Thomas A Becket Infant School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 December 2024

This is a happy and successful school with an exceptionally strong sense of community. Parents and carers describe how their children 'thrive' and are 'nurtured' as a result of the strong relationships that exist within and beyond the school gates. Despite being a large infant school, this is still a tight knit community in which pupils are known well. Here, pupils play happily together and conduct themselves well. Children from Reception upwards are confident and increasingly independent, as they have been taught by caring staff who teach them these skills. They achieve well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They relish the opportunity to learn and be engaged in well-planned activities. Relationships across the school are strong. Pupils are assured that staff look after them and listen to them. They are taken seriously. They know how to raise concerns. Pupils know their school values of respect, effort, attitude, collaboration and honesty (REACH) incredibly well. They know how important they are. For example, children talked about how 'working together' was essential because 'other people might have skills and strengths you don't'.

What the school should improve

• Work to develop the subject-specific vocabulary that pupils use is in its early stages and not yet embedded. This means that, while pupils are exposed to increasingly demanding vocabulary, they are not yet systematically taught how to use and apply it in their learning. The school needs to continue to embed its training for staff to support pupils in being able to apply this learning effectively.

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