Mrs Bland's Infant School

Mrs Bland’s Infant School is a highly nurturing and inclusive school where pupils are happy, courteous and confident learners. Behaviour and personal development are particular strengths: pupils take on leadership roles with pride, contribute to village and fundraising activities, and show mature respect for diversity. The curriculum is ambitious and engaging from the early years, is designed to be accessible for all pupils including those with SEND, and reading gets off to a swift start. Children in Nursery and Reception benefit from strong, caring relationships and thoughtfully planned activities. Attendance is high, safeguarding is effective, and governors and leaders provide effective support and challenge while knowing their improvement priorities. The main area for improvement is assessment. In a few subjects, and occasionally in early years and phonics, staff do not check pupils’ understanding well enough or address gaps and misconceptions before moving on. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure all staff use assessment efficiently to adapt teaching and support so every pupil progresses well through the curriculum. Contextually, this was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection; it is a maintained infant and nursery school within The Burghfield Common Federation, formed in October 2023.

Strengths

• Exceptionally nurturing, warm and inclusive school culture where every child is accepted and celebrated.
• Pupils behave extremely well, are courteous and take on leadership responsibilities with confidence.
• Personal development is a standout strength, including community involvement, fundraising and respect for diversity.
• Ambitious and engaging curriculum from the early years, designed to be accessible to all pupils including those with SEND.
• Strong early reading provision helps pupils become fluent and enthusiastic readers.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and accurately, with specialist support used when appropriate.
• Children in the early years make a positive start through strong relationships and thoughtfully designed activities.
• Pupils have high expectations of themselves, positive attitudes to learning and high attendance.
• Governors provide effective challenge, guidance and support.
• Leaders are ambitious and know precisely what needs to improve next.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff value the consideration given to their workload and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, teachers do not check pupils’ knowledge and understanding well enough before moving on.
• In early years and phonics lessons, key gaps and misconceptions are sometimes not addressed, so some pupils do not learn as well as they could.
• Assessment is not consistently used to adapt teaching or support so that all pupils progress effectively through the curriculum.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Mrs Bland's Infant School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Mrs Bland's Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Mrs Bland's Infant School had 21.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 14.4% of pupils at Mrs Bland's Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Mrs Bland's Infant School received £9,140 and spent £9,635 for each of its 349 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £37,000 (-£105 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). This school files a single return with the other schools in its federation, so the figures are for the whole federation.

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What is Mrs Bland's Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mrs Bland's Infant School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Mrs Bland's Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mrs Bland's Infant School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Mrs Bland's Infant School have?

Mrs Bland's Infant School has 181 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mrs Bland's Infant School cover?

Mrs Bland's Infant School for pupils aged 2 to 7.

Where is Mrs Bland's Infant School?

Mrs Bland's Infant School is at Jordan's Lane, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 3LP.