Eastrop Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Eastrop Infant School Eastrop, Highworth, Swindon, Wiltshire SN6 7AP

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Outcome

Eastrop Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They are happy and feel safe. Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. The vast majority of parents agree with this view. They appreciate the care and guidance their children receive. One parent stated, ‘All staff members encourage everyone to grow and reach their potential. Every child is valued.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk enthusiastically about the range of opportunities provided to them both inside and outside of the classroom. They enjoy the links they have with their local junior school and the church.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and behave well in lessons and around the school site. They understand the school values and how these link to how they should behave and treat others. Incidents of poor behaviour are rare. Pupils understand what bullying is but say it doesn’t happen often. They are confident that adults would deal with it quickly if it happened.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have formed strong relationships with staff and each other. They have a good understanding of respect for adults and their peers. They feel respected by the adults that work with them. Pupils say that ‘it doesn’t matter how old you are, you should always look after each other.’

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

Leaders and staff are ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Adults have created an ethos of teamwork in the school. They are proud to work at the school. Staff appreciate how leaders support their well-being and continuing development.

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

Leaders prioritise reading. From the moment children start in Nursery, there is an emphasis on developing their language skills and introducing early letter and sound recognition. Children encounter songs, rhymes and stories that widen and support their vocabulary development. Phonics teaching continues when children enter Reception. Books match the sounds children are learning. Careful assessment of what pupils know 12 and 13 July 2022

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and remember ensures appropriate additional support is provided for those who need to catch up. Classrooms and the reading garden are full of interesting books and other texts for pupils to enjoy. This inspires pupils to read. Pupils talk fondly of ‘book talk’ and enjoy the challenges that new vocabulary brings.

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The mathematics curriculum is designed and sequenced well. This helps pupils to build on previous knowledge from Nursery to Year 2, including for those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Adults in Nursery plan learning opportunities within the indoor and outdoor environment to allow children to understand number in a range of situations. Effective talk and accurate use of mathematical vocabulary enables the youngest children to develop their understanding of number well.

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Some subjects within the wider curriculum are not planned in sufficient detail. The key knowledge that teachers want pupils to know is not explicit enough. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils are unable to talk about the key concepts they should know and remember with confidence. In some subjects, pupils do not understand what they are learning and why. Teachers do not check with precision what pupils know and can do. As a result, pupils have gaps in their understanding.

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Staff know their pupils well. Effective and strong pastoral support enables all pupils with SEND to succeed. Careful identification of needs ensures effective support is put in place. As a result, pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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Leaders provide a range of opportunities to support pupils’ personal development. Pupils enjoy opportunities to take part in events with other local schools as well as engaging in themed weeks to explore aspects of the world around them. They enjoy taking on responsibilities in school. In particular, pupils enjoy representing others on the school council, where they feel they can make a difference. Pupils are taught how to be a good friend through the personal, social and health education. They understand that people look different and have different opinions.

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Trust leaders and the school’s academy committee share the same ambition as school leaders in wanting all pupils to succeed. The members of the academy committee understand, and fulfil, their role well in keeping children safe.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure there is a strong safeguarding culture of keeping children safe. Staff receive regular and up-to-date safeguarding training. They have a clear understanding of what to do when they have a concern about a child. Clear procedures are in place for reporting concerns about pupils’ welfare. Leaders provide the support pupils and their families need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that recruitment checks are carried out rigorously. Through the curriculum, pupils are taught how to stay safe. They know about the dangers they may 12 and 13 July 2022

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face online. Staff are aware of the wider issues that could affect pupils within the local community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects across the wider curriculum, the key knowledge that pupils need to know has not been clearly identified. As a result, pupils cannot articulate their learning well enough. Leaders need to ensure that the key knowledge pupils need to learn in each subject is clearly identified and sequenced well so that pupils know more and remember more.  Assessment is not used well enough to check what pupils understand in some subjects in the wider curriculum. As a result, pupils have gaps in some subject-specific knowledge. Teachers need to check what pupils know and can do when implementing the curriculum so that they can assure themselves that pupils are securing all the essential knowledge they intend pupils to know.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Eastrop Infant School to be good in February 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 12 and 13 July 2022

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 12 and 13 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10199641 Type of school Infant

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 24 and 25 February 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 In December 2019, the school, as a founding member, joined the Grove Learning multi- academy trust.  The school runs a nursery provision for children on the Southfield Junior School site.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with the head of school, the special educational needs coordinator, the mental health and well-being lead, the inclusion officer, groups of staff, representatives from the multi-academy trust and members of the academy committee.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and PE. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with 12 and 13 July 2022

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subject leaders, visited samples of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their learning.  The inspector spoke to leaders about other subjects, including science, geography and art and design.  The inspector listened to pupils in Reception, Year 1 and 2 read to an adult.  The inspector considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe. The inspector reviewed how the designated safeguarding leads act on concerns about pupils’ welfare. The inspector talked to pupils, staff and members of the trust about how the school keeps everyone safe.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspector spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspector considered the 43 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 25 free-text responses and 22 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Heather Barraclough, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 July 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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