Eastfield Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Eastfield Infant and Nursery School Pig Lane, St Ives, Cambridgeshire PE27 5QT

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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Outcome

Eastfield Infant and Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy school. They are kind to each other and cooperate well. The children in Nursery quickly understand teachers’ expectations. They listen to what teachers say and follow simple instructions. Children in Reception follow school rules and routines. Pupils try their best to do well and most do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers typically have clear expectations of what they want pupils to learn. They give pupils work that helps them to make progress. Teachers also try to make sure that learning is fun. This applies equally to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the school rule of ‘you own your own behaviour’. This means that they behave well in class and around the school. They understand, in age-appropriate ways, how to keep safe, including on the roads and online. They know who to talk to if something is worrying them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have access to a wide range of clubs, including Lego, multi-skills and choir. These are open to all. Pupils in all classes are well prepared for their next steps. Pupils in Year 2 visit the local junior school and meet their new teachers. Pupils with SEND are supported by extra visits if this helps them.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum, which they keep under review. This clearly sets out what they want pupils to learn. The school has trained staff well so that their subject knowledge is secure. The school has developed effective methods of checking pupils’ learning in some subjects, for example in phonics. This means that 26 and 27 November 2024

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teachers can help pupils catch up if they fall behind. In some other subjects, the school is still developing effective methods of checking pupils’ progress through the curriculum. This means that leaders and teachers do not always know when pupils have not learned parts of the curriculum.

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Teachers usually provide pupils with suitable work to help them learn. For example, in mathematics, they design activities to help pupils understand more and less as mathematical concepts. Children in Nursery learn how to recognise groups of items without counting them. Teachers ask questions to make children think and talk to them about how to solve problems. Occasionally, teachers ask questions that pupils do not have the knowledge to answer. This causes some pupils to become confused.

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The school identifies pupils with SEND and gives them the right support. The school identifies exactly how teachers need to adapt the curriculum to meet pupils’ needs. Many pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers because they are so well supported in class. The school provides a bespoke curriculum or timetable if pupils need it. This means pupils with SEND make strong progress in their learning.

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The school has a sharp focus on helping all pupils learn to read. Children in Nursery are well prepared for the phonics teaching they will have in Reception. The school identifies pupils who fall behind in their reading. Teachers help them to catch up and keep up. Teachers give pupils books to read which are well matched to their reading knowledge. Pupils take these books home to practise their reading. This helps them to become fluent readers.

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Leaders make attendance a high priority. They know why some pupils are absent more often than they would like. They try hard to improve attendance for these pupils. The work of the school is having an impact and attendance is noticeably improving for current pupils.

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The school makes sure that pupils understand fundamental British values. There is a school council and pupils elect members. This teaches them about democracy. The school provides a range of cultural activities, including trips to the local museum, visits from musicians and visits to the church and a mosque. The school teaches pupils how to be healthy. This includes support with looking after their mental health.

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Leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They want all pupils to achieve well. They work hard to make improvements. They do this while taking account of staff workload and well-being. Staff appreciate this.

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The school provides information sessions for parents so that they know how to support their children. The school welcomes them into school. Parents speak highly about all aspects of the school’s work.

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Those responsible for governance have the knowledge and expertise to carry out their responsibilities effectively. They provide effective challenge and support for school leaders. This contributes to school improvement. 26 and 27 November 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, assessment is not fully developed. In these subjects, leaders do not check exactly what pupils know and remember. This means that teachers do not always know how to build on pupils’ prior learning. The school should ensure that assessment is used effectively to check and address pupils’ misconceptions and gaps in learning.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in September 2019.

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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. 26 and 27 November 2024

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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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act, 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 26 and 27 November 2024

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, a representative from the local authority, the chair of governors and four other members of the governing board.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She also considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Linda Allison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 November 2024

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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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