Tilstock CofE Primary School and Nursery

Tilstock CofE Primary School and Nursery Tilstock, Whitchurch SY13 3JL

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is an inadequate school

 The school has declined since its last inspection. Leaders, including the governors, have failed to take action to halt the fall in standards.  Not all the areas of improvement identified at the time of the last inspection have been tackled successfully.  Too many pupils do not achieve well enough because the quality of teaching is inadequate.  Pupils, particularly those in Key Stage 2, are not making sufficient progress from their starting points  Teachers do not use the information they have about what pupils know, and can do, to plan work that matches the wide range of abilities of pupils in the mixed-age classes. Pupils are not always challenged to do their best.  Teachers are not held robustly to account for the achievement of pupils in their classes. The quality of teaching and pupils’ work are not checked regularly enough in order to identify what needs improving.  Pupils’ current work does not always match the

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This is an inadequate school

school’s assessment data. As a result, leaders’ analysis of the work of the school is over- generous.  Governors lack the information and training to hold school leaders to account. They have not ensured that statutory requirements are met.  Senior leaders do not use additional pupil funding effectively to help the small number of disadvantaged pupils to achieve well.  The school’s website lacks all the required information.  In some lessons, pupils lose concentration. This is because expectations are not always made clear or the learning purpose is too vague. On these occasions, pupils are distracted or spend too much time talking.  Early years provision is inadequate. Reception children do not receive a suitable curriculum. This means that they do not make good enough progress from their starting points.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils are safe and feel well cared for. They enjoy coming to school and their attendance is good.  Pupils behave well around the school. Younger and older pupils relate well to one another.

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management at all levels, including governance, by: revising the school development plan so that it includes all development areas, and ensuring that it is reviewed and revised regularly ensuring that all staff are held to account by frequently checking on their performance and setting precise targets against which their work can be assessed ensuring that the school’s assessment system is clear and understood by all, and that information about pupils’ achievement is accurate and analysed regularly providing training for middle leaders, so they can quickly lead improvements in their subject areas to raise standards equipping governors with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to hold leaders to account and ensure that statutory requirements are met ensuring that governors visit and monitor the school on a regular basis in order to check all aspects of the school’s work

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

ensuring that the spending of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is carefully planned so that it precisely meets the needs of eligible pupils and enables them to make good progress making sure that the curriculum is more stimulating and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that all pupils make good or better progress by: ensuring that teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve equipping staff with the skills to plan work for mixed-age classes, so that work is neither too hard nor too easy and is appropriate for all abilities improving pupils’ writing skills, in Years 3 to 6, by securing rapid improvements in their handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar, both in literacy lessons and across the curriculum. ensuring that all pupils have more opportunities to write at length to build up their stamina for writing ensuring that activities in guided-reading sessions are purposeful and improve pupils’ reading skills providing more opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical calculation, reasoning and problem-solving skills providing staff with clear guidance about how their feedback to pupils helps them to improve their

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

work setting stimulating and challenging activities, so that pupils do not become distracted and they learn well.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of the early years provision by: ensuring that Reception children access an appropriate early years curriculum providing all children with a range of stimulating activities that enable them to explore, investigate and develop their curiosity and creativity developing learning in the outdoor area ensuring that next steps in children’s learning are regularly identified.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium (additional government funding) should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 The quality of education has declined since the last inspection. The progress of pupils currently in the school is inadequate. Leaders, including governors, have been too slow to react to this decline.  Leaders, including governors, do not demonstrate that they have the skills to robustly check on, or evaluate accurately, the quality of education provided by the school. The school’s self-evaluation is overly generous. The development plan does not identify all areas that need to be developed swiftly. Action plans are not sharp enough, or reviewed sufficiently regularly, to be able to bring about rapid improvement.  Leaders do not rigorously hold teachers to account for the achievement of pupils in their classes. Until recently, leaders’ judgements about the impact of teaching, learning and assessment on the progress of pupils were over positive. External support from a national leader of education is now enabling these

