Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 May 2025

Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School is highly nurturing. Pupils benefit from the caring atmosphere throughout school. They know they are safe and belong here. This helps them to be happy and confident individuals. The school has raised the ambition of the curriculum and has made recent improvements to it. In the early years and in reading, these changes, alongside the development of staff expertise, are having a positive impact. However, in other subjects, improvements are still at an early stage and have not yet had the intended positive impact on pupils' learning. This means pupils are not prepared well enough for Year 3. The school supports all pupils to develop their talents and interests. The school has ensured that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included and know they are valued as part of the school community. Pupils behave well. They play and work well together. They learn to treat others with kindness and respect. Staff know pupils well. Relationships between staff and pupils are delightful. The personal, social and health education provision teaches pupils how to manage friendship issues and stay safe online.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the curriculum is not broken down into clearly defined, sequential steps. As a result, staff are unclear about the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to be successful in the next stage of their education. The school should ensure that all subject curriculums are carefully sequenced and broken down into manageable steps so that staff can build pupils' knowledge effectively over time.
• Teachers do not consistently check what pupils know and can do. This means they are unable to identify and address gaps in learning or misconceptions effectively. The school should improve its systems to check what pupils know and can do so that staff accurately check pupils' understanding and use this information to inform teaching.
• Some pupils with SEND do not receive precise support. This means that the school does not remove barriers to their learning to help them be successful in the work that is set for them. The school should ensure that pupils with SEND receive precise support that meets their individual needs and enables them to succeed.
• Leaders do not effectively evaluate the impact of the changes they have introduced. As a result, they do not always know which actions are improving the quality of education. The school should ensure that staff implement its improvement strategies and agreed policies effectively and in a timely manner so that pupils can achieve well across the curriculum.

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