Tatworth Primary School

Tatworth Primary School School Lane, Tatworth, Chard, TA20 2RX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The new headteacher has focused on improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. With the effective support of the deputy headteacher, they have accelerated the progress of pupils during a time of staff turbulence.  As a result, children make good progress in the Reception class and are well prepared to move on to Year 1.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is improving. The school’s information indicates that pupils currently in Year 2 are on track to attain higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics than in 2014.  The proportion of pupils in Year 6 attaining the higher levels in reading, writing or mathematics is on track to be higher than in previous years.  Middle leaders monitor effectively how well different groups of pupils do in their own subject areas.  The behaviour of the pupils is good. They try hard in lessons and want to do well.  Pupils feel safe in school. They are well cared for by

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

all of the adults.  Governors have improved their monitoring of the work of the school. They are much more diligent in their scrutiny of the progress different groups of pupils make. They hold the school to account for its work.  The spiritual, moral and social development of the pupils is good. The pupils are well prepared for the move on to secondary school and life in modern democratic Britain.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Middle leaders are still developing their skills in checking the quality of teaching in their subject areas. The impact of their work in this area is limited.  The quality of marking and guidance teachers provide is not yet consistently good in all subjects. As a result, pupils do not always know how to improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed learning in 12 lessons, one of which was jointly observed with the headteacher. An inspector also observed a whole-school assembly and a classroom-based assembly.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils and senior leaders. The lead inspector met with the Chair of the Governing Body and five other governors. He also held a telephone conversation with the School Improvement Partner who is a National Leader in Education from Elburton Primary School.  The inspection team listened to pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read and scrutinised a sample of workbooks from a range of year groups.  The inspectors examined a wide range of documents, including the school’s information on pupils’ recent progress. They also looked at planning and documentation about checks on teaching, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  There were 72 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors analysed questionnaires from 22 members of staff.

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Inspection team

David Hogg, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school has one class in each year group. All pupils attend on a full-time basis, including children in the early years’ provision.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is much lower than the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is also much lower than the national average. This additional government funding is used to support those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after. In Year 6 in 2014, there were too few disadvantaged pupils for their attainment to be compared to that of others without the risk of identifying individuals.  Most pupils are from a White British background. There are few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and the proportion of pupils who do not speak English as their first language is very low.

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Information about this school

 The school met the government’s current floor standards in 2014, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The headteacher and the deputy headteacher joined the school in September 2014. Nearly three quarters of the teaching staff joined the school at the same time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching still further by making sure that: - all teachers explain consistently to pupils how they can improve their work - middle leaders check the quality of teaching and learning regularly and intervene quickly where necessary.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has provided clear leadership to the school in a period of high staff turnover. With the support of the deputy headteacher, he has provided training, and targeted support and guidance to a new team of teachers. As a result, there have been significant improvements in the quality of teaching since the last inspection. The progress made by pupils has accelerated and their achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has risen.  The headteacher has introduced a new way of tracking pupils’ progress. All teachers check the progress of individual pupils regularly, particularly the most able and those who need additional support. Teachers have raised expectations of what pupils can achieve.  The small number of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in each year group make similar progress to that of other pupils in the school. The

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The leadership and management are good

school makes good use of its resources to enable all pupils, including the most able, to have an equal opportunity to succeed.  Middle leaders track the progress of pupils effectively through assessment information and checking work in books. However, they are not yet involved in monitoring the quality of teachers’ planning or their effectiveness in the classroom.  All teachers have performance targets linked to improving teaching and pupils’ achievement. They are rigorous, linked to salary improvements and reviewed regularly by the headteacher.  An external consultant supports the school and recently reviewed the school's development plans. These are well considered and provide a clear focus for further rapid school improvement.  The school draws on expertise from a range of external trainers. The support they have provided has successfully improved teachers’ skills in the classroom. Pupils’ work and teachers’ assessments have been

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The leadership and management are good

checked by the local authority.  The school provides a range of curriculum opportunities that pupils enjoy. Specialist teachers challenge pupils with high quality activities, including science and modern foreign languages. Pupils enjoy a wide range of artistic, sporting and creative activities that widen their experiences outside of lessons. For example, pupils in Year 4 can learn to play a brass instrument and the school enters local events that highlight the musical and artistic skills of the pupils.  The school has a good reputation locally for its sports provision. The primary school sports premium funding has been used in a variety of ways. Pupils are encouraged to extend their skills through high level coaching inside and outside of school. Training by professional coaches has improved the skills of the staff to deliver better physical education lessons. As a result, pupils are excited by sport and recently achieved

