Whittington Moor Nursery and Infant Academy

Overview

Pupils enjoy attending this school, reflected in positive attendance rates and a sense of pride in their roles within the community. The report describes a nurturing environment where staff are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who receive well-tailored support. While the overall effectiveness is rated as Good, the inspection highlights specific areas regarding curriculum precision and teaching consistency that require attention.

Strengths

• A new phonics programme is "working well," with books "closely matched to the sounds they have learned," helping pupils become fluent readers.
• Relationships between pupils and adults are positive, with pupils being "well cared for and nurtured" and behaviour described as good.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well, with staff having a "fully rounded understanding" of their needs.
• The early years curriculum prepares children well for key stage 1, with staff skilled at helping children develop communication and language skills.
• Leaders have created a "caring and ambitious staff team" who share the vision of an environment where pupils can "thrive and blossom."

Areas to improve

• The curriculum in some subjects does not identify "precisely enough the most important information that pupils need to know and remember," hindering leaders' ability to check knowledge building.
• There are "minor inconsistencies in how effectively teachers deliver the curriculum," with some pupils not mastering essential knowledge before moving on.
• The curriculum for children joining from age two lacks detail, failing to identify "specific milestones that they expect these children to reach before nursery age."

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with regular staff training ensuring that keeping children safe is the school’s highest priority and concerns are recorded in detail.