Thomas Eaton Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 October 2023

Pupils at Thomas Eaton Primary Academy enjoy coming to school. They are proud of being a pupil at Thomas Eaton and enthusiastically show their school off to visitors. Pupils know they are cared for by everyone in the school community. The relationships and respect pupils have with each other means bullying rarely happens. Pupils know that there is always an adult who will listen to them and help them out if they need it. This makes pupils feel safe. Many pupils have an infectious enthusiasm for learning. They respond to adults' high expectations by trying hard. They learn well independently and together. Pupils often produce work that clearly shows what they know. Pupils love books and stories. The changes to the phonics and reading programmes mean many are confident and fluent readers. They excitedly describe, in detail, the stories they are reading. Pupils explain how their emotions change as plots progress and characters develop. Pupils and parents appreciate how changes to the behaviour systems have improved the learning environment. What is acceptable, and what is not acceptable, has been clearly defined. Adults are generally consistent in how they deal with incidents. As a result, most pupils behave well, and learning is rarely disrupted.

What the school should improve

• The school has not provided sufficient training for teachers to develop the plans that address the specific needs of pupils with SEND. Plans do not precisely address the specific barriers to learning, and instead set aims that are generic and, at times, focused on broad learning objectives. This means that adaptations to teaching and resources are not as effective in supporting pupils with SEND. The school should ensure that all teachers are trained to effectively identify and plan to overcome pupils' specific barriers to learning so pupils with SEND have the best possible chance to achieve well.
• The school has not made clear their expectations around classroom routines that support pupils to maintain their focus and attention. There are inconsistencies in the expectations teachers have for pupils' readiness and attitudes for learning. Teachers have not been trained to identify when pupils' attention begins to wane. As a consequence, pupils miss important pieces of information and then struggle to access the next stage of learning. The school should ensure that there is clarity about the expectations around positive learning behaviours. The school should ensure that all staff are trained to identify pupils who begin to lose focus and to reinforce these expectations consistently at all times so pupils do not miss out on important learning.

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