Eastfield Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this inclusive and well-run school. Pupils are taught by committed and passionate teachers.

They receive help from knowledgeable support staff. This is true for all pupils, including children in the early years, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and pupils accessing the 'My Space' on-site provision.

Lessons are carefully planned.

As a result, pupils find learning interesting, stimulating and fun. Pupils achieve highly. They remember much of what they have been taught.

Their performance in tests and assessments is strong.

Pupils' behaviour is exceptional. Across all classes, and throug...hout school, pupils follow the well-embedded expectations of behaviour.

Bullying is rare and pupils say that adults sort out issues when they arise. Pupils feel safe at school. They enjoy coming to school and most pupils attend regularly.

Children in the Nursery and Reception classes benefit from provision of an exceptional quality. The most is made of every opportunity to support children in these classes.

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

The curriculum at the school is comprehensive and coherent.

Pupils access lessons in all national curriculum subjects. Members of staff have oversight of individual subjects throughout the school. Staff are passionate about these responsibilities.

Following the previous inspection, in 2022, leaders have reconsidered some areas of the curriculum. In music, for example, there is a new, well-sequenced curriculum plan. Teachers follow this plan in their lessons.

Lessons are well taught. As a result, pupils are starting to remember more of what they learn in music.

Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading.

Pupils begin to learn how to read as soon as they join the school. Reading lessons are usually well planned and well delivered. Leaders carefully track the progress that pupils are making in all subjects, including in reading.

This allows them to intervene and support pupils who have fallen behind. Leaders have identified a group of pupils who currently need additional support to read fluently. Various strategies are in place to help these pupils catch up.

In some subjects, such as mathematics and history, the curriculum has been embedded for a longer period of time. Pupils remember much of what they have been taught in these subjects. In some other subjects, as a result of changes to improve the curriculum, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

Leaders are aware of these gaps. Teachers are addressing them, with early signs of success.

Pupils with SEND are supported at school effectively.

Their individual needs are known. In lessons, teachers use various strategies, often successfully, to help meet these pupils' needs. There are, occasionally, unavoidable delays in getting some pupils extra help from outside agencies.

Leaders do what they can to mitigate this.

Pupils are taught how to stay safe. They know how to recognise and tackle the risks they may face in life.

They have been taught how to stay safe online. They learn lots about growing up in modern Britain. This learning is part of the high-quality personal, social and health education curriculum.

There are also other ways in which pupils are supported to develop their character and experience leadership opportunities. This provision is exemplary. For example, all pupils access termly enterprise events.

This helps prepare them for the world of work. There are various clubs available to pupils, and leaders have plans in place to extend this offer further. Some pupil leaders are part of the established 'East team'.

The East team members are very proud of their roles and responsibilities in school.

Children in the early years get off to the very best possible start in school. Every opportunity is taken by staff to help develop children's vocabulary.

The curriculum in the early years provides a solid start for lessons in the later years. Children are continually stimulated in the Reception and Nursery classes. Activities are well delivered and the learning environment supports pupils with their learning.

Children in the early years behave exceptionally. They show respect for each other and work well together.

The school hosts an additional resource provision to support pupils from local schools who are at risk of exclusion and/or have specific behaviour needs.

This facility is known as 'My Space'. For the vast majority of the pupils who attend this facility, their experiences are positive. Pupils in the provision access lessons in a range of subjects.

Expert staff act as coaches and mentors, supporting individual pupils successfully to help remove some of the barriers they face. Some pupils are reintegrated back into their host school, following a placement at 'My Space'. Some are supported to find specialist settings.

Others may stay at Eastfield for an extended period of time. Decisions about next steps are made with the best interests of pupils in mind.

There is a culture of openness, transparency and honesty throughout the school.

Staff enjoy working at the school. They want the very best for pupils. Leaders in the school are supported effectively by colleagues from the trust central team, in addition to leaders from other schools in the trust.

All leaders, including trustees and members of the academy improvement committee, continually seek ways to improve and refine aspects of school life to help ensure that pupils' experiences of primary education are as positive as possible.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have made several improvements to aspects of the school's curriculum.

These changes are supporting pupils to improve the knowledge and skills they develop across subjects. Some of these changes now need time to embed to ensure pupils achieve as well as they can. Leaders should continue to offer effective support to all staff during the implementation and consolidation of the recent changes to the curriculum.

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