The Park Infant & Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 30 January 2024

Pupils are proud to attend this school. They speak with enthusiasm and excitement about all that they do. Central to the work of the school are its values of 'PRIDE': perseverance; respect; independence; distractions - not let others distract; and explain learning. These are the guiding principles for how pupils should behave and aspire to achieve. These values encourage pupils to be confident in their learning and not fear failure. The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve well. Pupils rise to these expectations and enjoy the challenges that teachers set for them. All staff take great care to know and understand the pupils in the school. As one parent stated: 'The staff across the school, in all roles, genuinely care about the children and give them good learning experiences.' Pupils behave well in and around school. The behaviour policy is consistently applied. Pupils aspire to earn 'pride points'. They say the behaviour system helps them to know what good behaviour is. They learn how to put right their mistakes. Pupils are respectful, kind and polite. Pupils take the valued roles of snack, library and playtime monitors seriously. Through roles such as these, pupils learn the significance of helping others.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, teachers do not make strong links to prior learning. This means that pupils are not always making connections with what they have learned before and building learning up over time. The school should complete the work on those subjects so that knowledge is clearly, and precisely, built up over time.
• In a few foundation subjects, the school is not checking what pupils know and remember effectively. This means there are gaps in pupils' knowledge. Leaders should refine their systems for checking what pupils know and remember to ensure that gaps in knowledge are identified and opportunities put in place to plug those gaps.
• Opportunities to explore and develop pupils' talents and interests are not as broad as they were before the pandemic. This means there are limited opportunities for pupils to develop cultural capital. The school should explore ways to provide rich experiences within and beyond the curriculum to provide all pupils, including the most disadvantaged, with experiences that broaden their horizons.

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