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The leadership and management are good

success against other schools in a number of sports including cricket, rounders and athletics.  The spiritual, moral and social awareness of pupils is good. The school promotes values of respect and tolerance and prepares pupils for life in modern democratic Britain in preparation for the move to secondary school. Leadership skills are encouraged through pupils becoming play leaders. A debate in an assembly on ‘British values’ prompted pupils to share mature and well-considered views. These opinions came from pupils in Year 3 as well as from older Year 6 pupils. Pupils showed good awareness of racism within society and rejected intolerance and discrimination in their discussion. The school vigorously challenges any such unacceptable views and works hard to give pupils equal opportunities.  The governing body checks the safeguarding and child protection procedures carefully to make sure they meet statutory requirements. The school takes great care in carrying out the appropriate checks when

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The leadership and management are good

appointing new staff. All staff have regular training that ensures pupils are safe while in school.  Parents receive regular information on the progress the pupils are making. Newsletters and the school website provide them with up-to-date information about what is happening in school. The school’s links with parents are good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good understanding of the strengths of the school. They now check the work of school leaders more closely than they have done in the past. They monitor the progress made by different groups of pupils, including those receiving additional help. They have received training to develop these skills.  The governing body receives regular reports from the headteacher and external consultants and has an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching within the school. Governors know what the school is doing to tackle underperformance and understand how the school has linked pay progression and promotion opportunities to how well pupils achieve.  Governors review the financial position of the school very carefully to make sure resources are used effectively, for example the funding to support disadvantaged pupils. They are aware of how the school

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The leadership and management are good

uses the primary sports premium funding and are in the process of reviewing the impact of this additional support.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Incidents of bullying and unkindness are very rare. Pupils say if fall-outs do happen they can normally resolve issues themselves. If issues persist, they can go to an adult who will help sort things out.  Around school, pupils behave well. They are polite and kind towards each other. At break times, pupils are active and play well together. The adults in school foster good relationships with the pupils who in return, enjoy working with them.  The school recently focused on raising the quality of pupils’ handwriting and presentation. Pupils responded well to the much higher expectations and improved the quality of the appearance of their work.  In lessons, pupils are encouraged to discuss their work and debate ideas in small groups. Pupils act as monitors and report back to the class on the learning that has taken place in each lesson. This develops pupils’ confidence and skills in reviewing and reflecting on what they see happen.

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Behaviour

 They enjoy their work and are keen to do well. Pupils say that occasionally a very small number can be too chatty in lessons and this is annoying.  Attendance is above the national average.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils say they feel safe and are clear about how the school has helped them to understand what constitutes an unsafe situation. Younger pupils are aware of stranger danger. Older pupils show good understanding of how to keep themselves safe using social media sites and when playing games on line.  Year 6 pupils undertake first aid training which develops their skills in helping others.  The management of the breakfast and after-school clubs is good. The pupils are well cared for while they are there. They are well behaved, polite and show good manners. All staff have the relevant qualifications to prepare and serve food.  Regular training ensures all staff are well aware of the procedures that are in place in school to protect all pupils and to keep them safe. Staff make sure gates and doors are locked so visitors can only gain access

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Safety

to the school through the manned reception area.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Pupils make better progress across all subjects. The quality of work seen in pupils’ books in mathematics and writing supports the school’s information that most pupils make at least good progress.  Senior leaders have reviewed the effectiveness of the school’s approach to teaching letters and sounds (phonics). The review indicated that some pupils’ understanding of the sounds that link to different groups of letters was not very good. A new programme is now in place and has quickly improved the pupils’ reading skills. Regular storytelling sessions by the teachers help develop pupils’ understanding of the meaning of less familiar words and why an author may have chosen them. Pupils are given opportunities to read aloud to each other to develop their own fluency.  Teachers plan interesting activities to help develop pupils’ literacy skills. Tasks are structured carefully so

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils of different abilities can succeed. In a Year 6 lesson, pupils were asked to apply their understanding when writing a synopsis. The teacher chose an engaging short animated film as the focus of the activity. After a discussion, the pupils then picked out and sequenced the key events in the story and wrote their review.  In class, teaching assistants are used to good effect. Teachers deploy additional staff to a range of activities, including the support of small groups and individual pupils. Pupils are then provided with additional support if they need it and they are able to make good progress on the tasks they are working on.  In some lessons, teaching assistants also record how well pupils are working on a task. They then feed this back to the class teacher who can use the information to plan carefully the next lesson in the sequence.  Teachers plan lessons that match the abilities of the pupils in their classes. When done well, the activities

