Eynesbury CofE C Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics by:
  • developing and embedding leaders’ recent changes in order to increase the amount of challenge for pupils across key stages 1 and 2
  • ensuring that all teachers and teaching assistants take the starting points of their pupils into account at all times when planning and delivering learning activities
• Improve leadership and management by:
  • providing foundation subject leaders with additional support, training and challenge that will enable them to work with the same degree of impact as the leaders of English, mathematics, science and SEN and/or disabilities
  • ensuring that leaders’ expectations are carried out consistently in all classrooms at all times.
• Enable disadvantaged pupils to make additional improvements to their educational outcomes by:
  • further reducing the rates of absence and persistent absence of disadvantaged pupils so that they are in line with their non-disadvantaged peers nationally.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has established a culture of high expectation and ambition for pupils, regardless of their background or any additional challenges that they might face. Governors, leaders and staff are all equally committed to providing pupils with a high-quality education within a caring and nurturing environment. Pupils are grateful for the wide range of curricular and extra-curricular activities that support their academic, social and emotional development. As a consequence, pupils receive a good quality of education.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Their evaluation of their own effectiveness provides a clear overview of what they do well, along with an appropriate selection of areas identified for further improvement. Leaders’ development plans are well focused; they contain specific targets and milestones that they review regularly alongside governors. Leaders are accurate in their assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching and learning. Staff receive training that is appropriate to their professional needs; they value the support offered by leaders and say that it makes them more effective. As a consequence, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment continues to improve.
• Leaders have high aspirations for pupils. Pupils are now set more challenging targets in reading, writing and mathematics, while leaders monitor pupils’ progress closely with their improved tracking systems. Leaders assess pupils’ work accurately and they use this information to plan additional support through pupil progress meetings. Leaders acknowledge that the progress of pupils who left the school in 2017 was disappointing. However, their prompt action has ensured that pupils who currently attend the school make good overall progress.
• Leaders’ commitment to the provision of a broad and balanced curriculum is evident throughout the school. Pupils talked with excitement about the topics that they cover and of their enjoyment of learning in and out of the classroom; they say that they particularly enjoy music and physical education (PE). The range of subjects that pupils study is evident in the displays of their work that are located throughout the school. Work on display ranges from the study of ancient civilisations to producing art work in the style of contemporary artists. The standard of work that pupils produce across the curriculum is good. For example, there is little difference between the quality of writing seen in pupils’ English books and that seen in their history, geography and religious education work.
• Pupils’ experience at school is enhanced by the range of extra-curricular activities that leaders provide. There are many clubs on offer and they are popular with pupils. Pupils are also able to receive additional support at the activity sessions that run before the start of the school day.
• The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. The school corridors reflect its Christian ethos; displays focus on friendship, support and thankfulness and these values are lived out on a daily basis by pupils and adults. Pupils enjoy participating in choir practice and they are proud of the different positions of responsibility that they hold. The broad curriculum develops pupils’ understanding of other cultures and beliefs, while adults and peer mediators demonstrate how to resolve conflict respectfully. As a result of leaders’ actions, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• The SEN and/or disabilities coordinator (SENCo) provides strong leadership. She has a clear understanding of pupils’ barriers to learning and she regularly reviews the support that is being provided for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. The SENCo’s high expectations, close tracking of pupils’ progress and collaborative work with pupils and their families ensure that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their different starting points. However, leaders acknowledge that there is not a sufficiently coordinated approach to the use of teaching assistants in classrooms, which means that sometimes these pupils do not make as much progress as they could.
• Leaders quickly identify disadvantaged pupils’ barriers to learning. They develop plans that make good use of the pupil premium funding and ensure that specialist staff provide targeted support to individual pupils. Alongside the development of academic support for pupils, leaders also ensure that disadvantaged pupils have the opportunity to undertake the same range of activities that are available to their non-disadvantaged classmates. A recent series of interviews between the headteacher, link governor and disadvantaged pupils demonstrated that pupils’ attitudes to learning continue to improve. As a consequence of leaders’ actions, disadvantaged pupils are making better progress. Although their attendance is improving, it is still not good enough.
• The coordinators of English, mathematics, science and SEN and/or disabilities provide strong, effective leadership. They are knowledgeable, they monitor their areas closely and their plans for improvement are having an impact. Leadership of the other curriculum areas has improved since the previous inspection; however, it is not yet as effective. Leaders are committed to ensuring that all middle leaders are consistently highly effective.
