Petersfield Infant School

Inspection of Petersfield Infant School St Peter’s Road, Petersfield, Hampshire GU32 3HX

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 24 and 25 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Petersfield Infant School are confident, friendly and enthusiastic. They enjoy their interesting learning and fun lessons. The values of kindness, respect and resilience are well understood and meaningful to pupils. These help them to feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Staff know pupils well and build warm, positive relationships. Pupils are expected to work hard. They engage well in their learning and achieve highly. From the start of the early years, children quickly develop great independence and a firm foundation for later learning. Pupils play together well during social times, making good use of playground equipment and activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a range of wider experiences to support pupils’ personal development. Pupils enjoy attending lunchtime clubs, such as yoga, gardening and choir. Regular trips and visitors bring classroom learning to life. For example, a trip to the beach helps pupils to develop their mapwork skills in geography. The school teaches pupils the importance of fairness and equality. As one pupil commented, ‘Difference makes us unique.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are unanimously positive about the school’s work. Many describe how their child is thriving thanks to the school’s care and support.

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

Leaders and governors are determined that all pupils should receive a broad, rich and high-quality education. Staff receive well-considered professional development to fulfil their roles well. Leaders’ effective actions have ensured that the school continues to improve.

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

The school has reviewed its curriculum. A coherently designed curriculum is in place across almost all subjects, from the start of early years. The knowledge and skills that pupils should acquire have been carefully identified. This means that pupils build their knowledge logically and sequentially.

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

Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. They present information clearly and concisely. This helps pupils, particularly those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to learn well. Teachers regularly check that pupils have understood their learning and address any gaps or misconceptions.

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

The school has prioritised reading. Consistent, high-quality phonics teaching means that pupils quickly become confident, avid readers. Teachers quickly spot pupils who have gaps in their knowledge and give them extra help to succeed. By the end of key stage 1, almost all pupils read independently and fluently. They love choosing books from the exciting range available in the new library. 24 and 25 June 2025

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Pupils achieve well across subjects. For instance, in mathematics, skilled staff help children in the early years to develop a firm grasp of numbers and simple calculations. In design technology, pupils learn important skills, for example food hygiene and cutting fruit safely. The school has high expectations of pupils’ writing. Pupils write neatly and accurately during English lessons. However, pupils’ writing across some other subjects is not as strong because the school does not insist on the same level of accuracy in handwriting, punctuation and spelling.

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Pupils with SEND achieve well thanks to the school’s inclusive approach. The school clearly identifies the needs of pupils with SEND and ensures that teachers have the relevant information to support pupils’ needs. Where this relates to helping pupils to manage more challenging behaviour, staff do this sensitively and calmly.

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Routines and expectations are well understood by pupils. For example, pupils clear away their trays independently at lunchtime and move around the school calmly. Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful and trusting. Pupils feel confident to ask staff for help if they are worried or upset. In the early years, children develop strong personal, social and emotional skills, in readiness for key stage 1. During lessons, almost all pupils focus well. If, on occasion, a pupil loses concentration, staff help them to quickly get back on track.

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The school provides pupils with opportunities to widen their experiences. Through their work on sustainability, pupils learn about the importance of protecting the environment. Pupils are taught about people of different faiths and cultures and regularly consider their rights and responsibilities. This helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain. Well- being is a high priority for the school. Pupils learn about their physical and mental health, including ways to understand their emotions. Pupils develop their character, including through participating in local events outside the school. However, there are fewer opportunities for pupils to take on meaningful responsibility and leadership roles within school. This means that their positive contribution to the school community is limited.

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Governors have a deep understanding of the school, offering helpful support and challenge. Staff appreciate that leaders are very mindful of their workload and well-being. Staff are committed to helping all pupils to flourish.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s expectations of pupils’ writing in wider subjects are not high enough. This means that pupils are not encouraged to apply their strong knowledge of grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting in subjects other than English. The school should 24 and 25 June 2025

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ensure that staff have consistently high expectations of pupils’ writing across all subjects.  There are currently too few opportunities in school for pupils to take on meaningful responsibilities. Many pupils do not experience how to actively contribute to the school community or learn how to best support their peers. The school should ensure that pupils have more opportunities to be responsible, active citizens in school.

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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.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 24 and 25 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.petersfieldinfantschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 October 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  There is a before-school and after-school club providing childcare for pupils attending the school. It is run by school staff and managed by school leaders.

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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 and/or sixth form 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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 24 and 25 June 2025

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 Inspectors held meetings with leaders, including the headteacher, other senior leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors met with four governors, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector held a meeting with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading; mathematics; design technology; music and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to staff, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at pupils’ work across the wider curriculum.  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, positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  To gather their views, inspectors spent time observing and talking to pupils.  Inspectors took account of responses to the staff survey and spoke to staff about their views.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, and also spoke to parents at the beginning of the day.

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Inspection team

Maria Roberts, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kate Magliocco Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 June 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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