Tillington Manor Primary School

Tillington Manor Primary School Young Avenue, Stafford, ST16 1PW

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils do not achieve well in English and mathematics. Too many pupils are leaving at the end of Year 6 not reaching the expected standards for their age.  Teaching in Years 1 to 6 is not yet consistently good or better in order for pupils to make good progress.  In some lessons, good pace does not continue throughout and so pupils lose concentration and their learning slows.  Teachers’ planning does not always provide effectively for the different needs of pupils to make sure that all are challenged throughout lessons.  Although teachers check pupils’ work during lessons, there are missed opportunities to adjust demands and challenge pupils further.  Opportunities to apply mathematical skills through problem-solving activities in other subjects are sometimes missed.  While leaders check the quality of the school’s work regularly, actions are not bringing about rapid enough progress for pupils.  Leaders at all levels and governors have not

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

been successful in making sure that pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching are consistently good or better.

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The school has the following strengths

 The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a good start to school. Children settle well and are keen to join in with many activities.  Information and communication technology is used well by both adults and pupils.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and are keen to take part in a wide range of activities outside lessons.  The school is successful in developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.  The school provides a nurturing and caring environment which enables pupils to behave well and feel safe. Pupils are polite, courteous and considerate.  Parents are positive about the school saying that their children are safe and are looked after well.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 25 lessons, four of which were seen jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with staff, two groups of pupils and the Chair of the Governing Body. A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors heard pupils read and talked to them informally at break and lunchtime.  Inspectors took account of the 27 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, one letter from a parent, and the school’s most recent parental survey. They had conversations with parents and carers as they dropped off their children at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered the 15 responses to the staff questionnaire.  School documentation was examined, including data on pupils’ current progress and records of governing body meetings, teachers’ performance, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. The way disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are catered for was also

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Inspection team

Andrew Stafford, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Linda Rowley Additional Inspector Rosemary Barnfield Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Tillington Manor Primary is larger than the average-sized primary school. There are two classes in Years 1 and 2 and one in Year 5. There are two mixed-age classes for pupils in Years 3 and 4 and two for pupils in Years 5 and 6. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a separate nursery unit and two Reception classes.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for certain groups – in this school pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils looked after by the local authority) is higher than average.  Tillington Manor Primary School meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the

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Information about this school

minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  In September 2013, the governors appointed two newly qualified teachers. They also appointed an acting literacy coordinator and two acting mathematics coordinators.  There has been long-term absence due to illness and family leave among staff over the past three years.  Recently completed major building work took place in the school last year.  There is a pre-school sports club managed by the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching to consistently good or better in Years 1 to 6 in order to raise pupils’ achievement by:  ensuring all teachers maintain a swift pace throughout the whole lesson to help pupils maintain concentration and produce work of the highest standard  making sure teachers always plan work that caters for the different abilities of pupils in the class so that pupils are consistently challenged throughout lessons  checking pupils’ work during lessons so that activities can be adjusted to make sure pupils’ learning moves along quickly  giving pupils opportunities to develop their mathematical skills through regular problem- solving in different subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leadership and management on pupils’ achievement by making sure that any actions that follow monitoring activities result in pupils making good and rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement in Key Stages 1 and 2 requires improvement because too few pupils make good progress. By the end of Year 6, standards are below average in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of all groups of pupils requires improvement. Across the school, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, as well as those supported by the pupil premium, make progress at rates similar to those of other pupils. Not enough of the most-able pupils achieve the higher levels of attainment at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school has a very high proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium. Over time, attainment for these pupils has been below that of their classmates. For example, the results at the end of Year 6 in 2013 showed that pupils supported by the pupil premium were over one year behind other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has appointed an additional teacher which has enabled older pupils to be taught in smaller groups. Currently, the progress of these pupils is similar to others.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013, just over a third of the pupils did not achieve the expected standard in phonics work (the sounds that letters make) at the end of Year 1. However, due to the introduction of a new system, the teaching of phonics is now consistent across the school. Training for staff and grouping pupils by ability, so that teaching better matches their needs, has led to pupils having a more secure understanding of how they develop their reading skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 While standards in writing at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2013 were above average, the standards in mathematics and reading were broadly average. Teachers’ assessments show that the proportion of pupils making the expected rates of progress has improved more in writing than has been the case in reading and mathematics. However, school data show that standards in reading are improving in lower age groups.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The national test results for Year 6 in 2013 show that pupils made better progress in writing than they did in reading and mathematics. The proportion of pupils making more than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics has not yet reached the national average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils often use their writing skills in different subjects to extend the range of different kinds of writing in which they are competent. Although problem solving is occasionally used in science, it is not developed sufficiently in other subjects in order to improve pupils’ number skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with knowledge and skills that are significantly below those expected for their age especially in speaking and listening, reading, writing and mathematics. Accurate assessment helps adults to plan appropriately for next steps in learning. Children enjoy a wide range of exciting activities, both in the classroom and outdoors, helping many to make good progress. For example, outdoors, children enjoy riding their bikes and leading each other around, while others learn about volumes using sand and water.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils say they enjoy reading. In the Nursery class, children enjoy looking at books. They follow the story through the pictures, laughing at silly characters or talking about what they are doing. Regular teaching of letters and sounds, often in small groups, helps children to learn basic reading skills. As pupils progress through the school, they enjoy reading different kinds of books and begin to use their reading skills to gather information.  Some more-able pupils in Year 6 are taught in a group aiming to reach the higher levels of attainment. However, more-able pupils are not always fully challenged or given work that accelerates their progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently good and does not promote good progress in reading, writing and mathematics for all pupils across the school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers plan lessons that allow for pupils to work in different groups. However, lessons do not always cater for the wide range of pupils’ individual abilities and, as a result, not all pupils are challenged sufficiently.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Sometimes, the pace of lessons drops as a result of teachers talking for too long to the whole class. Pupils become distracted and the rate of their learning slows. When good teaching was observed during the inspection, lessons had good pace with pupils focusing on their work and learning effectively.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers talk to individuals or groups of pupils throughout the lesson to challenge their thinking. However, teachers miss opportunities during this time to make changes to the work pupils are doing in order to move their learning on more quickly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 When learning is linked to real-life situations pupils find the tasks enjoyable. In a mathematics lesson in Year 6, for example, following a swift starter activity which demonstrated pupils’ knowledge of multiplication tables, the teacher gave a clear introduction on how such awareness could be used to solve percentage and decimal problems. All pupils made good progress during the lesson. Teachers, however, do not plan similar opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical skills in other subjects.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Adults and pupils have good relationships which help to ensure that pupils enjoy lessons, are keen to answer questions and are respectful. Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well, which is why lessons are calm and pupils are eager to work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Classrooms support learning effectively. The newly refurbished and well-equipped accommodation provides a good learning environment. Teachers plan activities that usually engage pupils’ interest in their learning. Pupils say they enjoy work in pairs, particularly if the activity is practical.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers generally work closely with other adults, and classroom assistants play a valuable role in aiding learning, especially for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. The communication between adults when planning lessons is good. These additional staff help assess pupils’ progress and provide good support for them in small groups and on a one-to-one basis, particularly when helping to improve their reading skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is some good practice in the way pupils’ work in English and mathematics is marked. Marking is frequent and gives positive comments as well as providing pupils with information on how to improve their work. On occasions, pupils have responded, showing that they understand the teachers’ comments.