East Park Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school East Park Academy is a school where pupils flourish and make exceptional progress. Manor Multi-academy Trust (MAT) and the local governing body provide exceptional support to and oversight of the school.

Their wide-ranging expertise provides very effective guidance to leaders and staff. The 'East Park 8' values flow through the heart of the school. They inform the thoughts and actions of all adults and pupils throughout each day.

Pupils are dedicated ambassadors for their school. They relish the significant range of roles and responsibilities on offer to them. They fulfil these with energy, understanding and a determination to mak...e a difference for their peers in the school.

Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported extremely well. This is both within the specially resourced provision and mainstream school. All adults who spoke to inspectors or responded to the online survey say they are proud to be a member of staff at the school.

They are compelling in their respect and appreciation of leaders' abilities to bring about improvements alongside positively promoting the well-being of staff and reducing workload. Leaders have crafted an exciting curriculum that engages pupils and helps them develop a sense of themselves within the wider world. Pupils use writing and mathematical skills for a range of purposes across the curriculum.

Pupils in key stage 1 do not have extensive enough opportunities to write at length. Pupils read widely and often. They appreciate the library facilities and outside reading courtyard.

Teachers develop pupils' early reading skills effectively. There are a few pupils whose home reading books are not closely matched to their phonics skills. Leaders show determination and dedication in keeping all pupils safe.

They have invested deeply in prioritising the welfare of both staff and pupils. Attendance is improving. There is the potential to further reduce rates of persistent absence.

Leaders in the early years have developed routines and a curriculum that recognise and respond to the needs of children. They make sure that high-quality teaching is a consistent part of each and every day. Adults in the early years foundation stage are knowledgeable and skilled.

They sensitively support and challenge children to grow and develop as independent, inquisitive and confident learners.

Information about this school

East Park Academy is a larger than the average-sized primary school. East Park Academy converted to become an academy on 1 December 2016.

East Park Academy is one of seven primary schools in Manor MAT. The board of trustees has overall legal responsibility for each school. They are also responsible for the quality of education provided by the school, its governance and its finance.

The board delegates some areas of responsibility to the local governing body, such as the curriculum, appointing teachers and support staff and the monitoring of pupil premium and the primary school PE and sports premium. The school is led by a headteacher, supported by the chief executive officer from the MAT and a deputy head. There have been considerable changes in other staff, including leaders and teachers, since the previous inspection.

The school has a resourced provision for pupils with hearing impairments. The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and eligible for the pupil premium is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is just below the national average.

The proportion of pupils supported with an education, health and care plan is just above the national average. Just over half of pupils are White British. Other pupils are from a range of different ethnic groups.

The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average. The school provides part-time places for children in the Nursery class, supplemented by a further 15 hours of nursery provision in Little Parkers. The school runs extended provision before and after school as well as a holiday club.