East Preston Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: East Preston Junior School Lashmar Road, East Preston, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN16 1EZ

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Outcome

East Preston Junior School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Michael Tidd. This school is part of the Schoolsworks Academy Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Cathy Williams, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Norman Rose .

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe at this welcoming and inclusive school. Pupils speak highly of the school. They say, ‘It’s fun, we work hard, everyone is encouraged to be themselves and there are lots of friends to play with.’ Pupils are confident that staff will listen to them if they ever have any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils achieve well in the key stage 2 tests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They live up to the ‘East Preston Expectations’, which are built around the aims of enjoyment and excellence. The structured personal development programme provides pupils with many opportunities to develop their leadership skills. Older pupils, for instance, take on roles such as playtime leaders and help to run activities for younger pupils during breaktimes. Pupils take part in several residential experiences. Parents say that these give pupils a ‘wonderful taste of independence in a safe and secure environment’. A wide range of extra-curricular activities is offered, including in music and the arts. The school choir, for example, performs at local and national venues, including the East Preston Festival and the O2 Arena.

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

Leaders have worked hard to design an ambitious curriculum. It sets out very clearly the essential knowledge, skills and vocabulary that is to be taught. The curriculum makes 29 and 30 April 2025

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good use of the school’s location. In geography, for instance, pupils learn to read the map symbols around the Littlehampton area.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They design activities and present information in a way that allows pupils to develop their knowledge and skills in a step-by-step way. In many subjects, pupils’ learning is routinely checked for any gaps or misconceptions. This ensures that teachers know what pupils can remember. However, in a few subjects, pupils are not learning as well as they could. This is because their learning is not checked carefully enough to identify any misconceptions.

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The school swiftly identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff adapt their teaching to provide carefully planned support. This enables pupils with SEND to learn effectively alongside their peers.

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Reading is prioritised. Staff have the knowledge and expertise to develop the reading programme effectively. Reading skills are rigorously and consistently developed. Pupils who are at an early stage of learning to read receive effective support to catch up. Pupils are given books to read that match the sounds they know. This means that they quickly become fluent readers and access the curriculum successfully. Pupils talk about their favourite books and authors with enthusiasm.

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Leaders have high expectations regarding pupils’ attendance. Pupils enjoy coming to school and most attend regularly. The school works effectively to improve the attendance of any pupil who does not attend school as often as they should. Pupils follow the school rules for good behaviour. Lessons are calm and pupils focus carefully on their learning. Pupils understand about the protected characteristics. They know the importance of respect and tolerance for others and demonstrate this through their actions . This helps them to be responsible citizens, well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Personal development is at the heart of the work of the school. The personal, social and health education curriculum is carefully developed. It gives pupils a deep understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Pupils relish the many enrichment opportunities provided. In sport, pupils talk with enthusiasm about their recent successes. Parents comment that playing sports has helped their children to ‘grow in confidence, which extends beyond the sports field’.

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Staff enjoy working at this school, they feel valued and say their well-being is always considered. Staff praise leaders’ consideration of their workload. Those with governance responsibilities carry out their roles effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 29 and 30 April 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the school is still developing its approach to checking on pupils’ learning and addressing misconceptions. This means that, in these subjects, pupils do not develop their knowledge and understanding as well as they could. The school should ensure that assessment strategies are equally effective across all subjects.

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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 November 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. 29 and 30 April 2025

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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). 29 and 30 April 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Schoolsworks Academy Trust.  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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, including the SENCo, groups of staff and pupils.  There was a meeting with the CEO of the trust and the chair of the trust board. The inspector also met with the chair and members of the local governing body. 29 and 30 April 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to curriculum leaders, spoke to some pupils about their learning, listened to some pupils reading and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector also spoke to parents at the end of the school day. The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Liz Bowes, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 April 2025

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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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