Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 May 2026

Pupils arrive to a warm welcome from staff every morning. Staff know pupils well and use their expertise to provide precisely the right support for anyone who may need it. Pupils are proud to be part of the school. They particularly enjoy contributing to the school community as library monitors, school councillors, and by helping with worship in school assemblies. Well-established routines help pupils feel safe, secure and ready to learn. Pupils’ excellent behaviour is highly conducive to learning. This positive attitude is instilled from the Nursery and is deeply embedded throughout the school. Staff act as strong role models for the school’s values of kindness and respect. Pupils love playing and socialising at lunchtime. The playground is deliberately designed so that pupils can learn and build their confidence through playing and exploring with their friends. Pupils play happily together and know it is right to love and include everyone. Bullying is rare, but pupils rightly trust staff to help them if it were ever to happen. Pupils’ attendance levels are generally in line with the national average. When attendance falls below the school’s expectations, leaders provide tailored pastoral care and support to help each pupil and their family. The school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum, which staff routinely refine in response to pupils’ changing needs and interests. Leaders have embedded highly effective strategies to identify pupils’ needs and address them swiftly. The school environment is deliberately designed to support pupils’ learning and wellbeing extremely well. Communication and language are prioritised from the very start. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, typically achieve well from their starting points. In the past, some pupils with gaps in their phonics knowledge struggled to catch up, which hindered their reading fluency. Leaders identified this and successfully introduced adaptive teaching strategies so that all pupils, regardless of their barriers to learning, now achieve well and become fluent readers.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should continue to embed their adaptive practices so that pupils with low starting points catch up rapidly and are very well prepared for the key stage 2 curriculum.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils with barriers to learning and/or wellbeing attend school regularly.

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