Tuxford Primary Academy

Tuxford Primary Academy Newark Road, Tuxford, Newark, NG22 0NA

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Tuxford Primary Academy is a rapidly improving happy school, where pupils feel safe and well cared for.  The Principal has a very strong vision for the school. Staff and governors share her determination to improve further the quality of teaching, pupils’ progress and standards by the end of Year 6.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They make good progress and achieve well.  Pupils’ progress is accelerating rapidly in all year groups. Standards are rising quickly and all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and the more able achieve well.  There are rigorous systems in place to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding, and the progress they are making.  Pupils’ writing skills have improved significantly and are now broadly average by Year 6.  Staff have a good understanding of the abilities and needs of all pupils. Good teaching encourages and

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

motivates pupils of all abilities to want to learn and give of their best.  Attendance has improved markedly over the last year and is now above average.  Pupils are proud of their school and behave well. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is good. Parents acknowledge and appreciate the care and support provided by the school for themselves and their children.  The school makes good use of the support and advice it can access as part of the Diverse Academy Learning Partnership when implementing its improvement plan.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although very much improved, the achievement of Year 6 pupils in mathematics and reading is below average. Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding that make it hard for them learn as quickly as they might.  Pupils do not always understand that mathematics will help them to succeed in their everyday lives.  Pupils do not use their reading skills often enough to support their learning in subjects other than English.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed parts of 15 lessons led by teachers. Small groups of pupils being supported by teaching assistants were also observed during this time. Two observations were carried out jointly with the Principal.  Inspectors considered assessment data on pupils’ progress and standards, listened to pupils in Y1 and Y6 read, and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  Discussions were held with pupils during break and lunchtimes as well as during lessons. A group of pupils with specific responsibilities at the school also spoke to an inspector.  Account was taken of the 26 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), four letters sent to the inspection team by parents, and the views of parents spoken to during the inspection. The 19 responses to the staff questionnaire were also considered.  A number of school documents were considered including the Academy Improvement Plan and the school’s self-evaluation of its own performance. Pupils’ achievement and attendance data together with

p.2

Information about this inspection

documents linked to safeguarding and child protection were also looked at.  Meetings were held with governors and representatives from the Diverse Academy Learning Partnership. Discussions were held with the Principal and other leaders including those responsible for the Early Years Foundation Stage, for English and mathematics, and the school’s provision for disabled pupils and those with a special educational need.

p.2

Inspection team

Alison Cogher, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Tuxford Primary Academy is a smaller than average sized primary school. The number of pupils on roll is increasing quickly. Nearly a quarter of pupils currently on roll have been admitted during the last twelve months.  The school became part of the Diverse Academy Learning Partnership in February 2013. The Principal has been in post for just over a year.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, or the new education, health and care plan, is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