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

judgements to be more accurate. Teachers have been given insufficient guidance on how to improve their practice. Targets given to help improve pupils’ progress were not followed up. Leaders were too slow to act on very weak teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 over the last three years.  Middle leaders are not raising standards in their subjects quickly enough. They are not observing teaching and learning in their subjects or sufficiently checking the quality of pupils’ work in books. Recent work with external advisors is beginning to equip leaders with a better understanding of pupils’ achievements in their subjects. However, leaders are not using this information effectively to improve teaching and learning in their subjects.  Staff are not always deployed to have the most impact on pupils’ progress. During the inspection, there were times when the Nursery was over-staffed, while other areas of the school had no additional help.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 The school has not drawn up a current plan to target the additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs or disability, or evaluated the impact of last year’s funding. Current funding is not targeted directly at the small number of disadvantaged pupils. Current information shows that they are making similar progress to their peers.  The curriculum is not planned well enough to promote pupils’ achievement. The English curriculum does not give pupils, particularly older pupils, sufficient opportunities to write at length. There are not enough opportunities to complete a variety of calculations or engage in mathematical reasoning or problem- solving. Pupils rarely use mathematics during work in other subjects. The science curriculum in Key Stage 2 does not provide enough challenge for older pupils. Consequently, pupils are not making the progress of which they are capable. Year 6 pupils are not well prepared for work at secondary school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 The school is not promoting British values effectively. Although pupils have been taught about different faiths, their knowledge is often incorrect or vague. They are not able to talk confidently about the range of cultures and religions in modern Britain.  Leaders have not ensured that the school website is compliant with government guidance. It does not contain all the necessary curriculum information about what pupils are learning at school.  The school does not have a current plan for the use of the sports premium funding. Sports coaches are employed to provide weekly games lessons and an after-school sports club. Regular swimming sessions are provided for pupils. There has not been a robust analysis of the impact of the funding in previous years.  There were an insufficient number of responses to Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents) to allow analysis. Parents spoken to informally were positive about the school, particularly its family

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

atmosphere.  An appropriate range of trips and extra-curricular activities broaden the curriculum. Strong links with the local church help promote pupils’ spiritual and moral development. The small size of the school enables older pupils to mix well with younger children. Year 2 pupils were seen enthusiastically sharing books with Nursery children and acting as their reading buddies.  The local authority increased its level of concern for this school following the further decline in outcomes in 2015. A pre-warning notice was issued, requiring governors to secure the effective leadership of the school. The local authority has provided additional support, from February 2015, by arranging for a national leader of education and local authority advisors to work with the school. The impact of recent initiatives has been ineffective in halting the decline and raising standards.  The governance of the school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

Governors have recently begun to be aware of the true picture of the decline in the school’s effectiveness. They are aware that they have not given sufficient challenge to the school and have not held senior leaders to account for the standards of education in the school. Governors do not all have the necessary knowledge or skills to closely check that teachers and leaders are being effective. They do not visit the school regularly enough to carefully monitor all aspects of the school’s work They have failed in their responsibility to ensure that all statutory requirements are met, for example ensuring that the school’s website displays all required information. Governors are not holding the school to account for the way in which the school is spending the pupil premium funding and the primary school physical education and sports funding.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are fully aware of the procedures to follow, should they have any concerns about the safety or care of pupils. Staff training is up to date. Risk assessments and site security are in place to ensure that pupils are well looked after. The school works effectively with local agencies to ensure that vulnerable children and their families are identified and supported. Parents spoken to agree that their children are safe and well cared for. The issues identified within safeguarding at the previous inspection have all been addressed.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 In too many lessons, teaching is too weak to ensure that pupils make the necessary progress to reach the standards of which they are capable, particularly in Key Stage 2. Expectations are often not high enough. Consequently, the progress that pupils are making in reading, writing and mathematics is not good enough.  Teachers’ use of assessment to plan lessons is weak. Teachers do not ensure that activities are suitable for the wide range of abilities in the mixed-age classes. Consequently, for some pupils, work planned is too easy and for others too hard.  Teachers’ plans too often focus on the activities to be undertaken, rather than ensuring that pupils’ understanding, knowledge and skills are built on in a cohesive way.  Pupils’ learning and progress is not checked often enough during lessons. Mistakes are not identified quickly and pupils then continue to repeat the same mistake. Teachers’ feedback in lessons, and in their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

