West Bridgford Infant School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 November 2023

West Bridgford Infant School is truly a place where 'bright ideas shine'. Learning is an exciting business. As one pupil told an inspector, 'We learn to shine brightly.' Pupils are well cared for and nurtured. Relationships are highly positive. Leaders' high expectations of pupils are shared across the full staff team. Pupils know that they are expected to be 'ready to learn, ready for life and ready to shine'. They know how the 'shine brightly' characters, including 'Agent Concentrate', 'The Collaboration Kids' and 'Professor Perseverance', help them to learn and to get on with each other. Pupils behave well. They meet the high expectations set by staff. They consistently use the many stairs in the school in a safe and orderly manner. They understand why it is important to hold the handrail and to walk quietly. Pupils are excited by the rewards that they earn, including completing their 'tens chart' and receiving 'shine brightly' stickers. They know the consequences of being placed on the 'thinking and sad faces' system. However, they are adamant that the sad face is rarely used. Older pupils are proud to take on the role of 'playground friends' and to help younger children to play and be happy.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum does not identify the most important content that pupils are expected to know and remember. As a result, pupils' recall of the curriculum is not as comprehensive as it could be. The school should ensure that, across all subjects, the curriculum makes clear the most important content that pupils should learn and commit to their long-term memory.
• In some subjects, assessment procedures are not yet fully developed. This means that, in these subjects, the school does not have a fully rounded view of how pupils are performing. Assessment is not being used as well as it could be to inform curriculum improvements, nor to judge how effectively the subject is being taught. Leaders should ensure that their approach to assessment in foundation subjects is fully developed and implemented.
• In a small number of cases, leaders do not use the full range of information available to them to evaluate the impact of the school's work. This means that some opportunities to identify strengths and possible areas for improvement are missed. Leaders should ensure that they use the full range of information available to them to identify strengths and possible areas for improvement in the school's provision.

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