Dronfield Infant School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

Dronfield Infant School aims for everyone to 'learn together, believe and achieve.' This aim is realised. Pupils work hard, grow in confidence and achieve well. They are helped to do this by a strong team of staff who are united in their ambition. The school is a cohesive community. Pupils behave well. They are polite and courteous. They enjoy the wide range of rewards on offer. For example, 'Hot Choc Fridays' with the headteacher, 'wow moments', earning tokens and special awards. These all motivate pupils to behave well and to work hard. Pupils know that the school expects them to be 'ready, respectful and safe'. They live up to these expectations. Pupils are proud to represent their school in the many sporting tournaments, events and competitions that the school enters. They take great pride in the positive contribution that they make to their community, including through the roles of school councillors, 'Eco Green Team' and mindfulness ambassadors. The mini play leaders make sure that no one is left out at playtimes. They wear their caps with pride! Pupils are well looked after. They know who to go to if they have a worry or concern. They have an impressive understanding of how to stay safe online.

What the school should improve

• The school has not completed its revised curriculum. While the first year, 'Cycle A', is well designed and ordered, the work on 'Cycle B' is at an early stage of development. This means that the school cannot be sure that pupils' knowledge builds cumulatively over time. The school should ensure that, across both cycles, its curriculum is fully planned and sequenced.
• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the content that pupils are expected to know and remember longer term. In these cases, pupils' recall is inconsistent. The school should ensure that its curriculum, across all subjects, makes explicitly clear the content that pupils are expected to commit to their long-term memory.
• Beyond the phonics programme, the school's reading curriculum does not make clear how pupils will build their knowledge over time. Although it sets out the books that pupils will study, it is not always clear what pupils are expected to learn from them. This means that the school cannot be sure that content is taught in the best possible order. The school should ensure that its reading curriculum, beyond phonics, makes clear what pupils are expected to know at each stage of their education.

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