East Rainton Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 June 2023

This school is at the heart of the local community. This was illustrated recently when the village joined together to celebrate the school's 90th birthday. Pupils proudly undertake charity work to support local causes. They eagerly describe the importance of their actions to fund the installation of a defibrillator in the village shop. Leaders have developed a broad curriculum that is well taught. Experienced staff help pupils to achieve well. The curriculum is rich in opportunities for pupils to develop art, sporting and musical knowledge and skills. More than half of pupils learn to play a musical instrument. An extensive programme of after-school activities is taken up by many pupils. Most pupils behave well. They enjoy school and attend regularly. They are confident that on the rare occasion when bullying occurs, staff will deal with it effectively. Pupils are tolerant of others. They recognise, for example, that racism has no place in modern Britain. Families appreciate that their children are well known to adults in the school. Leaders provide the right support for pupils when they need it. This is particularly the case for pupils with medical needs or special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Parents who completed Ofsted's online survey were overwhelmingly positive about the work of leaders and staff.

What the school should improve

• At times, some staff do not place sufficient emphasis on helping pupils to recognise letters and sounds speedily. As a result, some pupils who struggle with reading need to think very hard about the sounds when they are reading new words. This makes reading more difficult for them. Leaders should ensure that all staff plan the right activities to support pupils to learn their phonics to automaticity so that they can read with fluency and confidence.
• Some of the provision planned for children in the Reception Year is not enabling children to learn the newly developed curriculum as well as they could. This means that some children are not fully prepared for the expectations in Year 1. Leaders should continue with their planned work to ensure that the provision in early years supports all pupils to learn the intended curriculum effectively.

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