Northampton school proud to have hard work praised by Ofsted – as one of the last under former rating system

It was recently announced that the Government plans to scrap one-word overall Ofsted ratings for schools, and Eastfield Academy received their ‘good’ rating following this decision.

The school, located in St Alban’s Close, was visited across two days in July and their report was published online earlier this month.

As one of the first schools to be rated under the new framework in 2020 and one of the last in 2024, assistant principal, science and RE lead Keleigh Moore says they feel they have book-ended this framework.

Eastfield Academy is part of the David Ross Education Trust and has sustained its good rating from the last visit in 2020, after previously being labelled as requiring improvement before then.

The school was praised for the fact that all pupils make good progress over time and reach average standards in reading, writing and maths by the end of year six.

“The present year six pupils have made outstanding progress from their low results in year two tests,” reads the report, which commends the good teaching in nursery, year two and year six in particular.

It continued: “Teachers devise imaginative activities for pupils that engage them well in learning.”

The behaviour of students was described as “outstanding” with “excellent attitudes to learning”. Pupils said they feel “very safe at school” and this is supported by parents who completed an online questionnaire.

“The recently formed senior leadership team has been successful in driving improvement, as teaching has strengthened and standards have risen,” said the report.

Points to work on include the variation in teachers’ expectations of what pupils can learn and produce – as well as making it clear how students can improve their work, and giving more time to act on marking advice.

When asked how it feels that Eastfield Academy was rated good following the July visit, Keleigh told the Chronicle & Echo: “It’s a real positive affirmation of all the hard work everyone has been putting in.

“We moved up to good in January 2020 and to have this affirmed four years later, especially at the end of the term, shows that regardless of the time of year we don’t stop aspiring for the best.”

Keleigh and her fellow staff members are proud of the uniqueness, diversity and inclusion at the school – and the fact “children recognise their sense of belonging”.

“The pupils are proud to be at this school and cherish their differences,” said Keleigh, who explained they celebrate diversity among the community with culture and faith days.

The report praised the school for being “very well prepared for the new curriculum” that came into play at the start of the current academic year.

“They understood we have an ambitious curriculum,” said Keleigh. “And the fact we do so much more than just a curriculum too.”

Keleigh acknowledged the constructive feedback and said they were things they had already planned to improve this academic year, ahead of the Ofsted visit in July.

“We never stop trying to be better, and that’s the purpose of Ofsted,” said Keleigh. “It shows that our self-awareness and reflective approaches are robust.”

‘Ofsted is only a snapshot’

Talking about the newly-announced changes to Ofsted by the Government, Keleigh said they are “proud” to have book-ended the current rating system.

“We are ready for what they offer moving forward and feel positive about our current comments,” she said.

Eastfield Academy currently knows as much as everyone else does – that the overall one-word judgement is being removed, but the one-word subsection ratings will remain for the time being.

“Nobody knows anything other than what has been published,” Keleigh continued. “This was expected with a new Government. We will work with our Academy Trust and the local authority, and be guided by the changes.

“We noticed the work that has been put in during our recent Ofsted visit, with support and awareness of mental health. The inspector made sure everyone was okay. We hope they continue to do as promised, and be open and transparent.”

The assistant principal says she knows it is a “difficult one” to make a decision on, as one system may work for one person or group but not for another.

“It’s a tricky position to find what’s next,” she said. “Moving forward they’re going to listen to parent and staff voices, and ensure our thoughts are catered for.”

Talking about the importance of having an easy-to-understand overview of schools for prospective and current parents, Keleigh said: “Parents will still have that informed decision.

“Ofsted is only a snapshot and they should reach out to local schools and visit them – as we are all unique and different.”

Having just embarked on a new academic year, Eastfield Academy looks forward to the wealth of fun coming up – including sports events, their Christmas Nativity, food bank donations following the harvest assembly, and developing their relationship with the University of Northampton.

A peace garden and reading den will also be introduced over the coming months.

Eastfield Academy currently has spaces in its nursery for children from the age of two. They welcome parents to contact them for a tour.

For more information, visit Eastfield Academy’s website here.