• The primary PE and sport premium is spent effectively. Leaders are committed to using the funding on initiatives that will leave a long-term legacy, for example the creation of a key stage 2 outside gym. They also ensure that staff receive appropriate training to increase their competence and confidence to teach unfamiliar sports. As a result of leaders’ actions, pupils’ attendance at sessions has increased, teachers are more confident and more sports teams are now attending competitions. Leaders acknowledge that they currently do not measure the impact of their actions with enough precision.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well. While they celebrate its many strengths, they are equally aware of its priorities for improvement. Governors receive regular training in relation to their specific roles on the governing body. Through governors’ meetings and their visits to the school, governors offer leaders effective challenge and support.
• Governors ensure that their statutory duties, especially in safeguarding pupils’ welfare, are fully met. The link safeguarding governor checks safeguarding arrangements, including the record of pre-employment checks, regularly. Governors receive valuable training that helps them to understand their responsibilities linked to keeping pupils safe.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school has a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff at all levels receive regular safeguarding training and they know how to identify pupils who are potentially at risk. Staff understand, and follow, leaders’ clear protocols for the reporting of any safeguarding concerns.
• School leaders ensure that safeguarding concerns are logged and they are tenacious in making sure that child protection referrals are dealt with appropriately. The maintenance of child protection files is effective and leaders work well with representatives from other agencies.
• All required checks are carried out when recruiting new staff to work with pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders’ actions have improved the quality of teaching across the whole school. The overwhelming majority of parents who responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, agreed that pupils are taught well; pupils who met with inspectors said that they enjoy their lessons and that they make good progress.
• Relationships between teachers and pupils are strong. The bond between teachers and pupils encourages pupils to take risks. They are not afraid to get something wrong as they know doing so will help them to improve. Pupils work well together; they offer honest and appropriate opinions about each other’s work, which enables them to make further improvements.
• Many teachers question individual pupils, and groups of pupils, skilfully in order to provide them with specific guidance about what they need to do to improve their work. Good subject knowledge allows teachers to check pupils’ understanding and provide additional support, where necessary. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson about spirals, pupils’ knowledge and understanding were continually stretched by highly effective questioning.
• Teachers are effective in supporting pupils to share their ideas with each other. Pupils are confident to discuss their learning either with their talk partner, with pupils on their table or as part of a whole-class discussion. As a consequence, pupils deepen their understanding by making links between their thinking and that of their classmates.
• Teachers use regular assessment to develop their understanding of pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. They use these activities as a helpful way of providing pupils with feedback about how they can continue to improve their work. However, there are some occasions when learning activities are not closely linked to the teachers’ assessment records. In these situations learning is not as strong; pupils lose focus and they are not challenged as much as they should be.
• When teachers and teaching assistants carefully plan learning together, pupils are well supported and provided with a range of activities that take into account their different needs. For example, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson, high-quality questioning by teaching assistants clarified pupils’ misconceptions and challenged them to learn quickly. However, at times this type of planning is less evident. In these cases, pupils are not supported as effectively; they sometimes have to wait for help and they can become distracted by others.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good
• Pupils enjoy school and have positive attitudes to learning. They embody the school’s ethos; they are kind, caring and welcoming. Pupils know that they are all different and they understand the needs and backgrounds of their classmates. One pupil described the school as, ‘All about fun and Christianity!’
• Through a well-planned programme of personal, social and health education, pupils develop a good understanding of how to stay safe in a variety of situations, including when using the internet. Pupils said that they feel safe in school and that they have the confidence that staff will help them if they have a worry or a concern. Pupils also said that there is very little bullying in the school; when it does happen, pupils say that it is dealt with quickly and effectively.
• Since the previous inspection, leaders have worked hard to involve parents more closely in their children’s education. A large number of parents responded to Parent View. An overwhelming majority of those parents agreed that their children are safe, happy and well looked after. One parent commented, ‘Eynesbury has everything that we could ask for in a school.’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good
• Pupils are friendly, polite and well mannered. They follow the instructions of their teachers and they have good attitudes to learning. Pupils behave well at lunch and breaktimes. They are well supervised outside, where they socialise or play sensibly in small groups.
• Leaders have high expectations about behaviour and there are clear systems to support staff. The number of fixed-period exclusions is low, while the number of incidents reported at break and lunchtime is low and decreasing. Pupils generally behave very well in lessons. On some occasions, pupils can become disengaged and this can lead to incidents of low-level disruption. When this happens, teachers do not always follow the school’s systems consistently.
• The overwhelming majority of parents who responded to Parent View agreed that pupils are well behaved, as did staff who completed the Ofsted staff questionnaire.
• Pupils’ absence continues to remain in line with the national average, while the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent remains below average. As a result of leaders’ actions, the absence and persistent absence of disadvantaged pupils has reduced this year; however, both are still too high.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Children join the early years with skills that are broadly typical for their age. As a result of effective early assessment, leaders ensure that children’s individual needs are identified quickly and that learning activities support their progress. As a consequence, children make good and improving progress across early years.
