Eden Park Primary & Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this community-focused, friendly school. They embody the school values of independence, teamwork, creativity, respect and well-being.

These values are promoted effectively and consistently by staff. This helps to ensure that pupils learn to work and play together well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those who are disadvantaged. As a result, this is a safe and welcoming place to come and learn for all pupils.

Pupils speak very positively about their learning. Most parents agree. Parents and pupils appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular experiences on offer.

Staff promote equality of opportun...ity very well. Pupils take on varying responsibilities. Pupils learn about cultures and beliefs from around the world in lessons and from the array of trips and visits.

As a result, pupils understand, appreciate and respect difference.

Pupils respond very well to the high expectations of staff. They behave well.

Bullying is rare. When it happens, staff listen and act swiftly to address any unkindness. Pupils show particularly strong attitudes to their learning.

Occasionally, some pupils need reminding of what is expected. However, this does not lessen the orderly and hard-working atmosphere.

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

Trust and school leaders have worked together determinedly to build on the strengths of this community-centred school.

Since the school joined the trust, both have utilised the opportunity to improve the school systematically and with high ambition. Leaders have secured the support and enthusiasm of all. Staff feel, and are, valued.

Leaders develop staff to be skilled, whatever their role. Many things have been developed further to bring about all this success in the last year. However, some changes are too new to be as effective as they could be, for example how leaders oversee behaviour and attendance and the role of the local governing body.

Leaders are developing a highly effective curriculum. All national curriculum subjects have carefully sequenced planning. Leaders have used their deep knowledge of the community to ensure that plans make very good use of the local area.

Teachers utilise this planning to promote pupils' learning across subjects in meaningful ways. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, secure knowledge well and with increasing accuracy.

The use of assessment is more established in some subjects than it is in others.

Teachers utilise assessment in English and mathematics very effectively, including in the early years. However, the approach to assessment in other subjects is newer. Subject leaders recognise that, sometimes, assessment only gives them information about what pupils have covered.

They rightly want to ensure they can check how pupils apply knowledge independently and consistently across all subjects.Children make a flying start in the effective early years provision. Early years leaders are ambitious for all.

Staff work to deliver leaders' ambition with skill and enthusiasm. They encourage children to make the most of the learning opportunities provided. Positive relationships underpin the high expectations staff have for children.

Children love the chance to learn and explore through well-planned activities.

Leaders give reading the highest priority. They have established a curriculum that ensures all pupils can learn and enjoy reading.

From the moment they start in the Nursery, children experience rich opportunities to learn language, including through sharing books. They learn the routines that are used in the robust programme for learning phonics that is securely in place. Consequently, children are very well prepared to learn their sounds rapidly as soon as they are in Reception and as they move into key stage 1.

Leaders use assessment very well to ensure pupils stay on track. Teachers ensure that pupils focus on the sounds they need to learn. Books taken home match very well with the sounds pupils know.

Consequently, pupils make very strong progress in their reading, and learn to love stories, books and plays.

Opportunities in the curriculum to promote pupils' personal development are plentiful. Staff do this very effectively.

For example, assemblies and trips are used to promote an understanding of life in modern Britain. Trips and visits help pupils to appreciate their locality and their contribution to it. Parents recognise this area of strength.

They appreciate the way that pupils are at the centre of everything the school does and that pupils are valued, cared for and respected.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding leads are skilled and highly visible.

They are well known by staff, pupils and families. Systems and processes are clear and widely understood. Staff record their concerns consistently and accurately.

Leaders have strong relationships with other agencies.

Safer recruitment processes are well established. Appropriate checks are made on the suitability of staff.

Checks are recorded carefully on a single central record.

Staff are aware of the contextual challenges of working in this coastal community. They access appropriate training.

Leaders ensure there is strong capacity to support families in need of support, including through the effective pastoral team. Staff work hard to support pupils and their families. Consequently, pupils are safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Elements of the curriculum implementation need more time to embed. For example, the use of assessment and pupils' learning in elements of foundation subjects are underdeveloped. Leaders should build on and strengthen the delivery of the curriculum so that pupils' outcomes continue to improve in all areas.

• Leaders have recently introduced several new processes, including systems for recording behaviour and attendance. Although attendance is improving rapidly, more could be done to tackle persistent absence by utilising the new methods of tracking this group of pupils. Leaders should embed the use of these systems, to utilise their full potential and help improve the school even more.