Heatherside Infant School

Inspection of Heatherside Infant School Reading Road South, Fleet, Hampshire GU52 7TH

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since January 2015. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 7 and 8 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at this school. They learn alongside each other happily in lessons and have positive relationships with adults. The culture of respect and tolerance permeates all activities. Pupils are supported to make an exceptional contribution to the school community. The school ensures that all pupils benefit from excellent opportunities to develop their character. Pupils enjoy each other’s company and play together amicably. Pupils are safe in the school and know that trusted adults will address any concerns they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school expects all pupils to achieve as well as possible, both in and out of lessons. The school takes deliberate action to make sure that this is realised. For example, in several subjects, the curriculum has recently been redesigned to reflect the local context of the school. This has resulted in an engaging curriculum that motivates pupils to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour at the school is exceptional. In lessons, pupils are focused on their learning, and when they are asked to contribute, they do so with enthusiasm. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They explain how their children love coming to school and typically use words like ‘fantastic’ and ‘amazing’ to describe it.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff have strong subject knowledge across all subjects from early years onwards. The school has thoughtfully designed the curriculum to ensure that there is clear progression for all pupils from early years to the end of Year 2. Staff design engaging learning activities that help to ensure pupils are motivated to learn. Pupils remember important learning over time and can recall what they have previously learned with enthusiasm.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff are trained to identify where pupils may have additional learning needs and how to meet the needs of all pupils. This means that learning resources are adapted to ensure that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, learn the school’s full curriculum.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children begin learning to read from their first week in school. The school checks pupils’ progress in reading carefully and regularly. It precisely identifies where pupils need additional help to keep up with the rest of the class and carefully designs support for pupils to help them do so. The impact of this work is effective in helping pupils to keep up with their peers.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

In some subjects, other than mathematics and English, pupils’ learning is not checked as carefully. Therefore, staff are not consistently clear about what pupils need to improve before moving on to the next stage of learning. This means that pupils sometimes start new learning in these subjects when prior learning is uneven.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff take decisive action to ensure the highest possible standards of behaviour across the school. Staff understand their role in modelling behaviour. They make sure that pupils 7 and 8 January 2025

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understand the school’s expectations from the moment that they join the school. This starts in early years, when children are shown how to manage their belongings at the start of the school day and how they are expected to behave at playtimes and lunchtimes.

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The school is a calm and orderly learning environment. Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. They move quietly and sensibly to lessons and transition smoothly from activity to activity. Pupils are highly attentive when adults or other pupils are speaking in class. They fully engage with their learning and work well on their own or in groups. They show resilience when they encounter difficulties, and adults teach them how to work through these to succeed.

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The school offers an impressive range of opportunities for pupils to develop beyond the taught curriculum. This work is underpinned by the school’s values of respect, kindness, integrity, togetherness, resilience and creativity. Pupils understand the school’s values and their significance to their time in school. Assemblies, circle time, visits and activities are carefully crafted to ensure that pupils have plentiful opportunities to reflect on these values. The school is highly inclusive and works closely with parents to ensure that all pupils can engage with the full range of extra-curricular activities, trips and visits.

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Leaders at all levels have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and where it needs to improve. Recently, leaders have rightly focused on curriculum design to ensure that pupils enjoy a knowledge-rich curriculum alongside a comprehensive offer of wider development opportunities. Staff enjoy working here. They are appreciative of leaders’ recognition of and support for their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, staff do not check pupils’ learning precisely enough to identify pupils’ next steps in their learning. This means that in some subjects, pupils begin to study new content without first securing their prior learning. The school should ensure that staff check pupils’ learning carefully in these subjects and identify where there are gaps in knowledge, so that these can be addressed.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 7 and 8 January 2025

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 7 and 8 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.heathersideinfantschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 and 28 January 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2023.  The chair of governors started in his role in December 2021.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 7 and 8 January 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders and staff. The lead inspector met with some governors, including the chair of governors. He also had a phone call with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, physical education and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their learning and other aspects of the school. Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Paul Hemmings, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gareth Flemington Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 January 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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