Eatock Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Eatock Primary School continues to be an outstanding school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish in the caring and supportive environment of this happy school.

They thoroughly enjoy learning and value their education. Pupils work with grit and resilience to meet the ambitious goals that are set by their teachers. They achieve very well.

An atmosphere of warmth and mutual respect permeates the school. Pupils champion one another and proudly celebrate the successes of their peers. They take care of the school environment and support each other well.

For example, pupils look out for anyone who may be alone at playtime. Year 6 'butterfly buddies' he...lp the 'caterpillar children' in the Reception class to quickly settle in and to feel part of the school's community.

The school is careful to ensure that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), participate fully in school life.

For instance, the school provides an extensive variety of sports and physical activities and ensures that pupils have the chance to represent the school in sports events.

Clubs and activities are regularly reviewed in consultation with pupils, to ensure that the offer helps to develop pupils' talents and interests. A wide selection of clubs are very well attended, including construction, coding, yoga and book clubs.

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

The school is determined to provide an exceptional education for pupils, regardless of any disadvantages that some may face. The school and the governing body work strategically to ensure that this vision is realised in every aspect of the school's work. As a result, pupils not only achieve well, but their time at school is filled with rich and memorable experiences.

The school has designed a broad curriculum that contains many references to the local area. It has carefully considered how pupils' understanding of each subject will develop over time. Consequently, staff know exactly what pupils need to learn and how this connects to their prior and future learning.

Staff have strong expertise across the curriculum. This empowers them to design inspiring learning that is highly effective in furthering pupils' understanding. In the early years, staff know the children well.

They skilfully develop children's knowledge and vocabulary through targeted interactions and well-designed opportunities for play.

Staff are adept in using assessment techniques to pinpoint any gaps in learning. They ensure that pupils have regular opportunities to recall prior knowledge.

Pupils confidently draw on past learning to develop new ideas. For example, in a history lesson, pupils determined the provenance of an artefact using their knowledge of the weaponry and technology in use at the time.

Expert staff have developed a rigorous programme to teach pupils how to read.

They use successful techniques that help pupils to recall the sounds that they are taught. Staff share these methods with parents and carers so that they can reinforce their children's learning at home. The school provides effective support to help pupils who struggle with reading so that they learn all that they should.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum throughout the school. This starts in the early years, where children experience new and familiar stories and rhymes. As they progress through the school, pupils encounter a rich and inspiring canon of texts.

Pupils of all ages practise their reading frequently using books that closely match their reading knowledge. As a result, pupils progress into fluent and enthusiastic readers.

Pupils are rarely absent from school.

They know that it is important to attend school regularly, so that they do not miss out on important learning and social times with their friends.

From the early years, staff are sharply focused on helping pupils to develop behaviours that are conducive to learning. They create enticing and supportive atmospheres within classrooms that encourage pupils to do their very best.

Pupils enjoy a vast array of experiences that extend beyond the academic. A considered and deliberate programme of trips and visits enhance pupils' learning and promotes their wider development. For example, pupils talked with enthusiasm of a recent visit to the zoo, and older pupils benefit from a residential trip where they undertake a range of adventurous outdoor pursuits.

The school makes frequent and creative use of the outdoor environment to enrich pupils' learning.

Pupils display an impressive understanding of fundamental British values, such as democracy, tolerance, and respect. These align closely with the school's own values.

Pupils benefit from discussions with visitors from a wide variety of religions and cultures, as well as visiting sites of religious significance and celebrating various cultural festivals.

The school prioritises support and training for staff. It regularly seeks feedback from staff and successfully tackles any issues that could hamper staff well-being.

As a result, staff are proud and happy to work at the school and fulfil their roles exceptionally well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

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

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in June 2016.

Also at this postcode