Easton Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Easton Primary School Easton, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 0ED

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Outcome

Easton Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like coming to Easton Primary School. They respond well to their teachers’ high expectations and enjoy their learning. They especially appreciate ‘maths challenges’ and reading lessons. Pupils have very positive attitudes, showing resilience in their learning and behaving well. This helps pupils to do well in most subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play kindly together at break times. Bullying happens rarely. There are clear processes for dealing with any incidents of bullying. Pupils are confident that adults will stop any poor behaviour straightaway.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibilities, such as being e-safety advocates who promote the best way for other pupils to stay safe online. They enjoy taking part in the many opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. This includes in residential visits, choir performances, sporting tournaments, the breakfast club and the science, technology, engineering and mathematics club. In providing this wide range of opportunities, leaders enable pupils to be involved with activities that they may not otherwise experience.

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better?

Leaders have created an ambitious curriculum which all pupils follow, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It is based on the school’s values and has a clear focus on enabling every pupil to succeed. In most subjects, teachers have the subject knowledge they need to deliver the curriculum well. Teachers demonstrate their expertise through their interactions with pupils and the interesting learning activities they provide. They usually match work well to pupils’ needs. Teachers make regular assessments of pupils’ learning. These checks enable teachers to put in place extra help when this is needed. 31 January 2023

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In a few subjects, the content and learning activities are not always at the right level for pupils. In these subjects, where the checks on pupils’ understanding are less secure, pupils to do not get enough opportunities to practise and secure new skills before being expected to apply them.

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Leaders are highly proactive in prioritising learning to read. Pupils start to learn phonics immediately when they start school. Phonics lessons are fun and interactive. Pupils say that they ‘love’ their phonics lessons. Pupils who fall behind are quickly identified and supported to catch up and become confident readers. Teachers make sure pupils take home reading books that are well matched to their reading ability. This gives them plenty of practise to become fluent readers and to develop a lifelong love of learning. Leaders ensure that parents receive regular updates about their child’s reading. Parents attend workshops at school to learn how phonics is taught and to help their children practise their reading skills at home.

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Leaders quickly identify the appropriate support for pupils with SEND and ensure this is put in place. Leaders provide a great deal of support to teachers in adapting lessons to meet pupils’ needs. Teachers adapt their approach to ensure that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers. This is helping pupils to progress well across most subjects.

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Pupils behave very well within lessons. They are eager to start work and to find out more. Pupils show maturity and a strong purpose as they work. At breaktimes, they are friendly and kind. In and out of lessons, pupils are respectful to adults and to each other.

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Leaders ensure that pupils have visits from a range of faith leaders and take part in whole-school multi-faith days. This is helping pupils to expand their knowledge about other faiths and cultures. They have a developing knowledge of cultural diversity.

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Leaders have ensured that all pupils develop the skills to be active citizens in modern Britain. This includes through pupils compiling their own learning charter and taking part in democratic processes with their local member of parliament.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders oversee appropriate checks on staff working in the school to ensure they are suitable to work with children.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are highly trained and alert to potential risks to their pupils. Safeguarding records show that staff respond very quickly to any concerns. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to ensure the best outcomes for pupils. 31 January 2023

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Pupils can explain how to keep themselves safe online, at play and walking to and from school. They are confident to tell an adult in school if they do not feel safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, assessment is not used consistently to check pupils’ understanding and secure their learning. When this happens, pupils do not get the practise they need to secure new concepts. Leaders should ensure that assessment across all subject areas is robust in identifying where pupils are ready to move on, or where gaps in learning need to be addressed.  In a few subjects, the content and lesson activities do not always match the appropriate stage of the pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils find the learning too easy or too difficult, which in turn hinders their acquisition of new knowledge. Leaders should ensure that teaching across all subjects builds well on what pupils already 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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Easton Community Primary School to be good in October 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 31 January 2023

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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. 31 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255240 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Avocet Academy Trust in 2015.  Leaders do not use any 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector met with leaders, including the executive headteacher, the head of school and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust.  A meeting was held with representatives of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 31 January 2023

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 The inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons to understand what it is like to be a pupil at this school. They also observed the behaviour of pupils at breaktimes and around the school.  The inspectors considered the 20 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 20 free-text comments. They also considered responses to the staff survey and 35 responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Rowena Simmons, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Fykin Ofsted Inspector 31 January 2023

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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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