East Brent Church of England First School

Overview

East Brent Church of England First School has “taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.” The report describes a “small and welcoming school” where pupils are “happy and feel safe,” forming “warm, respectful relationships with staff.” Leaders possess an “exact understanding of the school’s strengths” and a “precise focus on areas for further development.”

Strengths

• Pupils receive a “high level of care” and strive to live up to core values including “enthusiasm, aspiration, respect and service.”
• The school offers a “well-designed, broad and ambitious curriculum” with staff providing “clear instructions and explanations.”
• Early years provision is strong, with adults giving “precise guidance” on letter formation and counting to build “foundational knowledge.”
• Reading support is effective; pupils develop “accuracy in applying their phonics knowledge to read fluently” and receive help to “catch up quickly” if they fall behind.
• Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) “closely matches their individual needs,” allowing them to access the full curriculum.

Areas to improve

• Assessment in some wider curriculum subjects is “still being developed,” leading to unidentified gaps in pupils’ knowledge.
• The school must ensure teachers “use assessment effectively so that pupils learn and remember the curriculum successfully in all subjects.”
• Staff should use checks more effectively to help pupils “make links with what they have learned before” and build knowledge securely over time.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”