Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive and flourish at this exciting, nurturing and inclusive school.

The headteacher and staff are united in their ambition for every pupil to achieve their very best, academically and personally. They are determined that all pupils leave the school as confident individuals who develop a love of learning for life. There is an extremely purposeful atmosphere, with happy pupils enjoying learning in every classroom.

Leaders' expectations are high, and this is reflected in pupils' exemplary behaviour and attitudes. Bullying is not a problem. Pupils have complete confidence that staff will quickly help them to sort out any issues should they occur.

Pupils ...feel safe in school and well looked after by kind, encouraging and caring adults.

Children in Reception settle well and learn the routines of the school very quickly. Pupils very ably demonstrate the school's five key values of confidence, ambition, perseverance, empathy and success.

Pupils take great pride in their school and their achievements. Leaders plan a wealth of opportunities to enrich the curriculum. Pupils benefit enormously from these first-hand experiences.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and its leadership. They describe it as 'more than a school, but a community', 'absolutely fantastic' and a 'wonderful, caring, amazing school'.

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

Leadership is outstanding.

Leaders, including governors, know their school community exceptionally well. They have an unwavering determination to provide the very best learning experience for all pupils, including the most disadvantaged and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, pupils' aspirations are sky high.

Leaders have created a rich and extremely well-designed curriculum. It fires pupils' interest and imagination. In all subjects, the essential skills and knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which they learn it is clearly and precisely set out.

In Reception, activities are very well organised and help children develop curiosity, independence and resilience. They are deeply engaged in learning. This continues throughout the school and, as a result, pupils are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Staff are highly ambitious for every pupil irrespective of their different needs. Leaders are quick to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. The curriculum is carefully constructed to ensure that these pupils enjoy the same opportunities to learn alongside their classmates.

Staff expertly adapt learning and provide appropriate support and resources to ensure that all pupils learn the curriculum successfully and achieve highly.Subject leaders are extremely skilled and knowledgeable. They work exceptionally hard to ensure that the curriculum is the right one for pupils.

Teachers have expert subject knowledge. They benefit from high-quality training that leaders provide. Teachers use assessment very effectively.

They check pupils' understanding and use the information to skilfully adapt teaching. This helps pupils to learn and remember essential knowledge. Pupils are particularly enthusiastic about the headteacher's quizzes, which 'remind us and help us to remember what we know.'



Reading has high priority across the school. Leaders ensure that staff teach phonics extremely effectively and consistently. Pupils quickly learn the sounds they need to help them read.

They regularly read books that are very well matched to the sounds they know. This helps pupils to develop confidence, fluency and expression. Staff quickly identify pupils who are at risk of falling behind and give them extra help to keep up.

A love of reading is promoted all around the school, not least the attractive and inspiring 'reading wall' in the hall. Older pupils develop as confident, fluent readers, with skills to access the wider curriculum. Teachers choose texts carefully to challenge and ensure pupils experience a range of reading genre.

The promotion of pupils' personal development is exceptional. All pupils take part in a rich range of extra-curricular activities. Leaders are relentless in their drive to ensure that pupils experience a well-considered range of opportunities before they leave school.

Pupils understand the cultural heritage of where they live and their own cultural backgrounds as well as that of others. Pupils understand, respect and appreciate difference. One parent, who echoed the views of many, said, 'I feel complete confidence every time I drop them off that they're going to learn, have fun and feel safe and confident to shine as individuals.'



There is a strong culture of mutual support and teamwork among staff. They appreciate that leaders listen to them and are always considerate of their workload and well-being. Staff feel valued and exceptionally proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a strong safeguarding culture. Pupils' well-being, welfare and safety are a top priority.

All staff are well trained in safeguarding matters. They know pupils and their families very well, which helps them quickly identify when pupils may be at risk of harm.

Staff know the procedures to follow if they have a concern, including recording information.

Leaders are tenacious in ensuring that the necessary action is taken swiftly, including the involvement of external agencies if appropriate. Governors assure themselves that safeguarding is effective. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online or in the local area.

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