AN INFANT school in Buckinghamshire has been given its Ofsted rating following an inspection.

St George’s Church of England Infant School in Amersham on White Lion Road was inspected by the education and children’s services watchdog Ofsted.

Following the two-day inspection on November 30 and December 22 last year, the school with 172 pupils retained its previous ‘good’ rating.

What did Ofsted say?

 

The children, aged four to seven, were seen to enjoy school, the inspector said.

The children were proud of the school, and told Ofsted “that it is a friendly place where everyone is welcome.”

The report said: “The headteacher knows and understands the school community well. She greets everyone in the morning with Roxy, the school dog.”

Staff and leaders’ actions central around “Christian values”, and adults have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes, the report noted.

Most pupils learn to read well, and in maths children “achieve well,” Ofsted said.

To tackle bullying, the school has set up a ‘friendship bench’ designed to encourage kindness.

The report said: “Bullying and unkind behaviour are not tolerated.

“Pupils behave consistently well. They are kind and respectful towards each other in class and in the playground. Pupils enjoy answering questions and working together to solve problems,” the report continued.

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The children say ‘well done’ to each other when they answer correctly, the inspector saw.

Safeguarding arrangements at the school were “effective,” and governors made regular checks.

The report said: “The headteacher works well with external agencies to ensure that families get the help they need. She knows pupils and families well and follows up when they are not getting the right support.”

Pupils understood road safety, and also how to keep themselves safe using computers, Ofsted said.

What can the school do better?

 

Although pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are well supported by adults and many achieve well, at this “this is variable,” the report noted.

The support to pupils with SEND was “not always as precisely matched to pupils’ individual needs as it could be,” Ofsted said.

However, the school’s newly appointed SEND coordinator was taking action on this.

The school leaders were told to ensure that teachers are “carefully checking the books the pupils takes home and make sure they are getting enough practice in reading together in school” after the inspector saw that sometimes the children do not get enough opportunity to read and practice the sounds they know.

The school was contacted for a comment.