PUPILS feel “very happy and safe” at an Eastwood school which has been described by inspectors as “warm and welcoming”.

Eastwood Primary School and Nursery, in Rayleigh Road, has been heaped with praise by Ofsted, leading to it retaining its “good” rating.

It also got an upgrade in the area of personal development from “good” to “outstanding”.

The school, which has 470 three- to 11-year-olds on roll, sees leaders being “ambitious” for what the pupils can achieve and boast an “exceptional programme” for their personal development.

The report said: “The supportive relationships that pupils build between each other and with staff help them to feel safe.

“Staff have high expectations for all pupils. Teachers plan lessons that build on what pupils already know.

“They use a range of approaches to help pupils practise applying their knowledge. Important subject content is regularly reviewed to ensure pupils remember it long term.”

However, the education watchdog highlighted that the “ambitious end points” for the children to achieve in the “well sequenced” curriculum are not always precise.

This can make it “difficult” for the teachers and leaders to check how well they are progressing.

In addition, a new approach to teaching phonetics has been drawn to ensure a “single programme” starts in nursery, but some staff do not always use “effective strategies or help pupils draw on their phonetic knowledge”.

Inspectors discovered a “strong culture” of safeguarding at the school, with pupils being taught how to recognise and respond to dangers and staff and leaders being well trained to take “swift action”.

Staff are “happy and proud” to work at the school and leaders are “considerate” of their employees’ wellbeing and include them in their decisions that might affect their workload.

They also “challenge and help” leaders to make improvements effectively.

The children have been described as “kind” to their friends and welcoming to visitors to the school.

Since the last inspection in 2014, the number of pupils has increased from 281 to 470.

The school runs a breakfast club and after-school wraparound club for registered children.

To read the full report, click here.