East Dene Primary

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 November 2022

Leaders at all levels have helped to ensure that the school is a harmonious place for all the school community. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils feel proud of their school and appreciate the care and help that they get from staff. Parents and carers are also proud of the school and feel included in what happens through events like 'early bird reading'. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They move from one part of the school to another sensibly. On the rare occasions that pupils do not conduct themselves to the high standards staff expect, teachers deal with this calmly and fairly. Pupils enjoy their breaktimes and lunchtimes where 'active leaders' help them find activities to do to keep them fit and healthy. Pupils enjoy listening to stories at the end of the day. This is one of the many ways that pupils learn new words and ideas. Some of these stories have important themes around diversity such as gender respect or what it is like to be a refugee. These themes help to engender tolerance and respect. This is then further built on through assemblies, where pupils gain a clear understanding of British values, like individual liberty. Pupils say that bullying is not an issue. Leaders are not complacent about this. They investigate issues and support pupils who may be experiencing difficulties. Pupils are reassured by all that staff do to keep the school a friendly and pleasant place to be.

What the school should improve

• Some of the curriculum in early years has been developed recently and staff have not been fully trained in how to implement it. Some interactions that staff have with children are not purposeful and do not support children in improving their spoken language or skills. Leaders should train all staff in the early years on the new curriculum and how to model language. They should explain what children should do while learning independently, in a way that matches the curriculum.
• Leaders have not precisely defined some of the small steps of knowledge and skills that some pupils with SEND need to be successful in English and mathematics. Some pupils know the sounds in words but struggle to blend these together to read them. Other pupils with SEND practise counting or writing but do not get better at it quickly enough as they are not building up the full range of knowledge and skills that they need. Leaders should ensure that all specific objectives for pupils with SEND are broken down into sufficiently small steps of knowledge and skills for the pupils to be successful, particularly in reading.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)