Heatherside Infant School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 January 2025

Pupils enjoy their time at this school. They learn alongside each other happily in lessons and have positive relationships with adults. The culture of respect and tolerance permeates all activities. Pupils are supported to make an exceptional contribution to the school community. The school ensures that all pupils benefit from excellent opportunities to develop their character. Pupils enjoy each other's company and play together amicably. Pupils are safe in the school and know that trusted adults will address any concerns they may have. The school expects all pupils to achieve as well as possible, both in and out of lessons. The school takes deliberate action to make sure that this is realised. For example, in several subjects, the curriculum has recently been redesigned to reflect the local context of the school. This has resulted in an engaging curriculum that motivates pupils to achieve well. Pupils' behaviour at the school is exceptional. In lessons, pupils are focused on their learning, and when they are asked to contribute, they do so with enthusiasm. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They explain how their children love coming to school and typically use words like 'fantastic' and 'amazing' to describe it.

What the school should improve

• In some foundation subjects, staff do not check pupils' learning precisely enough to identify pupils' next steps in their learning. This means that in some subjects, pupils begin to study new content without first securing their prior learning. The school should ensure that staff check pupils' learning carefully in these subjects and identify where there are gaps in knowledge, so that these can be addressed.

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