Whitestone Infant School

Overview

Whitestone Infant School is described as a “welcoming and nurturing” environment where pupils are “happy, confident and lively.” The report highlights an “ambitious” curriculum and “exceptional” personal development, though it notes that some learning activities do not sufficiently help pupils retain knowledge over time.

Strengths

• Personal development is “exceptional,” with pupils participating in a “wide selection of clubs” and having a “real voice” through the school council.
• Early years provision is “outstanding,” ensuring children get a “flying start” with “well-chosen activities” that promote independence.
• Staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) “very well,” enabling them to “follow the same curriculum as their peers.”
• Reading is a high priority; most pupils are “starting to read fluently” by the time they leave the school.
• Leaders and governors are “mindful of staff’s workload and well-being,” fostering a strong sense of teamwork.

Areas to improve

• The school must develop “effective formative assessment systems” for foundation subjects so teachers can check what pupils have remembered.
• Learning activities in some subjects need to be planned to meet “clear and precise learning intentions” to ensure pupils “retain knowledge over time.”

Safeguarding

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