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The quality of teaching is good

challenge the most able pupils and their learning accelerates.  Senior leaders review the quality of teaching frequently. Staff receive regular feedback to help them develop their skills. On occasions, the headteacher will model an effective strategy for the teacher to use in subsequent lessons. This approach has helped improve teaching across the school and ensure pupils make consistently good progress  Pupils’ workbooks are marked regularly. However, the feedback teachers provide is inconsistent and does not always provide clear guidance on how pupils can improve their work.

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is good

 In 2014, pupils’ attainment in writing at the end of Year 6 was well above the national average. The teachers’ assessments in reading and mathematics were also above the national average. The school’s own checks indicate the progress the pupils made in all three subjects from their individual starting points was good.  For pupils currently in Year 2 the school’s own information shows that their attainment has improved in all subjects, reversing a slight dip in the results in 2014. The information indicates that pupils’ attainment will be above the national average this year. Pupils’ work in their books supports this improved picture.  The school’s information on pupils in Year 6 shows the proportions of pupils on course to achieve a high level (Level 5) in reading, writing and mathematics is well above that seen in the school and nationally in previous years. The school has provided a good level of challenge for the most able pupils this year and

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is good

has entered a number of them for the even higher Level 6 in mathematics. Pupils are very well prepared for the move on to the next stage in their education.  Pupils’ reading skills have improved this year because of better ways to teach letters and sounds. Younger pupils can apply their skills when reading unfamiliar words. Older pupils read regularly both for pleasure and specifically to further develop their reading skills.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in each year group are small. The well-planned support from teaching assistants and teachers enables pupils with additional needs to make good progress from their individual starting points.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils in the school is small so comparisons of their attainment and progress with the national picture are not possible. The school’s own information indicates they make good progress across the school because of effective support. Gaps in the reading, writing, mathematical

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is good

skills of disadvantaged pupils compared with other pupils are closing.

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is good

 Children join the school with skills that are typical for their age. Most make rapid progress in the Reception class due to effective teaching. Over the last two years, there has been a significant improvement in the proportion of children achieving a good level of development. The school’s own information indicates this trend is likely to continue this year. The proportion achieving a good level of development is on course to be much higher than the national average. Children’s achievement is consistently good across all areas of learning. Children are effectively prepared for the move into Year 1.  This year has seen a more focused approach to the teaching of letters and sounds. Children acquire an understanding of sounds linked to groups of letters quickly and can apply these when reading to an adult.  Assessments of the children’s skills and work are accurate. Adults plan and organise activities that

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is good

develop the children’s social and academic skills very effectively. The teacher and teaching assistants work alongside the children on some activities and successfully promote sharing and co-operative skills. For example, a teaching assistant extended an investigation by a group of boys racing cars around a track by enquiring if they could make the track more complicated.  Staff work well with parents. They meet parents at the beginning and end of the day and discuss with them informally how well their children are doing. Each child has a ‘learning journal’ that records what they do during the week and what they have learnt. There are regular progress meetings for parents of those who need additional support.  The children enjoy the learning activities. They join in together and show good levels of concentration. They can work on an activity for an extended period of time.  The behaviour of the children is good. They behave well and are kind towards each other. Children ask

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is good

politely if they can join in with an activity and they are happy to share resources. They say please and thank you to each other without having to be prompted by an adult. Children were eager to talk to the inspector who visited their classroom. Children have good social skills.  Children can describe how they keep themselves safe on different activities and when using apparatus. They know the class rules and know that they are there to keep them safe. Safeguarding procedures and policies relevant to the early years setting are in place to ensure the children are well cared for and looked after.  Leadership of the early years is good. Early years leaders have developed clear systems for assessing accurately the progress the children make. They provide a stimulating environment with exciting activities for the children to explore. For example, in the outdoor area children tried to work out what load a small

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is good

boat would take before it sank. The children counted items to fill the boat and used a timer to measure. They then wrote down their findings on a display board.

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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 failing

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 137175 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 462468

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Val Joslin Headteacher Stephen Clarke Date of previous school inspection 12–13 June 2013 Telephone number 01460 220565 Fax number 01460 221390 Email address office@tatworth.somerset.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 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

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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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