p.3

Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2.  The school operates a breakfast and after-school club during term time.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to increase pupils’ progress across the school to raise standards in mathematics and reading to at least the national average in Year 6, by making sure that teachers:  identify gaps in pupils’ mathematical knowledge and understanding, and work to address them  provide pupils with the opportunity to use and apply their mathematical knowledge and skills to solve real life problems  increase the opportunities for pupils to read widely and often in subjects other than English.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The Principal provides excellent, sharply focused leadership. She is supported well by leaders responsible for curriculum areas and key stages, a strong staff team, experienced governors and the services of the Diverse Academy Learning Partnership.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Rapid school improvement has been secured because of a determined team effort where there is no complacency and a shared sense of purpose to raise the aspirations of pupils and staff.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school’s evaluation of how well is doing is accurate. Leaders have a clear picture of what is going well and what needs to be improved. The quality of teaching and learning is checked frequently. Targeted support and the introduction of whole school procedures have resulted in significant improvements to the quality and consistency of teaching.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Staff are keen to develop their skills and welcome the opportunity to broaden their experiences and to take on responsibilities. The school’s system of setting targets for teachers ensures that they are held to account for pupils’ achievement.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school’s rapid progress over the last year demonstrates school leaders’ good capacity to continue to improve.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Good use is made of the pupil premium funding to provide targeted support for pupils so they make good progress, and to give them equal access to activities that broaden their experiences. Provisional data indicate that the wide gaps evident between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in 2013 have closed significantly.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good use of the additional sports funding it receives by employing sports coaches who have trained staff and broadened the range of sporting activities available to pupils. Pupils are engaged in more competitive sport with other schools than in previous years.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The breakfast and after-school clubs are well supervised and provide pupils with a relaxed and positive start, or end, to their day.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school makes sure that all pupils have equality of opportunity and there is no discrimination of any kind. The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and British values well. Pupils are valued and supported as individuals whilst also being helped to see themselves as part of a diverse community.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Every parent who responded to Parent View, or who spoke to inspectors was confident that the school is being led and managed well. They recognise and appreciate the significant improvements that have been secured over the last year and consider that their children are well taught and cared for. With no exceptions they would recommend the school to others.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is broad and balanced and supports pupils to take their place in modern Britain. There has been an appropriate focus on developing pupils’ knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics, and the wide range of visits and additional activities broadens pupils’ experiences and gives relevance to their learning.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school’s safeguarding arrangements are comprehensive, fully meet statutory requirements and are effective in ensuring the safety of the pupils.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has been proactive in securing the support the school has needed to improve. They are experienced, knowledgeable and well informed. Governors hold the Principal, and other staff, to account for all aspects of the school’s performance. They are directly involved in the school self- evaluation process and have worked to increase their links with parents. Through the Diverse Academy Learning Partnership, governors have accessed and benefited from a broad range of relevant training. They have a clear understanding of what the school does well and what needs to improve further. Governors ensure that the school’s resources, including the spending of additional funding, are managed effectively to support pupils with their learning. They are very clear about the procedures for tackling underperformance, and, how good staff performance may be linked to increases in salary.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities and make sure that all requirements in relation to the safeguarding of pupils are met.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are very clear that behaviour has improved hugely over the last year and attribute this to the clear expectations promoted by the school’s procedures.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils consider the system of rewards and sanctions to be fair and they strive to ensure that their behaviour reflects the school’s ‘Golden Values’. These values and the consistent implementation of the school’s behaviour management procedures support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils are friendly, welcoming and proud of their school. They know what has improved at school and say that their teachers are helping them to learn well. They enjoy their lessons and the range of activities that are organised, including after-school clubs and visits.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils relish the opportunity to take on responsibilities such as school councillors, head boy and girl and house captains. Older pupils are quick to help younger pupils and to make sure that break and lunchtimes are positive and happy times.

p.5

Behaviour

 The school works hard, and with increasing success with families who struggle to get their children to school as often as possible. The rapid improvement to pupils’ attendance reflects the success of the school’s procedures and pupils’ enjoyment of school.

