Eaton Primary School

Inspection of Eaton Primary School Lower Lane, Eaton, Tarporley, Cheshire CW6 9AN

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Lorraine Skellon. This school is part of Sandstone Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Jason Lowe, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nigel Taylor. There is also an executive headteacher, Andrew Davies, who is responsible for this school and one other. 21 and 22 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at this school. They feel happy in the knowledge that they are cared for and celebrated for their individual qualities. Pupils said that the best part of school is being with their friends and the staff. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of any differences that they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is dedicated to ensuring that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. Pupils enjoy learning and strive to meet the school’s high expectations of them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to learn beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they can take part in activities such as knitting, yoga and choir. Pupils enjoy showcasing plays for the school community. From Years 1 to 6, many pupils experience taking part in a residential visit. This helps them develop both their teamwork and independent skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are mature and sensible. They move around the school, including the outdoor areas, quietly showing consideration towards others. Year 6 pupils act as role models when taking on the responsibility of being a ‘buddy’ to children in the Reception class. Pupils throughout the school are friends. They play kindly and cooperatively together at breaktimes.

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better?

Since opening as an academy school in December 2020, the school has worked closely with the multi-academy trust to ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, receive a high-quality education. This has helped the school go from strength to strength.

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better?

The school has designed a robust and carefully considered curriculum. It has ensured that curriculum content is clearly ordered from the early years to Year 6. This means that staff know what to teach and when to teach it. Pupils build up a broad knowledge over time and they understand the important ‘big ideas’ across the curriculum. From the early years to Year 6, children and pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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better?

Teachers deliver the curriculum effectively through carefully chosen activities. They structure many lessons to enable pupils to recap and embed their prior learning. In a small number of subjects, there is variation in how effectively the school helps pupils to revisit key information. This means that, on occasion, they are unable to retain some important knowledge in the long term.

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better?

The school carries out regular checks on pupils’ learning. In the majority of subjects, these checks successfully help the school to identify any areas where pupils’ knowledge is not secure. In a small number of subjects, assessment strategies are still being refined. This means that teachers do not have the specific information 21 and 22 November 2023

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that they need to enable them to help pupils know and remember all that they should.

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The school ensures that children in the Reception Year make a successful start when learning to read. Children learn from a carefully structured phonics curriculum. This helps them to build their phonics knowledge quickly to become fluent readers. Children strengthen their learning by reading books that only contain the sounds that they have learned. Pupils in Year 1 continue to learn combinations of letters, which become more complex. Most pupils successfully meet the national standard in the phonics screening check. Pupils across the school enjoy reading from the broad spectrum of books that the school has selected for them. Members of each class promote a love of reading in their role as reading ambassadors.

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The school knows pupils, particularly those with SEND, well. The school quickly identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND and implements supportive strategies to help them learn all that they should. Pupils are well supported by skilled staff.

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Pupils are polite and helpful. They make the extra effort to have pleasant conversations with others. Children in the early years confidently share humorous interactions with staff and visitors.

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Pupils have a thirst for learning. The school recognises this and provides a broad range of opportunities to enhance pupils’ interests. For instance, it arranges for local historians to speak to pupils. This supports them in developing their historical knowledge and skills. Pupils learn about important global issues, such as plastic pollution. Junior safety officers play their part in promoting safety. For example, by arranging competitions to teach others about first aid.

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The school ensures that pupils gain broad experiences to prepare them for life in modern British society. Pupils learn about a range of different cultures and faiths as well as fundamental British values. They understand the importance of tolerance towards others who may have different viewpoints to their own.

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The multi-academy trust provides a clear structure for governance. Governors support and challenge leaders appropriately. Staff were overwhelmingly positive about the school. They appreciate that, despite significant changes over the past three years, the school has taken steps to consider their workload. Staff feel valued and enjoy taking pride in their work.

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Parents and carers appreciate the work that the school does in supporting their children academically and emotionally. They said that they are proud to be members of the school community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 21 and 22 November 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school does not ensure that pupils have sufficient opportunities to revisit essential learning. This means that, on occasion, some pupils do not transfer this learning to their long-term memory. In these curriculum areas, the school should develop strategies to ensure that pupils deepen their understanding successfully to build up a rich body of knowledge over time.  Assessment strategies are still being developed in a small number of subjects. This means that teachers sometimes do not have sufficient assessment information to address the gaps in pupils’ learning. The school should refine its approaches to checking on pupils’ learning to ensure that teachers have the information that they need to help pupils to learn and remember the curriculum well.

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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.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 21 and 22 November 2023

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Headteacher Lorraine Skellon (head of school)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Eaton Primary School converted to become an academy school in December 2020. When its predecessor school, Eaton Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  This school is part of Sandstone Trust.  The school is led by an executive headteacher and a head of school.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school runs an on-site breakfast and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 21 and 22 November 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the head of school and the assistant headteacher. The lead inspector met with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors. She also met with the CEO of the trust, a member of the board of trustees and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to a range of pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in other subjects and looked at documentation and

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samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector observed a range of pupils from Year 1 to Year 3 read to a known adult.  Inspectors talked with pupils in meetings. An inspector visited the after-school club and spoke to pupils during breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. An inspector also spoke with some parents during the inspection.  Inspectors also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for pupils and staff.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including school policies, school improvement documents and a sample of documents for pupils with SEND. Inspectors also looked at minutes from local governing body meetings, information about pupils leaving and starting at the school and records relating to pupils’ attendance.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interest first.

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Inspection team

Sheena Clark, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Amanda Edwards Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 November 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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