Uplands Infant School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 26 October 2022

Parents and carers, staff and pupils speak warmly about the school. Parents say that teachers are 'always ready to listen' and 'greet us with a smile'. The school lives up to its aim of providing a 'happy, warm and caring environment'. Pupils say that they feel happy and safe at school. They feel confident that staff will step in quickly if any problems, such as bullying, occur. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online, saying; 'Don't share your name and passwords with people you don't know.' Pupils often join the school able to speak little or no English. They receive prompt, skilled support to develop their language skills. The school also offers language workshops for parents, to help families settle quickly into the community. Pupils behave well, in lessons and around school. They listen attentively to staff and show positive attitudes to learning. Pupils are kind and caring to each other. They cooperate well at lunchtimes and playtimes. The school offers a range of extra-curricular activities to cater for a variety of interests. For example, pupils can take part in sports, ballet, reading, singing, art and Bollywood dancing. These activities are available to all pupils to foster their broader development.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have revised the reading curriculum in view of declining historic outcomes in phonics. Leaders acted to ensure that all staff have received training, and to strengthen their monitoring of the implementation of the phonics programme. There are encouraging signs that this is having a positive impact on pupils' development as fluent readers. However, there are still some inconsistencies in how teachers implement the agreed reading strategies. Leaders should ensure that the school's approach to the teaching of reading is consistently applied across the school, so that all pupils receive the support they need to develop quickly as capable readers.
• The early years curriculum is well planned and sequenced. Children benefit from meaningful learning opportunities in all of the early years classes, through the indoor provision. However, the quality of the outdoor environment does not match that of the indoor areas. Outdoor resources do not promote children's learning as well as they might. Leaders should ensure that the early years environment supports the implementation of the curriculum equally well across all areas of the provision.

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