Schools in Portsmouth: Southsea Infant School receives good Ofsted rating following recent inspection

Southsea Infant School, located in Collingwood Road, has received a good Ofsted result following its recent inspection which took place on January 23 and 24. The inspection found that there is a 'rolling focus on ‘perseverance’, ‘collaboration’, ‘independence’ or ‘aspiration’ keeps the school’s ‘learning powers’ in pupils’ minds.'

The report said: "The school is emerging with renewed strength from a period of leadership turbulence and staffing turnover, on top of the challenges presented by the pandemic. Expectations have been reset. Behaviour is managed well so that classrooms are calm and conducive to learning.

"Equality is woven through daily life. It is evident in the care taken to identify additional needs as early as possible and tailor provision. Well-planned professional development is deepening staff’s understanding of the challenges some pupils face. Pupils learn to respect difference. They are quick to speak out if they think someone is being treated unfairly because of their skin colour or gender."

The school is persistent in tackling punctuality and school absence and since a change in leadership, there has been a lot of work to get the school in a good position.

The inspection also found that 'staff are not guided well enough in some foundation subjects to ensure that pupils’ learning is sequenced from lesson to lesson, week to week and term to term. The quality of implementation is variable.' As a result of this, staff and leadership need to improve the content that is being taught and how well students retain the information.

The report added: "New leaders have an accurate and realistic picture of the school and know exactly what needs to happen to improve pupils’ learning further. The fact that teaching in English and mathematics is stronger this school year is proof of that. They know that it is important to develop the role of subject leaders to play their part in the improvements needed.

"Early reading is taught precisely, starting as soon as children join Reception. Teachers keep a close check on pupils’ learning in class. Pupils hone their skills by reading books that match the sounds they have learned. They develop a love of reading by sharing other books, aptly marked with a heart, with their family."

The safeguarding measures are effective and there is a strong culture of keeping children safe. For more information about the inspection, click here.