East Preston Infant School

Inspection of East Preston Infant School Lashmar Road, East Preston, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN16 1EZ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 3 and 4 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Warm and positive relationships underpin this welcoming learning community. Pupils spill over with enthusiasm when talking about their learning at East Preston Infant School. They enjoy creatively exploring the natural world in forest and beach school. Pupils feel safe and know that staff will help them if there is anything worrying them. This is because leaders have created a nurturing environment where staff take the time to get to know their pupils well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The ‘golden rules’ that underpin the school’s rights respecting ethos ensure that pupils treat each other with kindness. Pupils say, ‘everyone must feel like they are cared for and belong’. This begins in the early years where children share and play well together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop resilience when they face challenges in their learning through the school’s ‘learning crew’. Being a ‘resourceful racoon’ or ‘go for it gorilla’ help pupils to develop impressive independence in their learning and wider play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ achievement and behaviour. The shared behaviour culture in the school means that pupils firmly know what is expected of them. They rise to meet these expectations daily. Pupils focus well on their learning and are eager to show their teachers what they are capable of.

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

The curriculum is well designed. The school provides teachers with precise information about the important vocabulary and knowledge that pupils should learn. The curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils build their knowledge well over time. The school has effective systems in place to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Bespoke support for pupils with SEND enables them to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Purposeful guidance from adults ensures that these pupils achieve well from their starting points.

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

Teachers are knowledgeable about the subjects they teach. They present new content clearly. This is closely matched to the school’s ambitious curriculum. Pupils have access to a wide range of resources to support their understanding. However, there is some inconsistency in how the school checks what pupils know and can do before moving them on to new learning. This means that, at times, pupils’ work is not appropriately adapted to enable all pupils to achieve as well as they could.

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

The early years curriculum is well crafted to address the gaps children have in their language and communication skills when they join in the Reception Year. Expert staff create a language-rich environment. They maximise opportunities to have quality conversations with children throughout their learning and play. Children quickly develop the skills needed to write letters and words accurately. However, as pupils move through the school, errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar are not always effectively addressed. This means that pupils do not have regular opportunities to practise writing accurately, and some pupils continue to make the same errors over time. 3 and 4 June 2025

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Pupils learn to read as soon as they start in the early years. Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme with precision and clarity. The school quickly identifies which pupils require additional help with reading. Staff provide pupils with extra opportunities to practise reading daily and precise support to pronounce sounds accurately and with increasing fluency. The school’s half-termly reading events such as ‘get caught reading’ and gifting a wrapped book to every pupil fosters a love of reading. Pupils have a mature understanding of diversity through the books they read as part of the reading curriculum.

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The school has high expectations for behaviour and attendance. Learning behaviours are woven through the school’s curriculum. These begin in the early years where children take turns and show kindness towards each other. Throughout the school, pupils quickly refocus when staff ask for their attention because they know what is expected of them. The school works closely with families and provides bespoke support to remove any barriers to attendance. As a result, pupils attend very well.

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The school’s work to support pupils to become independent and resilient is a strength. Pupils take on a range of leadership responsibilities. All pupils are members of the eco council. They realise the importance of everyone taking responsibility to look after their environment. Pupils are proud of the work they do to help others. Regular visits to local care homes and raising money for charities help them to know what it means to be a good citizen.

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Governors know the school well. They have a secure understanding of what the school does well and what it needs to do further. This ensures governors provide appropriate support and challenge to the school. Staff well-being and ongoing training for staff are high priorities for leaders. Staff are valued members of this close-knit community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the school’s checks on what pupils know are not precise and learning activities are not adapted to meet pupils’ needs well enough. This means that some pupils may not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment information effectively to inform their teaching and to support pupils’ next steps in learning.  There are some inconsistencies in the way the school addresses pupils’ misconceptions and errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. This means that some pupils continue to make the same errors over time. The school should ensure that staff consistently address these errors and provide regular opportunities for pupils to practise their writing, and support them to develop their accuracy in writing across the curriculum. 3 and 4 June 2025

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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.

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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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 and 17 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 3 and 4 June 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team. The lead inspector met with the chair of the local governing body and other members of the governing body, and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, 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. Inspectors also viewed a range of pupils’ work from other subjects in the wider curriculum.  Inspectors reviewed and scrutinised a range of the school’s documentation, including leaders’ plans for improving the school, minutes of the local governing body meetings and records of attendance and behaviour incidents.  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’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils. Inspectors gathered the views of both staff and pupils throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Stephen Cattell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Natalie Broad Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 June 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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