.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are "effective," with staff and leaders understanding it as a "shared responsibility" and picking up on concerns "straightaway."