• The proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year has been either above or broadly in line with the national average over the last three years. Leaders’ assessments, evidence in children’s workbooks and observations of teaching all demonstrate that children this year are making good progress.
• As a consequence of an effective, systematic approach to the teaching of phonics, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the national phonics check at the end of Year 1 has been in line with the national average over the last two years. The proportion of pupils on track to achieve the expected standard in 2018 remains in line with the national average.
• In 2017, at the end of key stage 1, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the expected standard and at greater depth was in line with the national average, having risen from the previous year. Pupils in Year 2 are currently on track to attain well and make continued good progress by the end of key stage 1.
• Leaders acknowledge that progress at the end of key stage 2 has not been good enough over the last two years. Pupils’ attainment in reading at the expected standard was below the national average in 2017, while pupils’ attainment in writing at greater depth, and mathematics at the higher standard, was below the national average in 2016 and 2017.
• Leaders have responded robustly to these disappointing results, and with impact. As a consequence of improved leadership, staff training and more effective assessment systems, current pupils are making good overall progress across key stage 2.
• Leaders’ assessment records, supported by work seen in pupils’ books and visits to lessons, demonstrate that pupils in Year 6 are now attaining at a higher level than similar pupils did at the same time last year. Although progress is improving rapidly, leaders acknowledge that more pupils still need to work at the higher standard.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged make good progress. Leaders identify their needs quickly and provide a wide range of effective support. Although most of the support that leaders offer to pupils is effective, the impact of the support provided by teaching assistants is inconsistent.
• As a result of strong links with other local schools, leaders ensure that pupils are well prepared to move on to the next stage of their education.

Early years provision Good

• Children make good progress in early years. The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development has increased over the last three years. Children currently in early years develop well and they are prepared for Year 1 effectively.
• Leadership of early years is strong. Children benefit from a well-qualified and experienced team that focuses on developing them as learners. Leaders’ work to support children as they join the provision is effective. They work closely with families and pre-school providers to ensure that children make a smooth start at Eynesbury.
• The early years curriculum provides children with a wide range of opportunities to develop their academic, social and emotional skills. Children’s learning opportunities are enhanced by a high-quality learning environment where they benefit from individual, small-group and whole-class support; this takes place in the well-resourced classrooms and in the spacious and well-designed outside areas.
• Teaching in early years is effective. Children benefit from a range of well-planned activities that engage their interest and allow them to develop their skills across the different areas of learning. The learning environment is well organised and children are effective in selecting from a range of different activities. They are well supported by experienced teaching assistants.
• Leaders have worked hard to improve communication with parents since the previous inspection. Examples of children’s progress are now shared much more regularly with parents. As a consequence, parents are now able to play a greater role in their children’s education.
• Members of the early years team regularly observe children in order to assess how quickly they are developing and if they need extra help. Although this ensures that children make good progress, there are times when learning could be further enhanced by increasing the level of challenge in some of the activities.
• Adults ensure that children behave well and that they are safe. Children collaborate well, they listen attentively and they support each other. The environment is safe and adults are well trained to care for and protect the children. Safeguarding arrangements are secure.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 110820 Cambridgeshire 10046084 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 250 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Stewart Martin Helen Rouse 01480 398028 www.eynesburyschool.co.uk office@eynesbury.cambs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school is a slightly smaller than average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who receive SEN support is in line with the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have a statement of SEN or an education, health and care plan is above the national average.
• The school met the government’s floor standards in 2017, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of key stage 2.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the SENCo, the early years leader, other leaders, members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority.
• Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Inspectors observed learning in 23 lessons, or parts of lessons, some jointly with leaders.
• A wide range of pupils’ workbooks were looked at by inspectors throughout the inspection.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils informally in class and around the school at break and lunchtimes to seek their views about the school.
• Inspectors met with two groups of pupils more formally to discuss many aspects of school life.
• Inspectors heard pupils in Years 1, 2, 3 and 4 read. Inspectors talked to pupils about their reading habits.
• Inspectors scrutinised the school’s website and a range of school documents, including assessment information, minutes from the governing body meetings and the school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness. Inspectors also scrutinised leaders’ improvement plans and their records about behaviour, safeguarding and attendance.
• Inspectors considered the 106 responses and 18 free-text comments made by parents to Parent View. Inspectors also spoke to some parents before school. Inspectors considered the 22 responses by staff to the Ofsted staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Daniel Gee, lead inspector Simon Eardley Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector