Eastfield Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Eastfield Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and well cared for at this school. Lessons are interesting, and pupils can take on lots of different jobs that help others. Whether pupils start in the Reception class or join at other times, they are made to feel welcome.

If they are new to the country and speak a different language, staff help them to settle in and feel at home.

There can be some challenging behaviour, but staff deal with it well. Staff also do all they can to stop it happening again.

Leaders take any allegations of bullying seriously and find out what happened and why. They treat every...body fairly and have high expectations.

Most parents and pupils agree that the school's rules are consistent.

They like the way that leaders and staff listen to them and attend to any worries they might have. They also value the different awards that recognise and reward pupils' good work and positive attitudes. Pupils enjoy school.

Each day, reading is organised and taught very well. There are strengths in other subjects too, but also some aspects that are not as strong.

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

The headteacher and senior team provide supportive leadership, both within school and the local community.

They have designed a curriculum that meets pupils' needs and raises their aspirations. They explain expectations to parents and go out of their way to support them if they face difficulties. In turn, parents show strong loyalty to the school.

As soon as children start in Reception, staff begin teaching them to read. They introduce them to letter sounds through structured daily lessons. These continue throughout key stage 1, so pupils can build fluency.

Books are well matched to the sounds being taught, and pupils are expected to read regularly in class and at home. There is a well-stocked school library, and staff in all classes introduce pupils to different stories and poems. Staff do much to promote a love of language and literature, from authors in school to theatre trips and a book trolley on the playground.

As in other subjects, staff make regular checks on pupils' progress. Teachers organise catch-up reading sessions in the afternoons if anyone falls behind. The mathematics curriculum is also well planned, with detailed guidance for staff to follow.

However, at times, teachers' explanations or choice of resources are not matched carefully enough to what pupils need to learn.

Leaders have planned out what pupils should learn and when in other subjects. Pupils say they enjoy lessons and that staff make them interesting.

Work in books shows that pupils get a lot done and make progress. Even so, in some subjects, leaders have not thought enough about important recurring ideas. This means that pupils sometimes find it hard to see connections between new and previous learning.

For example, they learn about different periods of history but do not develop increasingly complex ideas about enduring concepts, such as monarchy.

The curriculum and after-school clubs provide a range of sports and physical activities. Pupils take part in competitive events and have enjoyed success in local tournaments.

The school's long-standing link with the Wolves Foundation, official charity of the local football club, provides additional opportunities. On top of this, school trips, including residential visits to activity centres, help to broaden pupils' experiences and outlook on life. Furthermore, pupils can apply to do special jobs in school.

These include being a librarian, a house captain or an e-safety leader. Pupils are proud to hold these roles and can explain how they help others.

New leadership of special educational needs and/or disabilities is bringing fresh ideas that are strengthening practice.

In the Reception class, staff are quick to identify children's particular needs. They discuss these with parents and take advice from experts when necessary. Whenever possible, staff provide extra support in class so that pupils do not miss out on what their peers are learning.

Some pupils arrive at school midway through the school year, often from other countries. The school's inclusive, friendly ethos ensures that they settle in quickly and can join in with everyone else. However, there can be some challenging behaviour.

Staff expect pupils to be polite and attentive in class. Most of the time, pupils respond well to these expectations and lessons run smoothly.

Most staff survey responses indicate that workload is reasonable.

Staff said that leaders support them in their work and check that they know what to do in different situations when asked during the inspection. Governors understand their role and are very supportive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders are attentive to legal guidance and very alert to local risks. They make sure that staff know how to respond to concerns. They take allegations and incidents seriously and, when necessary, act quickly to keep pupils safe.

When pupils miss school, staff find out where they are and why they are absent.

Staff teach pupils how to behave in different situations and support them to make responsible decisions. They make sure that pupils understand what safe and healthy relationships look like.

The school site is kept secure. All the correct checks on adults in school are completed.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The mathematics curriculum is not implemented as well as it could be.

Sometimes, teachers' explanations or choice of resources are not carefully matched to what pupils need to learn. Leaders should continue to provide appropriate support to staff so that pupils in all classes can do as well as possible in mathematics. ? Leaders have not thought enough about some important recurring ideas in a few subjects, particularly the humanities.

This means that pupils can find it hard to see connections between new and previous learning. Leaders should review curriculum design to ensure that key, subject-specific concepts are revisited and built upon with sufficient frequency.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2013.