Corfield CofE Infant School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 February 2026

Pupils’ experiences at this school are mixed. The school offers pupils a nurturing environment, where staff know them well. Warm relationships between staff and pupils help pupils feel happy and secure. However, while children make a successful start to their education in the early years, they do not go on to achieve as well as they should. Some pupils cannot access their learning well enough. This means they do not secure their understanding of important knowledge and skills in sufficient detail. Decisions that leaders make about the curriculum are not always in pupils’ best interests. Pupils do not become fluent readers as quickly as they should. Outcomes in the phonics screening check are significantly below national averages. Recent work to help pupils who have fallen behind with their reading to catch up is beginning to make a positive difference. Most pupils attend school often. They know how they are expected to behave. They respond positively to this and conduct themselves well. They follow instructions and, typically, listen carefully in class. Pupils enjoy social times and report that bullying is rare. They are confident that staff will help them if they have a concern. Pupils understand how they can make a positive difference in school. They enjoy being responsible for carrying out special roles and responsibilities in the classroom and on the playground. The school actively promotes pupils’ broader development. A range of clubs and activities nurture their interests. Pupils enjoy the sports and science clubs. Educational visits are well planned to build pupils’ character. The school ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged and those who speak English as an additional language are included in the wider aspects of school life.

What the school should improve

• Leaders must ensure that all pupils benefit from their full entitlement to an appropriate education.
• Leaders, including governors, must make sure that they have the knowledge and skills needed to improve the school, and that they act swiftly and decisively to remedy any areas of weakness.
• The governing body must ensure that it has an accurate view of the school's strengths and the areas that need to improve so that it can enhance the support and challenge that it provides to leaders.
• Leaders must make sure that their evaluation of the quality of the curriculum and of teaching is accurate. They should prioritise the most important areas for improvement and monitor the impact of their work closely to ensure that it is having the desired impact.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment information effectively to check what pupils know already so that learning is adapted appropriately, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Leaders need to continue their work to improve pupils' achievement, particularly in the early reading and writing.

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