Eynsham Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Eynsham Community Primary School Beech Road, Eynsham, Witney, Oxfordshire OX29 4LJ

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that the school’s work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Virginia Bayliss. This school is part of Eynsham Partnership Academy 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), David Brown, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Julian Soanes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Eynsham Community Primary School is a place where pupils truly thrive. Staff establish warm, trusting and respectful relationships with children as soon as they arrive in the early years. The different needs of pupils are extremely well understood. Teaching is adapted effectively to allow high-quality learning for all groups of pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The recently established ‘early intervention hub’ provides expert support to pupils who need additional help being ready to learn. Across the school, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils consistently model the school values of ‘ready, respectful and responsible’. They embrace the many leadership opportunities available to them, including house captains, ‘safeguarding superheroes’ and play leaders. Through these roles, pupils demonstrate their understanding of equality and fairness. Pupils take responsibility for helping to create an environment where unkindness and discrimination are not tolerated. Pupils feel safe in their school and have a secure understanding of the risks they need to be aware of in the wider community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are confident in the school, and many recognise the strong community ethos. They appreciate the manner in which staff consistently ‘go above and beyond’ to 20 and 21 May 2025

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meet the needs of each pupil in their care.

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

The school has made considerable improvements to the curriculum since the last inspection. Leaders’ high ambitions for pupils are evident through curriculum thinking that sets out precisely how pupils will learn from the Nursery Year upwards. The needs of pupils, including those with SEND, are thoroughly considered. Children in the early years make an exceptionally strong start in their learning and development. Pupils, including those with SEND, continue to achieve highly across the curriculum as they move through the school.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and explain new concepts very clearly. They help pupils make meaningful connections in their learning, which deepens pupils’ understanding. For example, when considering geographical changes in Oxford over time, pupils draw on their knowledge about the historical features of their local city. This helps pupils to understand more clearly how human and physical changes in the environment are connected. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND accurately and swiftly.

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

Staff use effective systems to check pupils’ understanding. As a result, misconceptions are pre-empted, and teaching activities are well matched to where pupils are in their learning. Pupils routinely meet the high expectations and ambitions staff have for them. They produce work of a high standard and are resilient to setbacks in their learning. Teachers create a learning environment where pupils feel comfortable to make mistakes. This successfully encourages pupils to become curious and explorative from the earliest stages of their learning.

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

The school ensures that pupils develop strong foundations in their speaking, reading, writing and mathematics skills to prepare them well for the next stages in their learning. Starting in the Nursery, daily phonics and mathematics routines help to build children’s confidence and familiarity with sounds and numbers. Staff swiftly identify where additional support with phonics is needed so that, across the early years, children make a strong start with their reading. Pupils continue to advance their reading fluency and accuracy through the school. Targeted interventions support the weakest readers so they catch up quickly. The school prioritises the development of vocabulary so that pupils can access and use ambitious language that enables them to write creatively and communicate clearly.

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

Pupils have highly positive attitudes to their learning and behave exceptionally well. They are extremely well nurtured and cared for by staff. The school provides highly effective support to pupils who struggle to manage their behaviours or communicate their emotions. As a result, poor behaviour is extremely rare.

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

Pupils really enjoy coming to school. They attend regularly and punctually. They value their education and the many wider experiences available to them at school. Alongside the broad range of well-considered trips, visits and clubs, the school provides aspirational learning opportunities that prepare pupils well for their next steps. For example, older pupils learn Mandarin in addition to a modern foreign language. The process of linking 20 and 21 May 2025

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special characters to their meanings helps pupils develop their problem-solving skills while also deepening their cultural awareness.

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Staff are proud to work in the school. They value how leaders prioritise their professional development and are considerate of their workload and well-being. Those responsible for governance know the school well. They share leaders’ high ambitions and are effective in checking that the right actions are taken to deliver continuous improvement for pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 20 and 21 May 2025

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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). 20 and 21 May 2025

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School details

Headteacher Virginia Bayliss (Headteacher) Nicola Edwards (Head of School) Website www.eynsham.oxon.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 September 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Eynsham Partnership Academy (EPA) trust.  The school offers Nursery provision for two-year-old children. This is a change in offer since the last inspection.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, known as an ‘early intervention hub’. The provision supports pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. The provision caters for a maximum of six pupils.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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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 20 and 21 May 2025

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taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, head of school and other senior staff.  The inspector met with the CEO and other trust officers, as well as the chair and members of the local governing body.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning 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 spoke with pupils and observed them at social times.  The inspector met with a group of staff, including support staff.  The inspector took account of the views expressed by parents and carers through Ofsted Parent View, as well as staff and pupil views through the staff and pupil

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Inspection team

Tash Hurtado, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 20 and 21 May 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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