Eldene Nursery and Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ achievement to enable all groups of pupils to make good progress as a result of teaching that:
  • consistently checks what pupils know and can do more precisely to inform planning so that activities carefully meet the needs of pupils
  • provides the highest level of challenge to enable pupils to make the best possible progress, especially for disadvantaged pupils
  • ensures any remaining differences in pupils’ achievement are closed, particularly for disadvantaged pupils
  • consistently provides pupils with the information they need to improve their work.
• Further strengthen the leadership and management of the school by ensuring that:
  • middle leaders have increased opportunities to monitor and evaluate school improvement actions and drive improvements forward
  • leaders make close checks on pupils’ attendance and act swiftly to bring about sustained improvement, especially for those pupils who are disadvantaged and persistently absent from school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders, including governors, are clear about the school’s strengths and its areas for improvement. Their evaluation is accurate. Leaders understand the barriers to improvement and the key issues across the school. They are open and transparent about what needs to improve.
• The headteacher effectively leads a team of senior leaders who are united in ensuring that pupils achieve as well as they might. This is shared by staff and underpins the improvement initiatives.
• Senior leaders undertake regular checks on the quality of teaching. Their routine monitoring identifies what holds back the progress of pupils. They also use expertise from outside the school to further consider the school’s work and provide specialist advice. This helps them to resolve the barriers to pupils’ progress. Consequently, the quality of teaching is improving.
• The leadership of the resource provision is good. As a result, pupils who attend this provision receive good care and guidance and make strong progress.
• Teachers appreciate the training they receive and are provided with many opportunities to improve their skills in line with the school improvement plan. Leaders and governors carry out their performance management and appraisal duties diligently.
• Other leaders, such as the special educational needs coordinator and the early years leader, have particularly strong specialist knowledge. This impacts positively on the quality of the provision they are responsible for.
• Additional funding for school sports is used well, with the school promoting health and fitness well. The school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities both during and after school to promote accessibility for all pupils. Leaders monitor the impact of sports funding to ensure the improvements made in this area will continue in the future.
• The school has an engaging curriculum, which incorporates social, moral, spiritual and cultural aspects of learning. Pupils benefit from specialist teaching in some subjects, such as music and French. Different school events have included the local community, which has increased pupils’ understanding of the local and wider environment. Notably, the Year 5 pupils undertake an annual visit to a nearby university to complete tasks and ‘graduate’ in an attempt to raise aspirations.
• British values are threaded through the curriculum, as well as interwoven into all aspects of school life. Diversity is celebrated across the school and this has helped to build the strongly inclusive culture.
• Middle leaders do not yet have a sufficiently strategic view of school improvement processes; as a result, the impact of their actions is limited.

