Highfield Infants' School

Highfield Infants' School

Address: Highfield Drive, Shortlands, Bromley, Kent, BR2 0RX Unique reference number (URN): 140082

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Exceptional

Pupils achieve remarkably well and make substantial progress from their starting points. In the Reception Year, children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to succeed in Year 1 and beyond. Pupils go on to build up crucial knowledge across all curriculum subjects as they move through the school. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who join the school at different times in the year.

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Achievement Exceptional

The proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check is consistently above the national average. They apply their phonics knowledge fluently and confidently when reading and writing.

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Achievement Exceptional

By the end of Year 2, pupils are highly proficient in reading, writing and mathematics. They use this knowledge to produce work that is of a consistently high standard. Across subjects, pupils demonstrate a depth of knowledge and explain their thinking using ambitious subject- specific vocabulary. As a result, pupils are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Attendance and behaviour Exceptional

Leaders have established a culture in which families and pupils fully understand and value the importance of regular attendance. Their work to help all pupils attend regularly is highly personalised and thoughtful. For example, they entice pupils into school by inviting them to walk the school dogs before lessons begin, or to feed the rabbits. Leaders also sensitively make adaptations to their provision to make sure that pupils who have been ill or have medical conditions can return to school as quickly as possible. Leaders' unwavering commitment to attendance has led to consistently high attendance rates for all pupils. These are above the national average and are sustained over time. Leaders are incisive in their analysis of attendance data, responding quickly and effectively to any dips in attendance rates.

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Attendance and behaviour Exceptional

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Behaviour in lessons is consistently positive and purposeful. Pupils rise to staff's high expectations of how they should conduct themselves. Behaviour routines are well embedded and understood by all pupils. Breaktimes are happy and harmonious. Pupils play cooperatively, initiate games independently and speak positively about friendships and behaviour within the school. Pupils show high levels of respect for each other. They negotiate with each other to resolve any friendship issues or disputes. Rare incidents of unkind behaviour, such as bullying, are resolved quickly. Trusting relationships between staff and pupils contribute to the highly positive behaviour of pupils.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Pupils relish their learning because the curriculum is rich and exciting. It is broad, balanced and and taught to a consistently high standard across the school. Staff make sure that the curriculum stays fresh by adapting and reviewing it in light of the local context and pupils' interests. For example, when pupils show interest in a particular science topic, teachers find additional texts on these themes which are shared during English lessons.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Across the curriculum, teachers design learning that enables pupils build on previous learning and deepen their knowledge over time. Teachers adapt their teaching of the curriculum successfully to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and pupils who face other barriers to learning. Phonics is taught well from the start of the Reception Year. Staff establish firm foundations for a love of reading that is nurtured throughout key stage 1.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teachers make learning interesting and fun in a range of ways. For example, they skilfully use modelling and visual resources to support learning. A sharp focus on language development and vocabulary is evident across the curriculum. Teachers are experts in ensuring that pupils collaborate well and learn together. Mostly, teaching provides pupils with clear support and guidance when they have misconceptions. Very occasionally, this approach is not fully implemented.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders regularly review the curriculum and the quality of teaching. They make carefully considered refinements as needed. They also provide focused professional development to strengthen staff's expertise and practice.

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Early years Strong standard

The early years is a vibrant, busy and exciting area of the school. There is a buzz of activity as children in the Reception classes play and learn with interest, excitement and enthusiasm.

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Early years Strong standard

The curriculum is carefully ordered so that children build up the crucial knowledge and skills that they need across all areas of learning. Leaders ensure that the curriculum is taught well with high-quality interactions between staff and children. Staff skilfully extend children’s thinking, enable independence and support appropriate risk-taking. This enables children to develop confidence and resilience which supports them to be independent learners. Leaders emphasis the development of children's early reading, writing and mathematical knowledge. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning are identified early. They receive the support that they need to be successful. Children progress very well through the early years curriculum from their starting points. They are more than ready to meet the demands of Year 1.

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Early years Strong standard

Relationships between staff and children are caring and nurturing. This helps children to feel safe and settled. Relationships between staff and parents and carers are highly positive. Parents appreciate the lengths that staff go to, in order to help their children achieve well while enjoying their learning, developing their individual characters and gaining in confidence.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Inclusion lies at the heart of the school’s work. Leaders, staff and governors have created a culture where pupils, regardless of their different needs, feel that they belong. Leaders at all levels maintain an unrelenting focus on ensuring that all pupils are successful and ready for the next stage of their lives. Leaders and staff have the highest expectations for pupils including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who have other barriers to learning. Their needs are identified early with meticulous care. Staff use their training very well to help them to meet pupils' individual needs effectively. Teachers successfully remove any barriers to learning because they know their pupils very well and adjust their teaching to meet individual needs.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have a deep knowledge of the pupils and their families. Leaders make sure that all pupils are able to attend school and access the curriculum on offer. Funding for disadvantaged pupils is used thoughtfully. This leads to pupils achieving well.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders set a clear and aspirational direction for the school which is understood and valued by staff, parents and carers. They understand their community and their pupils very well. Leaders continually look for ways to enrich pupils' lives within and beyond the curriculum offer. They place pupils’ learning, wellbeing and inclusion at the heart of every decision that they make.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders ensure that the curriculum meets all pupils' needs. Professional development is well targeted to consistently enhance staff's skills. Leaders at all levels collaborate extremely well to review and enhance all areas of the school's work. Their considerable expertise is shared widely across the trust, contributing positively to school improvement beyond their own school.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Trustees and members of the local governing body carry out their duties with great care and commitment. Local governors have a wide range of experience and expertise which they channel when supporting and challenging the work of the school. In a few aspects, however, these governance arrangements do not contribute as well as they could to enhancing the school's strategic priorities.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The school is popular in the local community and parents are very positive about the school and its work. Staff are proud and happy to work at the school. They feel very well supported with their wellbeing and workload.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for pupils' personal development, firmly placing it on an equal footing with their academic achievement. The programme that supports their personal development programme reflects the school's context and the needs of its community. It meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and other pupils who face challenges to their learning and wellbeing.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

This programme has been developed to ensure that pupils' views are represented across a range of areas in the school. Leaders have developed partnerships with other schools to help pupils understand and respect different faiths, a range of cultures and various type of families. The school's values, linked to fundamental British values, are taught systematically through the well-sequenced personal, social, health and economic education curriculum. This curriculum is taught very well. This means that pupils develop appropriate knowledge about healthy relationships, keeping themselves safe and respecting others.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders ensure that the pupils' learning extends well beyond the taught curriculum, with a wide range of enrichment activities and experiences. These include cultural days, 'fashion fest', educational visits to places of interest such as the wildlife centre, participating in fundraising events and a wide range of after-school clubs. All pupils access their opportunities which prepare them well for life beyond the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have placed a high priority on weaving the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils through the personal development programme. The school's work in this area had been recognised through a national award programme. It received a gold standard. Pupils feel cared for and valued. They appreciate being able to celebrate their achievements by talking about their 'proud clouds' during assemblies.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils are confident and resilient learners. They are proud of their work and achievements. This was exemplified by pupils in Year 2 performing the end of year show with great gusto.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are proud to attend Highfield Infants' School. They rarely miss a day of school because they understand how important it is to attend regularly. Pupils arrive at school happy and excited to learn new things. They are greeted by staff who know them well and care greatly about their wellbeing. Pupils are well cared for and safe. This is a harmonious, caring school where pupils achieve highly across the curriculum.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils' conduct is a real strength of the school. They behave exceptionally well in lessons and at social times. From the very start, the youngest children in the Reception Year manage their emotions well and show respect for one another. This continues throughout the school. Poor behaviour, including incidents of bullying, is extremely rare, but if it does happen, it is dealt with quickly and consistently.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy lessons and have lots of fun learning. The curriculum is rich and broad and teachers make learning exciting. Pupils achieve extremely high standards in their learning, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. This ensures that they are well prepared for the transition from early years to Year 1 and then to junior school. Leaders and staff successfully remove barriers to learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and vulnerable pupils because of the thoughtful adaptations that they make when teaching the curriculum. Pupils value the wide range of experiences that they access

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Team inspectors:

Lynne Dando, Ofsted Inspector Diana Valcheva, Ofsted Inspector beyond the classroom. Leaders’ vision to ‘open up pupils' eyes to the world’ is becoming a reality. Parents and carers speak highly of the school and staff are proud to be part of this vibrant school community.

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Next steps

Those with responsibility for governance should strengthen governance arrangements to further support the realisation of the school's strategic priorities. Embed the current highly responsive teaching further by ensuring that staff address misconceptions swiftly so that pupils deepen their knowledge.

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About this inspection

The school is part of the Nexus Education Schools Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Paula Farrow, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ann Golding.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

This inspection took place from 30 June to 1 July 2026.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served at HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the CEO, the chair of the board of trustees, senior leaders, staff, pupils and some parents and carers. They also spoke to members of the local governing body.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 30 June 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years. National average: 26.3%

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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