Albany Infant and Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 September 2022

Pupils are committed to being an 'Albany all-star'. It is part of their school's values of being safe, happy, kind, proud, polite and respectful. These values underpin school life. Parents and carers have a positive view of the school. As one parent said, 'fantastic school, caring and supportive'. Pupils behave well. They feel safe at school. Incidents of poor behaviour are few, minor in nature and quickly resolved. On the rare occasion pupils need help to manage their behaviour, tailored support is put in place. Pupils know what bullying is. They know that trusted adults in school will help them should they have any worries. Thus, instances of bullying are very rare. The school's curriculum provides pupils with experiences that will help them understand their local community, such as visiting the theatre. Pupils enjoy sharing the vast array of books in school. In assembly, they listen carefully to the stories that adults share and consider how the way a character reacts to a situation in a story might help them do the right thing if they were in a similar situation. Children in the early years have opportunities to develop their early communication, language and social skills well because adults have created a purposeful environment indoors. However, this is not as well developed when children are learning outdoors.

What the school should improve

• Some leaders are new to the role of subject leadership. They do not have the necessary knowledge to support teachers with the delivery of subject curriculums. They have not made sufficient checks to ensure that the school's curriculum is consistently well enough implemented. Subject leaders must have the appropriate support, knowledge and expertise so that they fulfil their roles effectively.
• Leaders have not carefully considered what pupils in the early years will know and remember when they access the learning outdoors. This hinders children developing their knowledge and understanding of the early years areas for learning. Leaders must ensure that all adults have high expectations of what children can learn and achieve while they are in the outdoor area.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)