Governance of the school

• Governors are knowledgeable and understand well the challenges that leaders meet. They hold staff to account for the school’s performance and make appropriate links with performance management.
• They have a strong understanding of how the school works and meetings involve critical questions to ensure that leaders think about the school evaluation and are focused on improving outcomes. They gather information from pupils, staff and external specialists as part of their school evaluation.
• Governors receive high-quality training in order to effectively undertake their roles and responsibilities. For example, they understand the importance of safer recruitment and ensure that staff are carefully checked before starting employment to ensure that they are suitable to work with children.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding is a priority in the school. Regular training for all staff and governors ensures a high level of awareness and the ability to manage situations as they arise, including those that are complex in nature.
• Appropriate action is diligently taken to identify and respond to pupils who may be at risk of neglect, abuse or sexual exploitation. Concerns are reported, logged and kept under review by leaders. The school has close links with wide range of external professionals, which help good working partnerships. As a result, very extensive support is provided for vulnerable pupils and their families.
• Access to the school is well monitored and is managed carefully, so pupils are secure. Staff communicate swiftly and effectively with each other across the site when pupils are in need of extra support.
• All the necessary safeguarding checks for staff, visitors and other adults attending the school are undertaken to ensure that children are safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is not consistently good across the school. Teaching has not been effective enough in raising the attainment and progress of pupils from their starting points. Although evidence in books and the school’s assessment information show that the quality of teaching is improving, it is too early to indicate that these improvements are securing consistently strong and sustained progress for pupils across year groups.
• Until recently, teachers have not consistently followed the approach agreed for providing information to pupils about what they need to do to improve their work. This means that pupils have not known what to do in order to get better. This has limited the progress pupils make. However, pupils value the ‘do-it-yourself’ feedback and respond consistently to this, showing a keenness to learn. This approach is helping pupils to take more responsibility for their own progress.
• Teaching has not supported progress in writing well enough, until recently. Teachers are now developing pupils’ spoken language more effectively and as a result pupils’ progress in writing is improving.
• Previously in mathematics, pupils were completing activities that were not well matched to their needs, and this slowed progress. Teachers now make sure that learning activities move pupils quickly on to reasoning and problem-solving tasks, where they have to apply their skills in a range of contexts. This is enabling pupils to make better progress.
• Teaching has not sufficiently enabled lower-ability pupils to make calculations and recall number facts quickly in mathematics. The school has introduced extra programmes to address this and these pupils are catching up steadily.
• Pupils do not routinely have enough opportunities to develop their literacy and mathematical skills across the whole curriculum, for instance by writing at length in science and topic sessions; this limits their progress.
• Teachers’ expectations of the presentation of pupils’ work in their books is high, and most pupils are responding to this with commitment to improving handwriting. However, this is not yet consistent for all pupils.
• Teachers work relentlessly to target support for mainstream pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. This has had an increased impact on pupils’ outcomes in recent years, as barriers to learning are being reduced consistently over time.
• Highly skilled teaching in the special resource provision is carefully planned to meet pupils’ specific needs. These pupils make good progress as a result. Strong routines and relationships within the provision support pupils’ learning and staff have high expectations of pupils. Where possible, these pupils join the mainstream classes. Work seen in mathematics, for example, shows pupils are being well stretched and well included in learning activities with their peers.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Parents and pupils are very well supported by the school. The school fosters an inclusive and tolerant approach. Parents and wider family members are welcomed to the school through a wide range of activities, such as grandparent’s day.
• Parents of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities describe their children as being very well supported. They feel listened to, understood and feel the needs of their children are well catered for. Where appropriate, pupils are given access to a range of support including therapies, nurture, and mentoring and off-site specialist help for pupils with social and communication difficulties.
• The breakfast club is well attended. It gives pupils a good start to their day, develops social skills and promotes the values of the school.
• Parents and staff feel pupils are safe at the school. All pupils spoken too said they felt safe and could identify a member of staff they would talk to if they had a concern. The vast majority of pupils and parents express that bullying is rare and when it does happen the teachers are good at resolving it.
• Family support workers and key staff provide a range of help to both pupils and parents to promote good personal development and welfare. Early help is provided as appropriate and this supports the well-being, progress and attendance of those pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Both the school records and observations show that prejudicial behaviour is very rare at the school and is addressed swiftly. The school has a highly inclusive culture.
• Most pupils conduct themselves well around the school. Leaders can evidence that pupils who do require support with challenging behaviours are managed well and supported through a range of strategies, planning and appropriate documentation. The special educational needs coordinator diligently secures appropriate support for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs.
• Most pupils behave well during lessons. They are committed to their learning and take pride in their achievements. However, when activities do not excite or challenge sometimes pupils become restless and their learning stalls.
• Although absence remains higher than the national average for schools, leaders deliver robust plans and strong processes for improving attendance. They have taken an extensive range of formal and informal actions to support families, often providing wide-ranging outreach and care for pupils’ welfare.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The proportion of pupils in key stage 2 who have achieved the expected standard has been below the national average for several years.
• The progress of key stage 2 pupils in mathematics has been low for several years, but current books of pupils and assessment information show that a greater proportion of pupils are now making faster progress.
• In reading, the progress of key stage 2 pupils has been in line with the national average since the previous inspection. Pupils’ progress in writing improved in 2017 and is now also in line with the national average. Current progress information shows that pupils are continuing with this increasing progress and more pupils are working at the expected standards for their age in reading and writing.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in phonics in Year 1 has been in line with the national average in previous years. However, in 2017 the number of pupils who achieved the expected outcomes dropped to 72%, which was below the national average.
• At key stage 1 in 2017, the proportion of pupils achieving at least the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was below the national average and in the lowest 10% for all pupils. However, the proportion of the most able pupils achieving greater depth is above the national average in mathematics and in line in reading. Current progress information shows that a higher proportion of pupils are working at the expected levels.
• The progress and achievement of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities has not been good enough across reading, writing and mathematics. More recently, the progress of these pupils has quickened and they are now catching up steadily, as improvements in teaching are embedding.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership of the Nursery and Reception classes is strong and effectively supports children’s progress through the early years.
• In the early years, very few children join the school with the skills and knowledge that are expected for their age. Children make good progress from the very low starting points. Despite this, the number of children reaching a good level of development in the early years is lower than the national average.
• Teachers and other adults check and record children’s progress carefully. These records give evidence of children learning well. The children who attend the Nursery and then move into Reception make more progress than those who do not attend the Nursery. This is because these children are more ready to learn.
• The school supports learning with a higher than average number of adults in the early years. These adults provide good support to help children move on quickly.
• Children are able to focus on activities for sustained periods of time, as routines are clearly established and expectations for behaviour are clear.
• The wide variety of engaging child-initiated and adult-lead tasks promote independence within the early years. Notably, children are encouraged to write independently and often.
• Additional assistance is given to children who require it promptly. For example, teaching staff receive specific training to support those children who enter early years with limited speech and language skills and have difficulty coordinating their hand movements. Adults engage children in conversation, giving time to encourage children to speak. This helps children to develop good social skills, as well as fluency in talking.
• Parents and carers are welcomed into the Nursery weekly through a supported transition process. This helps them to support their children’s learning at home.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 132229 Swindon 10042703 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Nursery and primary school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 344 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mike Bosher Heather Kellett 01793 525908 www.eldeneprimaryschool.org.uk admin@eldene.swindon.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 December 2013

Information about this school

• Eldene is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The school has special resource provision for pupils with complex learning needs. Places are awarded to pupils across the local area by the local authority.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is higher than average, as is the proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding.
• Several pupils have joined the school during key stage 1 over the last two years.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is average.
• The school provides a breakfast and after-school club.
• The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which set minimum expectations for progress and attainment.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in visits to lessons across the school, most of which were jointly observed with senior leaders.
• Discussions took place with the headteacher, other members of the leadership team, a newly qualified teacher, members of the governing body, a family support worker, a staff member from the on-site breakfast and after-school club, a local authority representative and the headteacher of the autistic resource centre.
• Inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including school improvement plans and records relating to pupils’ progress, attendance and safeguarding.
• The inspection team carried out a scrutiny of the quality of pupils’ work in books.
• Inspectors spoke to both parents and groups of pupils to seek their views about the school. The views of other pupils were gathered during lessons and lunchtimes. An inspector listened to pupils reading.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at lunchtimes, breaktimes and around the school.
• Inspectors considered 93 responses to the online survey for pupils and 29 responses to the online survey for staff. Inspectors also considered the 23 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and the 23 free-text messages.

Inspection team

Jen Edwards, lead inspector Nicola Berry Julie Fox Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector