Eynsham Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Eynsham Community Primary School bases its school rules on three words, 'Ready, Respectful, Responsible'. These values are successfully reflected in everything the school does.

Pupils enjoy being at Eynsham because they feel safe, happy and valued. Pupils think the changes made by the new headteacher and her staff make Eynsham a better place to be. Parents and carers echo this in their many complimentary comments.

Pupils enjoy learning at Eynsham. They work hard and achieve well. This is because lessons are carefully planned and well taught.

Pupils can see clear connections between what they are currently learning and what they have learned before. There are ...strict routines and high expectations for conduct that help pupils act responsibly. This creates a pleasant learning environment.

Pupils see all staff as trusted adults they can speak to and ask for help if they need it. Pupils thrive in this school.

Pupils have lots of opportunities to take part in extra-curricular events and trips.

All pupils are encouraged and helped to take part in these. This improves their school experience even further and helps them to be effective learners and members of a community.

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

The headteacher has employed a committed, knowledgeable and motivated team of leaders.

They have worked hard to ensure staff provide pupils with an exciting curriculum. Plans and lessons cover the knowledge pupils need. In some areas, including English, mathematics and history, teachers plan activities and learning that builds on what pupils know.

In other areas, teachers are more reliant on leaders to support them with subject knowledge and planning.

Leaders and staff provide all children with a wide range of experiences and opportunities. For example, music lessons engage pupils and help them develop the confidence to try new things.

In art lessons, teachers make reference to both modern artists and historical work. Staff plan trips to support pupils' learning and to give them a sense of belonging to the local community and the wider world.

All staff are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Teachers and teaching assistants adapt lessons and provide additional resources that help all pupils to do well. Teaching assistants know what pupils need to learn and seek ways to support pupils in lessons and in small groups. Everyone makes sure that all pupils are successful and develop independence.

Leaders prioritise reading in the school. All staff and pupils recognise the importance of this area of learning. In key stage 2, pupils are adept at answering questions about a range of texts and can discuss the significant features.

The leader for English has been rigorous in developing pupils' love of reading and story- telling. Pupils enjoy listening to their teachers read from carefully chosen books. These often relate to what they are learning in other subjects.

Teachers explain difficult vocabulary and pupils are beginning to use some of these words in their own writing.

Children are taught about phonics from the beginning of Reception Year. Teachers and teaching assistants have a good understanding of how to teach early reading skills.

They plan fun activities that interest children. Early in Reception, children feel success as they find rhyming words and make 'silly soup'. Teachers quickly identify pupils who fall behind in developing their reading skills and give them extra support.

Pupils' behaviour had been an issue in the school for several years. The new leadership team quickly changed the approach and raised expectations. Teachers and teaching assistants received extra training on how to support pupils to manage their own behaviour better.

Behaviour is much improved. Pupils are well supervised and respectful and they play together happily. Leaders are keen that pupils leave the school needing less supervision and support to behave well.

The quality of education in early years is good and provides an ambitious and well-delivered curriculum that closely matches the individual needs of children. However, some areas of learning are not as well organised or resourced. This means that children do not always have what they need to access the ambitious curriculum, and opportunities to learn are missed.

Staff listen closely to children and naturally respond to children's verbal and non-verbal communication. The culture is safe, purposeful and kind. Staff are immediately responsive when children need comfort or encouragement as they play and explore.

Staff are determined that all pupils will succeed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff know pupils well and take their welfare and safety seriously.

Staff are trained to quickly identify pupils who may be at risk of harm or need early help. Any concerns are quickly addressed and safeguarding leaders ensure timely referral to other agencies.

Teachers help pupils to look after themselves by sensitively making them aware of risks both online and in the community.

This is supported by a well-planned personal, social, health and citizenship (PSHC) education curriculum and through assemblies.

Leaders ensure that all safeguarding processes and procedures meet requirements. Leaders and governors regularly check these.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The curriculum is much improved and provides pupils with well-sequenced and well-delivered learning. However, teachers' subject knowledge is still developing in some subjects and some year groups. As a result, teachers do not always challenge pupils and sometimes miss opportunities to improve pupils' knowledge and skills.

Leaders should maintain their focus on providing staff with high-quality professional development to ensure that all subjects are taught to an equally high standard. . Behaviour has improved at the school due to the changes made to practice and policy following the thorough analysis of incidents and patterns.

Pupils now behave well at the school because of the high-quality input by staff. Leaders recognise that they need to further develop pupils' self-control and positive attitudes so that they all behave well, even without supervision. .

The early years teachers plan a curriculum that provides a good start to children's education. However, sometimes resources are not accessible to children when they are needed and the environment does not always support the ambitious intentions of the early years team. Leaders are keen to develop this and further improve the children's access to resources and learning opportunities.

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