East Anstey Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend East Anstey Primary School. The school has high expectations for pupils. Pupils live up to these expectations.

In the classroom, pupils listen and learn well. In the playground, all ages play together harmoniously. They devise their own games using a variety of equipment available to them.

Pupils behave well.

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and supportive. Staff care about pupils and their families.

Staff greet pupils with a smile as they walk into school. Pupils are happy to belong to this friendly community school. Everyone is treated fairly and with respect.

Pupils learn how to play musical instr...uments like the gamelan, ocarina and recorder. They have opportunities to perform in assemblies and concerts. Trips and visits bring the curriculum to life.

The school builds pupils' character and resilience. Older pupils take part in the Exmoor challenge, where pupils in teams of four use compass and map reading skills to navigate a 16-mile route over Exmoor.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

Parents value the strong commitment to their children. All of the parents who responded to Ofsted Parent view would recommend the school.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has designed a curriculum which is suitable for mixed-aged classes.

In most subjects the content is sequenced in a sensible order right from the start of Reception Year to the end of Year 6. For example, in mathematics, children in Reception use cubes to add two numbers together. Older pupils use their knowledge of fractions and decimals to solve more complex problems involving money.

However, within a small number of subjects, the school has not identified with enough precision the small steps of knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember, starting in the early years. This means that pupils have gaps in their learning. They are less well prepared for the next stage of their education.

In mathematics and English, subject leaders check how well pupils learn the curriculum. The school trains staff well to support the teaching of the curriculum. For example, staff receive comprehensive phonics training and so they teach this with precision.

However, in the wider curriculum, subject leadership is new and developing. The school has not ensured that staff have the depth of subject knowledge they need. Consequently, the curriculum is not delivered as consistently well in these subjects as it is in others.

As a result, pupils do not learn as well.

Reading is a top priority for the school. Children get off to a strong start in the development of language and communication skills in Nursery.

Skilled adults encourage children to use new vocabulary and extend their speaking skills. In Reception Year, children learn phonics as soon as they start. Most pupils are able to use their phonics knowledge confidently by the end of Year 1.

Pupils practise reading with books that are well matched to the sounds that they have learned. When reading, pupils decode and read many words with accuracy. Older pupils enjoy reading.

They describe their favourite books and authors eagerly. They are proud of the new library space.

Assessment is used well to check what pupils know and remember.

Staff identify and use assessment information to adjust their teaching and to tackle any gaps in pupils' learning. The school provides extra support to pupils who need it. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all aspects of school life.

The school ensures that staff identify the needs of pupils with SEND accurately. Most pupils' targets are well matched to what they need to focus on. The work in their books shows that pupils with SEND learn the curriculum and make progress.

The school promotes pupils' wider development well, such as their economic understanding. Pupils understand the importance of learning, particularly mathematics and how this can impact future careers. For example, the school organises a 'business week' where pupils design and run different events which raise money for the school community.

Pupils have an awareness of some of the fundamental British values. For example, they are knowledgeable about the recent changes to the monarchy and prime ministers. Pupils are respectful of differences between people.

Older pupils have a clear understanding of world religions.

Governors hold the school to account effectively. They are clear about the school's strengths and priorities for improvement.

All staff are committed to making a positive difference to the lives of the pupils who attend the school. They are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

• The school has not fully identified the precise knowledge and skills that pupils will learn in some subjects in the wider curriculum. This means pupils' understanding does not build well over time. The school needs to continue developing the whole curriculum, so it provides the key knowledge pupils need to remember over time.

• In some subjects, staff do not have the depth of subject knowledge they need. This means that pupils do not learn as well as they otherwise could. The school needs to ensure that it supports all staff to improve their subject knowledge and enhance the teaching of the wider curriculum.