marking, does not consistently help pupils to improve their work.  Current teaching in phonics and reading is better in Key Stage 1 than in Key Stage 2. There are early signs that the teaching of reading in Key Stage 2 is slowly improving. School information shows that increasing proportions of pupils are now working at age-related expectations in reading. However, gaps in reading skills still exist with older pupils. Teachers do not plan sufficiently well to address this. A lack of clarity about exactly what it is that pupils should be learning sometimes limits progress in guided reading sessions.  Basic writing skills are not well taught. A legacy of weak teaching means that the handwriting of pupils in Key Stage 2 is underdeveloped. Pupils frequently make spelling errors and do not use punctuation and grammar correctly. Throughout the school, teachers do not plan enough opportunities for pupils to write

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

at length, to build up their stamina for writing.  The teaching of mathematics requires improvement at Key Stage 1 and is inadequate at Key Stage 2. Teachers do not provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to reason mathematically, solve increasingly difficult problems, or deepen their knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts. Pupils have insufficient opportunities to apply their mathematics skills in subjects other than in mathematics lessons. Older pupils have many gaps in their knowledge and skills. These are not being addressed quickly enough by teachers.  When given the opportunity, the most-able pupils respond enthusiastically to work that challenges them and extends their thinking. This challenge does not happen regularly enough.  The quality of the work of teaching assistants is not checked often enough to ensure that they are fully meeting the needs of the pupils they support. This means that the progress of pupils who have special

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

educational needs or disability is variable and sometimes inadequate.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Pupils do not always show positive attitudes to learning. The work of older pupils shows that they do not always take enough pride in what they do.  Too many pupils are over-reliant on their teacher to guide their learning. They lack necessary skills, such as perseverance and resilience. As a result, if a teacher is not with them they give up, become distracted, chat or become involved in low-level disruption.  All pupils who spoke to the inspector said that they enjoy school and can always talk to someone if they are worried. Staff listen carefully and respond to their concerns.  Pupils feel safe at school. They are well cared for and nurtured. Staff know the pupils extremely well.  The breakfast club provides a calm, purposeful start to the day for those pupils who attend.  The school works positively with outside agencies to support its pupils, particularly those who are

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Personal development and welfare

vulnerable or who have special educational needs or disability.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  In lessons, pupils sometimes lose focus and start to chat among themselves. This happens when learning activities do not interest them, or are pitched wrongly so that they are too difficult or too easy.  Pupils behave well in the playground and around the school. They generally play happily together. Some pupils say they would like to have more organised activities or equipment available at playtime.  Pupils are courteous and polite. They are usually respectful to others.  Pupils’ attendance and punctuality are good.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 Standards have fallen further since the previous inspection. For the last three years, attainment in the national tests at Year 6 has been well below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2015, the progress pupils made across Key Stage 2 was also well below the national average, being within the lowest 10% in the country. Current progress in Year 6 is inadequate.  The progress of current pupils in the school is inadequate overall. Numbers in each cohort are too small to comment on any differences in the achievement of groups without identifying individuals.  Progress in writing and mathematics requires improvement at Key Stage 1 and is inadequate at Key Stage 2. Pupils make simple errors in spelling, punctuation and their use of grammar. This hinders their progress. Too few pupils in Key Stage 2 have the mathematical skills appropriate for their age.  Progress in reading is beginning to improve in Key Stage 2. However, older pupils are not closing the

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

gaps in their skills quickly enough to ensure that they are adequately prepared for their move to secondary school.  Pupils in Key Stage 1 make good progress in their acquisition of phonics (letters and the sounds they make). The proportion of pupils reaching the required standard in the Year 1 phonics check is consistently above the national average.  Over the last three years, pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 has been above the national average in reading and writing. In 2015, Year 2 pupils’ mathematical skills were in line with the national average.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability generally make similar progress to their classmates. Some pupils with special educational needs or disability receive good support for their social and emotional development. As a result, these pupils are beginning to make better progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Early years provision is inadequate

 Leadership, management and teaching in the early years are inadequate because children currently in the Reception Year are making inadequate progress. This means that children are not well prepared for Year 1.  Reception children are in a mixed class with Year 1 and Year 2 children. Work is often geared towards these older children and is often inappropriate for the Reception children. These children are not receiving an appropriate curriculum containing a balance of adult-led activities and those which children choose for themselves. The progress of children is not analysed carefully or regularly enough.  The early years leader has not ensured that Reception children are receiving the required curriculum. This is because monitoring of the provision has not been rigorous enough.  There are too few opportunities for early years children to develop their learning outdoors. There are very few resources used outdoors and insufficient opportunities for children to explore a range of exciting

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Early years provision is inadequate

activities.  Typically, children join the school in the Nursery with skills and knowledge that are typical for their age, but with some weaknesses in communication and language. Insufficient progress is made across the early years. For the last two years, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception has been below the national average.  There are too few children who are disadvantaged, or who have special educational needs or disability, for a viable comparison to be made with their classmates or other children nationally.  In the Nursery, children settle quickly into daily routines. Current progress here requires improvement. This is because a limited range of experiences is planned. There is an over-emphasis on children choosing their own resources every day, with very few additional activities provided for children to explore. This limits the opportunities for children to develop early reading, writing and mathematical skills.

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Early years provision is inadequate

 Children behave well and work and play together cooperatively. Children are well cared for and relate well to their key workers. Due to the very small numbers, children receive much individual attention. This helps contribute to children’s satisfactory language and personal development.  Parents are positively involved in their children’s learning, and they contribute effectively to the assessment of their child’s progress through the Home Learning Journey book. This promotes a close partnership between home and school.

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School details

Unique reference number 123506 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 10009257

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School details

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

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School details

School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 42 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Chambers Headteacher Jullie Stuffins-Jones Telephone number 01948 880347 Website www.tilstock.shropshire.sch.uk Email address admin@tilstock.shropshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 25–26 February 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is considerably smaller than the average-sized primary school.  There are three classes. One is for the Nursery children. The other two are mixed-age classes for the Reception Year, Year 1 and Year 2, and for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after children, is well below the national average.  The proportion pupils who have special educational needs or disability, including those with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan, is below average.  The school met the government’s floor standards in 2014. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. The 2015 end of Key Stage 2

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Information about this school

provisional results show that, last year, the school did not meet the floor standards. There are very small numbers of pupils in each cohort.  Children in the Reception Year are taught in a class with the Nursery for the first term. They then move into the mixed Year 1/2 class.  Since the previous inspection, one teacher has left the school. The school’s roll has fallen over the last year. The school has been supported from February 2015 by a local national leader of education.  The school is a member of the North Shropshire Teaching Alliance.  A breakfast club is run by the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons or part lessons with all year groups. Three observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  The quality of work in pupils’ books was scrutinised jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the leaders for English and mathematics, the Chair and two members of the Governing Body and a representative from the local authority. An additional phone call took place with the local authority.  A wide range of documentation was scrutinised during the inspection, including: the school’s development plan, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, reports from the local authority, safeguarding documents, minutes of governors’ meetings and documentation relating to performance management and behaviour.  The inspector met with a group of pupils from Key Stage 2, listened to pupils read and spoke to other pupils informally at breaks and lunchtime.

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Information about this inspection

 There were too few responses to Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents) for these to be analysed. The inspector spoke informally to parents at the start of the day.

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Inspection team

Mary Hughes, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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