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 When children join Tillington Manor Primary, they learn from an early age how to value each other, the adults around them and their school community. A strong atmosphere of mutual respect, starting in the Early Years Foundation Stage and continuing throughout the school, leads to pupils feeling happy, safe and secure. This is reflected in attendance that is average and improving. The school works closely with parents and provides support for them to understand how they can help their children learn at home.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe in school. They know how to keep themselves safe in different situations. Because the fire brigade have spoken to them, pupils know the fire-drill procedure as well as the steps to take if a fire started at home. They know how to keep themselves safe if a stranger approaches them. They also know about cyber-bullying and the importance of informing an adult if they see any inappropriate content on their computer screens.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 All parents who responded to Parent View said that their children are happy in school, that they are safe and looked after well. These views are also expressed in the school’s most recent parental survey.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they enjoy coming to school, and that lessons are fun. They have positive attitudes to learning. Their behaviour in lessons is good and they move around the school in a consistently orderly way. They work hard and are enthusiastic. Pupils are always keen to take part in lessons and to work in pairs or in groups. Pupils agree that behaviour is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils happily carry out responsibilities, for example, by contributing to school assemblies or as house captains who organise teams for sport activities. Pupils are encouraged to participate in raising funds for charity. The school council talked enthusiastically about an event open to parents which raised money for Children in Need.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy lessons in physical education and activities after school, and this encourages them to pursue sports which in turn help them to stay healthy and promote their well-being. Plans are underway to use the primary school sports funding to develop teachers’ skills, particularly in dance and gymnastics, in order to broaden and sustain the sports activities available to pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school provides good opportunities for pupils to develop their health and social skills in a safe and stimulating environment, both at the beginning and end of the school day, in the sports and after-school clubs.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although leaders are focused on raising standards, leadership and management still require improvement. This is because actions so far have not led to enough pupils making consistently good and better progress in Key Stages 1 and 2, nor have they helped to rapidly improve the quality of teaching to be consistently good or better.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The senior leadership team has experienced a turbulent three years, and several members of staff have been absent due to illness. Staffing is now more settled.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and managers have identified appropriate strengths and areas for development and the school’s monitoring activities have led to some improvements, for example in attendance. However, the actions that follow monitoring activities do not always have sufficient impact to ensure that pupils make good and rapid progress.  The headteacher is providing a clear direction for the school and is supported well by the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders. As a result, leaders and all staff have a strong sense of pride in the school and their capacity to secure further improvement is demonstrated by pupils’ improving progress in reading, especially in the younger age groups.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is effective in securing the confidence of parents and in making sure that children in the Nursery and Reception are taught well and make good progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 All staff work well together as a team. They take advantage of training and partnership with other primary and secondary schools. Training is also linked to the targets set when managing teachers’ performance which helps leaders to make decisions about teachers’ pay increases.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders have been involved heavily in redesigning the school and checking refurbishment over the last year so that the new extensions are fit for purpose. The headteacher has also managed well the long-term absence among staff over the past three years to minimise the impact on pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority knows the school’s circumstances well. It provides guidance and support for senior leaders, especially in the professional development of the newly appointed subject leaders.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum provides many effective opportunities for pupils to have a diverse and interesting education. Arts are a strong feature. There are also strong links with the church where children perform and attend collective worship. Visits, for example to museums or residential stays, provide pupils with plenty of opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills well.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher is a member of a local schools alliance and contributes to study groups which look at ways of improving pupils’ progress. The governors confirm that this work has benefited the leadership of the school and is helping to improve the quality of teaching and raise achievement at Tillington Manor.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet all current national requirements and the school makes sure that all pupils are well supported. This has been particularly important during the extensive building work on the site. Senior leaders have managed the disruption well and made sure it has not had an impact on pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has recently welcomed many new members and carried out a review of members’ skills. This has led to a re-structuring of its committees. Governors are now developing their skills through a range of training activities. They are now more active in their different roles. They have a good understanding of the school’s performance in the national context by comparing data. They gain first-hand information by undertaking ‘learning walks’ in the school. They work closely with the headteacher who keeps them up to date with pupils’ progress. Governors carry out their statutory duties very diligently, making sure that the headteacher’s performance is rigorously assessed through annual objectives. Governors manage the school’s budget well and know how the pupil premium funding is spent and the impact on the progress of pupils who are supported by this funding. Governors have been

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The leadership and management requires improvement

involved in making decisions on the spending of the primary school sports funding so that the school has a designated physical education trainer. Governors are involved in teachers’ performance management and help make decisions on teachers’ salaries.

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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 124196 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 429534

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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 Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 320 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Deborah Powers Headteacher Ian Goodwin Date of previous school inspection 24 May 2012 Telephone number 01785 356880 Fax number 01785 356880 Email address office@tillingtonmanor.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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