Eling Infant School and Nursery is a happy place to learn, where relationships are based on mutual respect and understanding. Friendship is an important aspect of school life. During the inspection, I attended an assembly about how to be a good friend. Pupils were able to reflect on how they had been a good friend recently. They told me that bullying does not happen, as pupils are kind. Pupils feel safe in school and know that adults listen to them. Leaders have high expectations of what all pupils can do. Staff know their pupils extremely well and pinpoint when extra support is needed. Leaders are determined that every pupil develops a love of learning and achieves well. Leaders’ actions have ensured that attendance has improved immensely since the last inspection. Pupils love coming to school. They especially enjoy mathematics lessons and the wide range of after-school clubs. Parents and carers appreciate being invited into class to learn alongside their children. This helps them understand how to support learning at home. Parents are complimentary about the school. One parent wrote, ‘This really is a lovely school, with a family feel, who clearly put the children at the heart of what they do.’ What does the school do well and what does it need to do better? Leaders have made a great start in reviewing the curriculum to make sure that pupils learn and remember more in a wide range of subjects. Leaders have sequenced pupils’ learning so that they study the right content in the right order. Teaching builds on what pupils already know. Teachers follow a two-year cycle of learning at Eling, to support their mixed-age classes. The first year is planned in detail and followed closely in lessons. The exact detail of what is to be taught in subjects other than English and mathematics for the second year of the cycle is yet to be fully planned out. Leaders make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported and fully included in all aspects of school life. Staff skilfully adapt learning because they understand this group of pupils’ needs thoroughly. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well. Many children enter the school with speech and communication difficulties. Leaders ensure that there is a sharp focus on helping children pronounce sounds and learn new vocabulary as soon as they start in Nursery. Children in the early years are keen to learn from a wide range of interesting activities. For example, adults helped children learn new words to describe patterns while bark rubbing. Children could describe what the logs felt like, using words like ‘bumpy’ and ‘smooth’. Phonics is taught well. Pupils work through the programme systematically. Leaders assess regularly and thoroughly. Teachers use these assessments well to make sure that any pupil needing extra help is given precise support. Reading books used in lessons match exactly the sounds pupils have learned. However, this is not always the case with books that pupils take home, so they sometimes find these too hard. Leaders have developed a love of reading at Eling. Pupils read often, proudly wearing stickers announcing how many ‘reads’ they have completed so far this term. They confidently told me about the books they enjoy. The school’s work to develop pupils’ broader development is strong. For example, the leaders make sure that pupils can articulate and understand their emotions. The local authority uses leaders’ expertise in this area of work to support other schools. Staff ensure that pupils are taught how to be effective learners. Animals called the ‘learning friends’ help pupils understand this. One pupil told me how the rabbit helps him to be brave in his learning, explaining, ‘We are not scared if we get something wrong in our work.’ Pupils also love their leadership roles. For example, I observed Year 2 sports leaders skilfully organising and running a game of ‘What’s the time, Mr Wolf?’ for younger pupils. Leaders ensure that the school has an inclusive and respectful ethos. Pupils work together well in lessons and try hard. They are proud of what they achieve. However, occasionally, some pupils can be a little chatty and need a small reminder to focus back on the task in hand. Staff are proud to work at Eling. All staff who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire strongly agreed that the school is well led. They know that the headteacher considers their workload when introducing new ideas to the school.