Tadley Community Primary School

Tadley Community Primary School The Green, Tadley, Hampshire RG26 3PB

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Teaching, learning and assessment is good throughout the school  Pupils make good, and sometimes rapid, progress in their learning and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make similar progress to all other pupils. Disadvantaged pupils make faster progress and achieve outcomes that are often better than those achieved by pupils nationally. This is because they receive a good level of targeted support with their learning.  Children in the early years are provided with a rich environment and good expertise to enable them all to make good progress.  The vast majority of pupils like coming to school and say that they feel safe and enjoy their learning. They show a great deal of respect for others and most work hard in lessons and play well together.  Pupils speak confidently about the school’s values and show respect for each other’s varied

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This is a good school

backgrounds and cultural differences.  The headteacher provides strong leadership for the school and is dedicated to ensuring that all pupils are given the best opportunities to succeed. He has an accurate picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and a clear plan to address them.  Governors offer good support and challenge to school leaders. They are proud of their school and know what their priorities are to ensure continuous improvement for all pupils.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of outstanding teaching is not yet high enough to ensure that all pupils make rapid progress.  Some members of the leadership team need to understand and substantially develop their roles in order to support and challenge staff to get the best outcomes for all pupils.  School leaders need to continue to work hard to engage all groups of parents and examine how partnerships can be strengthened.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to strengthen the role of some leaders by making sure that: – leaders systematically check that teaching is leading to improved outcomes for all pupils – all leaders develop an accurate and robust understanding of pupils’ progress across the school in order to improve outcomes for all pupils – teachers use their knowledge of pupils to effectively set tasks that will match their particular needs, and regularly check that pupils are clear about their own learning, and if necessary offer the appropriate support.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the school’s policies and procedures are understood by everyone and that these are regularly communicated to pupils, staff and parents so that there is consistency of expectation.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Tadley Primary School is led by a headteacher who is determined that all pupils will do the best that they can. Since coming into post in September 2014, he has set very high expectations of his staff and pupils. He is very clear what good teaching looks like and is passionate about ensuring that all pupils receive high-quality teaching every day.  The school’s senior leaders have an accurate understanding of how well the school is performing and what it needs to do to improve. Actions are prioritised appropriately so that further improvements are developed quickly.  Senior leaders understand the needs of the pupils in the school and direct additional funding carefully to support pupils’ learning. Together with the governors, leaders monitor the impact of this spending regularly to ensure that money is well spent. They are determined to make sure that every child has an equal chance to do their best.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Teachers’ performance is well managed and the process ensures that they receive any necessary support and training to improve outcomes for pupils. The impact of this training on improving pupils’ grammar, punctuation and spelling skills is clearly evident in practice in classrooms.  The curriculum excites and engages pupils while providing them with a secure framework to practise and build upon their skills in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school offers a range of extra-curricular activities which help pupils to develop healthy minds and bodies. The choir recently sang at the O2 Arena and featured in the local press, while the hockey team won the local league. Leaders make good use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and ensure that the primary physical education and sport funding is used to promote their full engagement in sporting activities.  The school provides good opportunities for social, moral, spiritual and cultural learning and development.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Safeguarding systems meet requirements, and staff training to ensure that they provide effective support and protection for pupils is up to date. The school promotes equality of opportunity well through its values system, encouraging pupils to respect difference, fairness and individual liberty.  The local authority has provided strong support to develop leaders and governors, and support improvements in teaching and learning.  The headteacher has recently established a new leadership team and is supporting them to develop their leadership skills. All leaders are required to be diligent in holding teachers to account for any pupil underperformance and to be clear about what is working well to share good practice across the school.  Leaders are developing an accurate understanding of the school’s performance information to improve outcomes for all pupils. The headteacher has planned appropriate support for the development of this

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

relatively new leadership team, and is carefully monitoring the impact of their work.  The majority of parents speak positively about the school and would recommend it to other parents. Some parents are not fully aware of how the school’s behaviour policy works. They, together with staff and pupils, would benefit from improved communication so that everyone is clear about the school’s expectations of behaviour.  The governance of the school – Following the previous inspection and the review of governance, governors took advice and support which has been invaluable in developing their understanding of their roles and in developing their knowledge and expertise. – Governance is now effective because governors are working as a team to support and challenge school leaders. They analyse performance data information and ask searching questions of the senior leaders. – Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and have an effective

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

monitoring plan in place to ensure that they check pupils’ progress regularly. – Governors ensure that staff performance targets are suitably challenging. They monitor the progress of the headteacher and all teachers towards meeting their targets, and ensure that pay is directly linked to effectiveness. – Governors manage financial resources well, ensuring that funds, including those for pupils supported by the pupil premium, are directed appropriately and make a difference to pupils’ attainment and progress.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. However, they do not feature prominently on the school’s website and are not clearly communicated to parents.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Good teaching across the school, in all subjects, including mathematics and English, includes some examples of outstanding practice. This ensures that all pupils, including those who have special educational needs or disability, and disadvantaged pupils, make at least good progress over time.  Raised expectations in pupils’ progress are apparent in most pupils’ work in their books. This was confirmed during visits to classrooms, through discussions with pupils, and in the school’s own check of the quality of teaching over time.  Most teachers’ practice is consistent and strong. These teachers have good subject knowledge and plan learning that matches pupils’ needs. Their lessons are both engaging and challenging, and pupils enjoy their learning and focus well. For example, in a lesson about British values Year 6 pupils debated the question: ‘Who rules Great Britain?’ Pupils have strong views, which they express clearly, listening to one

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

another and extending or contradicting their opinions. The teacher uses careful questioning to extend pupils’ thinking and challenge misconceptions.  A range of strategies and resources are used to support pupils’ reading development. The majority of pupils enjoy reading and make good use of books to support their learning. For example, in the ‘dinosaur museum’ in the early years outdoor area, pupils were using books to identify bones and teeth and were able to match which dinosaur they belonged to.  Good teaching in mathematics ensures that pupils are challenged well to discover how mathematics can help them every day, and they say they are keen to be good mathematicians as a result.  The school has been a driving force within local partnerships to develop a new assessment system fit for purpose for their school. The system has been communicated to governors and parents, and staff are working hard to embed it. Teachers commented positively, saying that the new system was helping them

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

to identify pupils’ needs quickly and plan interventions accordingly so that pupils were making faster progress.  Teachers usually follow the school’s marking policy, and Year 4 pupils were clearly able to explain it. They said that they find teachers’ written and verbal responses helpful in supporting their learning. In some classes or groups there is not consistent checking of pupils’ learning and understanding and consequently pupils sometimes do not make the progress they could.  Tasks are not always matched accurately to pupils’ needs, questioning is not always rigorous enough and opportunities to explore misconceptions are sometimes missed. In these situations learning is not as well supported by learning support assistants and pupils are not sufficiently challenged. Senior leaders had identified these concerns before the inspection and have put plans in place to support swift improvement.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupil’s personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are confident and self-aware and understand how to be successful learners.  Most pupils speak with pride about their school and feel responsible for keeping their classrooms tidy. They are very keen to win ‘Mr Pike’s Shiny Shovel’ award for the tidiest classroom, which is presented every Friday in assembly.  Most pupils understand different types of bullying and are confident in how to stay safe. They feel that there are very few incidents of bullying, but if there are concerns, they are addressed quickly. They speak confidently about staying safe online.  Adults care very deeply about the welfare of the pupils. Sessions provided by the school for vulnerable pupils, which focus on the social and emotional aspects of learning, are very effective in supporting pupils’ confidence and development.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They move calmly and safely around the school.  Pupils behave well at lunchtimes and playtimes. They appreciate the zones for different activities and the older pupils are looking forward to their new adventure playground which is soon to be erected.  Behaviour in lessons is good. A few pupils occasionally misbehave when teaching is not challenging and engaging.  The school tracks attendance rigorously and works closely with parents to improve attendance. Low attendance is still the case for some pupils who have special educational needs or disability, and there are some persistent absentees, but the school is aware of this and is taking appropriate action.  It became evident during discussions with parents and from questionnaires returned by pupils, parents and school staff that all groups wish to be more engaged in discussions around the behaviour policy. They would like to see greater consistency in how incidents of misbehaviour are dealt with by the school.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Taking account of their different starting points, the proportion of pupils making, and exceeding, expected progress in English and mathematics compares favourably with the national average. In 2015, the number of pupils achieving the expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics in Year 2 and Year 6 was higher than in 2014 and higher than national outcomes.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability making and exceeding expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics is similar to that of other pupils nationally.  A high proportion of disadvantaged pupils make accelerated progress and achieve outcomes that are often better than other pupils nationally. The number of pupils to achieve above expected outcomes at the end of Years 2 and Year 6 was equal to, or above, the national figures.  The most-able Year 6 pupils achieved very well in mathematics in 2015, with a higher-than-average

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Outcomes for pupils are good

number of pupils achieving the higher levels.  During regular pupil progress meetings with teachers, leaders identify appropriate strategies to support any pupils who need more support. Pupils’ needs are identified and effective help is quickly put in place.  Reading is given a high priority in school. The teaching of reading is well supported by the regular teaching of letters and the sounds that they make (phonics) and intervention programmes are used effectively to support less-able readers.  Pupils have made sustained improvements in developing their writing, and outcomes are now at least in line with other pupils nationally. This was clearly evident in an art display by Year 5 pupils. The range of pupils’ written work, examining the differing perspectives of both Turner and Constable, showed a clear understanding of the two artist’s views in powerful narrative.

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Early years provision is good

 Early years provision, both indoors and outdoors, supports the children’s learning and provides opportunities for them to explore and ask questions.  Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Reception Year, all children have made good progress from their different starting points, with the majority reaching a good level of development. This includes the most able, disadvantaged children and those who have special educational needs or disability. This means that children will be well prepared for the next stage in their education.  The early years leader and her staff have a good knowledge of every child, and have prepared specific action plans to support the children’s learning. The staff have high expectations of all the children and work hard to support them to do their best.  Staff make ongoing assessments of children’s outcomes and liaise closely with parents to ensure that they understand if and where there are any gaps in their child’s learning.

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Early years provision is good

 Additional funds to support disadvantaged learners are used to good effect and help children to catch up more quickly.  Children are kept safe and enjoy coming to school. They work well on their own, in pairs and in groups, taking turns and sharing well. They enjoy learning and are confident to seek help if they need it. Most adults give extra support skilfully. For example, by modelling writing using a variety of resources the teacher promotes independence well and children gain a good knowledge of phonics. Children are inspired to write and do so with enthusiasm and creativity.  The outdoor learning area has been developed, and staff are in the process of visiting other local providers to get more ideas to help them develop the use of this area to the benefit of all the children.  The thorough induction process for both children and parents forges good relationships between school and home.

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School details

Unique reference number 115952 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10012244

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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

Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 373 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jan Draper Headteacher Matthew Rixson Telephone number 0118 9813805 Website www.tadleyprimary.co.uk Email address m.rixson@tadley.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27–28 February 2014

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Information about this school

 Tadley Community Primary School is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  Very few pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding provided for pupils eligible for free school meals and children looked after.  The school has a lower-than-average proportion of pupils receiving special educational needs support. The current proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is just above national figures.  There is a very small proportion of pupils from the Traveller community.  Since the last inspection, the school has a new headteacher and a newly formed leadership team. Half of the teaching and support staff are new to the school.  Following the last inspection a newly constituted and smaller governing body has been established.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’

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Information about this school

attainment and progress.  A before- and after-school club runs on the site. This is provided by an outside organisation and will be inspected separately.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors analysed information from the school’s website.  Inspectors worked in partnership with the school’s senior leaders when analysing information about the school. Inspectors looked at the school’s self-evaluation documentation, development planning, monitoring and evaluation records, and data related to pupils’ progress and attainment. Inspectors also analysed the progress made by different groups of pupils in the school.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s policies and procedures, particularly those relating to pupils’ safety. They also analysed a selection of pupils’ work in mathematics and English with the subject leaders.  The inspection team visited every class to see pupils learning. Some classes were jointly visited with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Inspectors observed individuals and small groups of pupils working with an adult.  Inspectors walked around the school to find out more about pupils’ work from displays and extra-

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Information about this inspection

curricular activities.  Inspectors spent time on the playground at playtime and lunchtime.  Inspectors analysed the 80 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Informal discussions were held with 25 parents. Twenty staff questionnaires and 80 pupil questionnaires were also scrutinised.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, teachers, a representative of the local authority, five governors and a number of pupils.  Pupils from Years 3 and 4 read to an inspector.

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Inspection team

Sarah Varnom, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Kate Redman Ofsted Inspector Peter Dunmall 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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