p.5

Behaviour

 The vast majority of pupils are attentive in lessons and work hard to complete the tasks they are set. However, sometimes a few pupils lose focus or disrupt others. This behaviour is dealt with promptly by staff so its impact on pupils’ learning is minimised.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Parents support this view and have confidence in the school.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils know that bullying can take various forms, including name calling and cyber-bullying. They are clear about what they should do if it happens to them and would trust an adult at the school to help them. They say there are very few bullying incidents and are very confident that they are dealt with effectively by staff.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, and they manage risk to themselves in a range of situations. For example, during a science lesson focusing on electricity, Year 6 pupils recalled from first aid training they had last year, that electricity and water are a very dangerous combination.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved significantly over the year. The good quality and consistency of teaching has enabled pupils across the school to make rapid progress. Strategies for teaching phonics (the sounds that letters make), reading, writing and mathematics are tightly structured so pupils are able to build successfully on what they already know, and can do.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is good. They give pupils praise for what they have done well, a ‘wow’ statement, and challenge them to improve through a ‘now’ statement. Pupils are very confident that this process helps them to learn well. They respond quickly to the ‘now’ challenge and have a secure grasp of how well they are doing. Pupils are skilled at assessing their own and each other’s work in lessons.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Skilled and knowledgeable teaching assistants work very closely with teachers and make a significant contribution to the good progress made by pupils. Teamwork in the classroom is a strength and promotes pupils’ good learning, including that of disadvantaged pupils and the more able.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive the effective guidance and support they need to enable them to learn as well as their classmates.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between adults and pupils are good so pupils try hard, are keen to improve and respond positively to the advice and support they are given.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use questioning to challenge pupils to think for themselves, to give reasons for their answers, and also to check pupils’ understanding. Teachers are quick to address any errors or misunderstandings that become evident through pupils’ responses.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of assessment information about pupils’ learning to identify gaps in their knowledge and skills. Gaps are particularly evident in mathematics and members of staff understand that there is a need to continue to focus on addressing these. They also recognise that providing more opportunities for pupils to use mathematics in real life situations will help them to see the relevance of their learning to their everyday lives and to be more successful in the future.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 The variety of methods, and range of resources used to help pupils learn ensure that they enjoy their lessons. Pupils are helped to apply their writing skills well when learning in other subjects and to see how these skills will help them in the future, for example, by being able to write a formal letter.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils enjoy reading but they are not helped enough to improve their skills through reading often in other subjects.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Nursery with levels of skill and knowledge that are below those typical for their age. They are particularly weak in the areas of their personal development, and communication and language. Children make good progress in all areas of learning with a broadly average proportion reaching the goals expected by the end of Reception.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Children’s good attitudes help them to achieve well. They work well together in pairs or small groups, and are honest but respectful in their assessment of each other’s work. Teachers know their pupils well and make sure they are being challenged to reach their potential.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 The increasing numbers of pupils being admitted into the school does affect the overall picture of pupil progress and attainment from term to term. However, the school’s thorough procedures allow each pupil to be tracked very carefully and data show that from when they start at the school pupils make at least good progress.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 are being helped to catch up on the sometimes limited progress they have made in previous years. Progress in Years 1 and 2 is consistently good and although standards in 2014 remained broadly average there was a marked improvement in pupils’ reading and mathematics.  The progress made by pupils in Key Stage 2 is also consistently good and sometimes rapid as teachers help pupils to address the gaps in their learning. This much improved progress has helped pupils in Year 6 to reach broadly average writing standards in writing this year. Although standards in reading and mathematics remained below average the gap between pupils’ at the school and the national average closed significantly. The current Year 6 pupils are performing at a better level than in previous years.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have access to ‘Master classes’ run by Tuxford Academy. This work has helped to raise their expectations and aspirations and supports them to make good progress.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 More-able pupils are challenged in lessons and are now reaching the levels they are capable of. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive well targeted support that helps them to progress as well as their classmates.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 The number of pupils eligible for support through additional funding is very small and makes any direct comparison year on year with the national figures unreliable. However, because of the help they received the very few individuals in Year 6 in 2014 made good and sometimes rapid progress. This has ensured that the gap between them and other pupils at the school was minimal. There was no significant gap between eligible pupils and the national average in reading or writing and it was significantly reduced in mathematics to less than two terms behind.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children’s skills are typically below the level expected on entry to Nursery. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes, enjoy each other’s company and are keen to learn. Adult led activities such as those that help children to learn the sounds that letters make move children’s learning on quickly. All children achieve well.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children develop into confident individuals who behave well. Children’s learning is supported well by the stimulating range of activities provided inside and outside that motivate children to engage with their environment. All areas of learning are planned for carefully, and members of staff often take account of children’s interests and ideas. Staff recognise that they could give more emphasis to developing children’s early number skills.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children are encouraged to use their senses to explore their world and are helped to improve their communication skills by sharing their observations. For example, children in the Nursery talked enthusiastically about the colour and texture of autumn leaves they had collected in the school grounds.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 The Early Years leader provides good support for the team of adults working in the Nursery and Reception classes. They all work closely together to ensure that children are safe and well cared for. Assessments made about children’s skills and understanding are accurate, and they are used to guide planning and to keep parents informed of their children’s progress.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Good links with parents and well organised transition arrangements ensure that entry to the Nursery, the move into Reception, and then on into Year 1 is a positive experience for children.

p.7

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 failing

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 139215 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 447856

p.9

School details

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

p.9

School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 192 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Trudi Favill Principal Louise Davidson Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01777 870482 Fax number 01777 870313 Email address office@tuxfordprimary-ac.org.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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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 and 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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

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

p.10