“THE children are at the heart of everything we do” – that’s the message from the headteacher of Park View Infant School.

The school, in Pinkerton Road, South Ham, Basingstoke, was graded as “requires improvement” at its last inspection in February 2013 – but Alison Johnson, the head teacher of nearly seven years, is happy with the progress that pupils and teachers are making.

She told The Gazette: “When Ofsted come in, they work with us and make sure that we are improving our teaching and learning.

“I am happy with the progress. We work closely with parents and they are supportive. We want every child to do their best and that is making sure maths, reading and writing makes as much progress as possible.”

She added: “We are moving the school forward, and keeping the children happy. It is important at this age that children coming to school feel happy and feel motivated to learn.

“We are very lucky – we have a lovely site and we can get children outside and they can be active.”

As well as the infant school, Mrs Johnson believes the adjoining nursery provision at the site is an important part of the school.

She said: “We have got a waiting list for the nursery and that’s nice because the majority of those there will join us in September. Although they have a separate building, they are part of the school.”

Deputy headteacher Cheryl Hawkings added: “Our curriculum has always been based on the needs of the children. If they are interested in bugs, we plan accordingly to promote interests to keep them engaged.

“Our main focus within the school is raising pupil attainment, which is the same for most schools. Our children make real progress but getting them to the national expectations is the main priority.”

Park View Infant School is the subject of a School Report feature in today's Gazette - which is on sale now.