Eliot Bank Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils.

Pupils achieve well here. Leaders provide an ambitious and carefully planned curriculum. They encourage pupils to value and respect everyone in the school's community and different cultures and beliefs.

Pupils are happy, safe and enjoy school life. They are proud to talk about their achievements. Teachers support pupils to collaborate, share ideas and challenge each other's thinking.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They concentrate during lessons and engage well with activities. Typically, pupils behave sensibly.

In early years, adults support children's learning strongly. They help children ...to follow routines and to take turns considerately. Leaders ensure pupils are polite and courteous to all.

They encourage pupils to develop a mature understanding of positive and healthy relationships.

Leaders enrich pupils' personal development through the curriculum. Pupils talked enthusiastically about the variety of visitors, experiences and outings.

For example, older pupils work alongside community volunteers to find out about career opportunities. Leaders ensure all pupils learn to play a range of instruments.

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

Leaders have identified the key knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn.

They sequence the curriculum to ensure learning builds progressively over time, resulting in strong outcomes. For example, the high quality of artwork that pupils produce. The early years curriculum provides children with exceptional foundations.

The focus on social and emotional development prepares children in early years to be highly confident learners.

Leaders ensure that pupils' speech and language development is encouraged across the whole school. Leaders identify the key vocabulary that they want pupils to know in each subject.

For example, in music, pupils in Year 3 understood detailed musical vocabulary and read notation to play the recorder. In the early years, the development of children's communication skills is threaded through all aspects of learning. For instance, in Nursery, children retold stories enthusiastically while playing together.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge, which they use to enthuse and support pupils' learning. Teachers check pupils' understanding throughout lessons and address misconceptions swiftly. They support pupils to discuss their ideas, so that subject-specific understanding is deepened.

For example, pupils in Year 5 supported each other's learning by explaining their answers to mathematics questions using correct strategies.

Teachers revisit previously taught content regularly. They use resources effectively to help pupils understand important concepts.

For example, adults helped children in early years to recognise numbers by counting out beans into labelled pots. Teachers support pupils to be inquisitive. They help pupils to debate big questions and discuss facts regularly.

Leaders prioritise reading to ensure pupils can read with fluency and confidence. Leaders have introduced a phonics programme, which is used effectively. Teachers ensure that pupils read books that match the sounds they know.

They encourage pupils to use their phonics knowledge to write accurately. For example, Reception and Year 1 pupils used their phonics knowledge to write diaries. Leaders plan events to celebrate reading across the school.

They choose texts which challenge pupils' understanding. Teachers share stories with pupils regularly and support them to read with expression.

Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as others.

Typically, teachers adapt learning effectively for these pupils. For example, staff supported pupils in Year 5 to understand how to use decimals effectively. However, leaders do not ensure that all staff know sharply the individual targets of pupils with SEND.

This means that, sometimes, support for pupils with SEND is not as precisely tailored to their needs as it could be.

Leaders develop pupils' character through many enrichment activities. Teachers encourage pupils to take on responsibilities.

Pupils apply to be school council members and are elected by their peers. Teachers encourage pupils to support their school and wider community.

Sometimes, staff do not deal with unsettled behaviour routinely well.

As a result, on occasions, low-level disruption in lessons gets in the way of pupils' learning.

The governing body and leaders work collaboratively with other local schools to develop and share ideas. Leaders ensure that all staff receive the support and professional development to carry out their roles.

Staff value the opportunities to work together and learn from peers, particularly from the Federation partner school. Staff feel valued and enjoy working at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have robust systems to ensure that safeguarding is monitored effectively. When appropriate, leaders work with outside agencies to support pupils. Leaders know their pupils well.

They support families to access early help when appropriate. All staff receive training and know how to identify and support vulnerable pupils.

Pupils feel safe in the school.

Leaders encourage pupils to stay safe online and in the local community. Pupils know how to report concerns. Adults listen and help if they have any worries.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders do not ensure that targets for pupils with SEND are shared with all staff clearly. This means that, sometimes, support for pupils with SEND is not closely matched to their needs. Leaders must ensure that they have clear systems in place to ensure that all pupils with SEND receive support tailored to their specific needs.

• Occasionally, staff do not deal with unsettled behaviour consistently well. As a result, low-level disruption in lessons is not dealt with as quickly as it could be and learning the curriculum is sometimes affected. Leaders must ensure that all staff manage behaviour effectively, so that learning proceeds uninterrupted.

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