Elmwood Infant School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 July 2024

Pupils are happy and proud members of the Elmwood community. Each pupil's uniqueness is valued. Diversity is celebrated throughout the school. Pupils feel safe here and are kept safe. This is because of the warm and nurturing relationships between staff and pupils. The school is ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Leaders and staff have sharply focused on ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well across the curriculum. This work is effective overall. Additionally, the school's '10 super skills' are well embedded throughout the curriculum and other aspects of school life. These are designed to support pupils to be successful learners and develop skills for the future. Expectations for pupils' behaviour are clear and understood by all. Pupils are polite and respectful. In lessons, they are typically focused and enthusiastically engaged in their learning. Pupils enjoy the social times that they have at break and lunch times. Pupils' wider development is supported through special events and celebrations in school. For example, pupils enjoy the learning and experiences provided by 'achievers week', 'refugee week' and 'the pride of Elmwood' celebration. Educational visits, such as to Crystal Palace Park and the local library, enrich the taught curriculum. Pupils have opportunities to contribute their ideas to the school community through being part of the school council.

What the school should improve

• Leaders' clear vision for pupils' learning is not fully realised through the delivery of a few aspects of the curriculum. Sometimes, the activities in lessons are not sharply focused on the expected learning, and across the wider curriculum, there are occasions where adaptations to help pupils with SEND are not consistently in place. In addition, reading practice for weaker readers is, in a few instances, not giving sharp emphasis to developing their fluency. These things all reduce the quality of pupils' learning. The school needs to continue to develop staff expertise to address these aspects, including through the provision of further training for staff where needed.
• Some checks on what pupils know and understand are not robust enough. This means that, sometimes, pupils' misconceptions or gaps in their understanding are not picked up. The school needs to ensure that pupils' understanding is routinely checked across the curriculum, and that teaching addresses any gaps.

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