Praise for ‘highly-inclusive’ infant school in new-look Ofsted report

A Bath school has received the new-look report card from Ofsted following an inspection.

The 11-page report on Widcombe Infant School at Archway Street was published on 12th February following the visit by a team of inspectors on 6th January.

Alongside other reforms, Ofsted’s newly introduced report card offers more detailed information for parents and providers and a five-point grading scale with the top grade being exceptional, followed by strong standard, expected standard and needs attention, with urgent improvement at the bottom.

The inspectors said Widcombe Infant School is at the expected standard in five categories – achievement; attendance and behaviour; curriculum and teaching; early years; and leadership and governance.

For inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing, it is judged to be of a strong standard.

The safeguarding standards are said to be met at the school, which is part of Palladian Academy Trust.

In the section exploring what it’s like to be a pupil at the school, the report says: “Pupils enjoy attending this highly inclusive and friendly school. They benefit from the warm welcome they receive from staff. Staff know pupils well.

“They forge positive relationships with pupils and their families. This ensures a positive start to the school day and that pupils are ready to learn.

“Pupils demonstrate the school’s values of friendship, kindness, honesty, respect and perseverance. Pupils of all ages play well together during social times. They are adamant that any form of bullying does not occur.

“Pupils know they can talk to adults about any worries or concerns they may have. This helps pupils to feel safe.”

The report adds that pupils typically live up to the school’s high expectations for behaviour and have a “thirst for learning”.

Staff routinely identify and remove any challenges that the most vulnerable pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, face. This helps pupils to succeed in their learning.

Most pupils attend well and where attendance falls below the school’s high expectations, leaders work closely with families to understand and overcome any barriers.

Pupils are said to participate enthusiastically in a wide range of enrichment opportunities and take considerable pride in the leadership roles offered by the school, such as house captains, librarians and play leaders.

The report notes: “The compelling sense of belonging is a golden thread that runs throughout the school. Parents and carers express unanimous support and trust for the school.”

The report highlights that there are 178 pupils at the school, slightly below the 180 capacity. The national average for an infant school is 272 pupils.

A total of 11.24% of pupils at the infant school are eligible for free school meals, below the national average of 26.3%. The number of pupils with an education, health and care plan is 2.25%, close to the national average of 3.5%.

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school is 6.18% of pupils, well below the national average of 15%.

Under the Next steps section, Ofsted says leaders should ensure that teachers design learning activities that consistently build and deepen pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills across the wider curriculum.

They should also ensure that staff in the early years consistently maximise opportunities to engage children in high-quality interactions.