Talbot First School

Talbot First School Church Lane, Kingstone, Uttoxeter, ST14 8QJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics during their time in the school.  Teaching is good. The skilled questioning of class teachers and teaching assistants ensures that pupils are encouraged to think deeply and develop their understanding.  Teachers know pupils very well and have high expectations of what they can achieve.  Teachers have good subject knowledge and they plan lessons and activities for pupils at different levels so that they are not too easy or too hard.  Pupils feel safe at school and all the parents responding to the online survey agree.  Behaviour is positive around school and in classes.  The executive headteacher has been effective in developing systems that track pupils’ progress accurately and improving the quality of teaching since the last inspection.  Governors make sure they are well informed

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and that they challenge the school’s leaders as well as support them.  The range of additional opportunities offered to pupils to help them develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding gives pupils a rich experience at school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Marking does not always help pupils to understand how to improve their work.  Teachers do not always make checks in lessons to make sure pupils are moved on to the next stage of learning as soon as they are ready.  When checking on the quality of teaching, leaders do not always make steps for improvement clear enough so that they can be followed up in later observations.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was conducted by one inspector.  The inspector observed teaching in eight lessons across all classes. The executive headteacher accompanied the inspector on two lesson observations.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, members of the governing body, senior leaders, teachers and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector scrutinised work in pupils’ books, the school’s tracking data, school improvement plans, and documents relating to management and safeguarding.  The inspector met with parents and carers at the start of the school day and considered 18 responses from Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View).  The inspector also scrutinised three questionnaires returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Lucy Maughan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than average.  It is part of a federation which was formed in January 2013 with St Peter’s Church of England First School. These two schools share an executive headteacher and have a joint governing body.  Most pupils are White British and all pupils speak English as a first language.  At the time of the inspection, the school was receiving no additional government funding, the pupil premium, which is provided for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and other groups.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported through school action plus or a statement of special educational needs is above average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement further by ensuring that:  pupils’ progress is assessed more frequently in lessons so that they are moved on to new work as soon as they are ready  marking provides clear guidance to pupils on how they can improve  systems for monitoring teaching provide feedback and support on how to improve teaching further.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When children join the school in the Early Years Foundation Stage, their skills are broadly in line with those expected for their age, with strengths in personal, social and emotional development. They make good progress and are well prepared when they transfer to Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good. The school’s data show that pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2013, attainment was above average in English and mathematics at the end of Year 2. Attainment in writing improved last year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Good progress is maintained in Years 3 and 4 so that, by the time pupils leave Talbot First School, they are well prepared for middle school with standards that are above those expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are encouraged to answer questions and give their ideas in lessons. Teachers skilfully question pupils to deepen their understanding.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs benefit from additional help in lessons and in small groups. Teachers and teaching assistants ensure they adapt work for these pupils so that it is at the right level of challenge. As a consequence, pupils make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Leaders track pupils’ progress accurately and the school responds quickly to pupils who may need extra help. Additional adults provide effective support in classes. Teachers effectively move around different groups to ensure all pupils get individual attention, guidance and support.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Boys and girls make similar rates of progress. In the past, girls have been better writers than boys but this gap is closing with the use of exciting topics that boys find more interesting.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have raised their expectations of what pupils can achieve and provide a good level of challenge in their teaching. They provide clear explanations and ask well-considered questions to develop pupils’ thinking and clarify their understanding. For example, in a lesson for pupils in Years 3 and 4, pupils were challenged to design and build a moving monster. The class teacher skilfully questioned the pupils to enable them to reach solutions to the design problem.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In all lessons, teachers manage pupils well so that behaviour is good and pupils enjoy learning. This is because teachers know each pupil very well and provide activities that engage their interest.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The use of support staff is very good. They are knowledgeable and well prepared for lessons planned by the teacher and have positive relationships with all pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength in the school. From a young age, pupils are encouraged to support each other and take on responsibility. The school has developed very good links across the federation and is constantly seeking ways to provide enrichment opportunities. Pupils and parents speak enthusiastically about the opportunities ‘Forest School’ and gardening club offer to pupils.  Teaching is not outstanding because, although teachers plan activities which are correctly targeted for pupils’ different abilities, they do not always check whether pupils have achieved their goal and then move their learning on to maximise progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of marking in books is inconsistent. In the best examples, teachers give pupils clear and detailed guidance on how they can improve their work. However, this standard of marking is not use consistently across different subjects.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and apply themselves well to all tasks. They work well together in small groups and in pairs. Only on occasions when they have completed work and are not moved on to their next stage of learning rapidly enough do they lose their concentration.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and courteous to each other and other adults. Teachers and pupils demonstrate respect for one another, and pupils speak highly of the support they are offered at this small school. One pupil commented, ‘The teachers are lovely here.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in Reception mix happily together and soon get used to the sort of behaviour that is expected of them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in the playground and around the school. Pupils understand the school’s code of conduct and the consequences of inappropriate behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that bullying does not happen at Talbot and are confident that it would be dealt with well by staff should it happen. Older pupils, in particular, have a good awareness of different types of bullying and are aware of how to keep themselves safe. When asked, all pupils spoken to by the inspector said that they feel safe in school and understand about staying safe on the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are punctual to school, and attendance has been consistently above average, demonstrating pupils’ enjoyment of school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The executive headteacher is well respected by staff and pupils. She has led the school effectively through the changes associated with federation. This has led to the happy atmosphere that staff, pupils and parents talk about. Parents and carers are extremely positive about the direction the school is going in.

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The leadership and management are good

 Management systems are effective. The school runs smoothly in the executive headteacher’s absence. This is particularly important because she shares her time equally between the two schools each week.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers have a number of leadership roles due to the size of the school, and some areas of responsibility are shared across the federation, but these arrangements are in the early stages of development. Discussions during the inspection indicate that there are opportunities to share best practice and develop responsibility further across the two schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has good links with parents and carers. Parents expressed positive views about the school through questionnaires and surveys, including Parent View. All unanimously agree that the school is led and managed well.

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The leadership and management are good

 School improvement planning reflects the school’s drive to raise achievement further. The plan has the right priorities and sharply focuses on increasing the proportion of pupils making good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff provide a rich and varied programme of lessons and extra activities that promotes pupils’ learning and captures their interest. Pupils are given the opportunity to learn musical instruments and participate in clubs such as fencing and chess, which all help to enrich their learning experience.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary school sports funding is being used appropriately to ensure pupils experience a wide range of activities across the federation and improve teachers’ understanding of how to develop pupils’ physical skills. The school has identified appropriate ways of evaluating the spending.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has supported the school in setting up the federation. Advisers have continued to support leaders to monitor standards.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is new and has responsibility for both schools in the federation. Governors are monitoring the work of the school and receive regular reports about the school’s performance. They know about the quality of teaching, and the arrangements for managing teachers’ performance and how these relate to pay. Good new systems for accountability have been developed. Governors ensure that the school has the right systems to keep pupils safe.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 124093 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 426991

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school First School category Community Age range of pupils 4-9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 49 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Reeves Headteacher Pauline Livesey Date of previous school inspection 16-17 November 2011 Telephone number 01889 500273 Fax number 01889 500 527 Email address office@talbot.staffs.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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