Tividale Hall Primary School

School report Tividale Hall Primary School

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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

 The headteacher provides strong and effective leadership. She has addressed the issues that were preventing improvement in teaching. There has been a relentless drive to improve teaching so that pupils receive the best possible education. The headteacher is well supported by her senior leadership team.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good across the school. Teachers and other adults who work at the school share the high expectations that leaders have for pupils’ achievement.  Pupils are polite and behave well around the school and in lessons. They appreciate what teachers and other adults do to help them learn and progress. They feel safe at school and are taught how to keep themselves safe in school and in their daily life outside school.  All pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, or who are disadvantaged, make good progress from their respective starting points.

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This is a good school

 Pupils across the school achieve well. There is now more secure and sustained improvement to standards in reading, writing and mathematics in all classes.  Children who attend the Nursery and Reception classes benefit from a welcoming learning environment and effective teaching. As a result, they are well prepared for learning in Year 1.  Leaders and staff make a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain because they are taught to be tolerant and show respect for other people’s beliefs. They appreciate the importance of understanding what is right and wrong.  Governors are effective in supporting leaders and holding them to account. They have developed their skills through effective training since the previous inspection and have a clear understanding of how the school is doing.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some of the actions leaders have taken to improve teaching, including some aspects of the early years provision, have yet to show sufficient impact. This is because recently appointed middle leaders and staff are adjusting to the school’s practices and high expectations.  In some lessons, the most able pupils, including children in the early years, are not always given tasks that challenge them sufficiently to develop their skills and understanding further.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that there is a continued focus on improving the quality of teaching, by: – ensuring that teachers offer tasks to the most able pupils that stretch their understanding and skills further – ensuring that teachers intervene more quickly to challenge misconceptions in lessons and provide time for pupils to correct errors.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the improvements made in the early years, by: making sure that children have more opportunities to choose activities for themselves in order to develop their independence and social skills further offering more challenge to the most able children.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher provides strong strategic leadership. Since joining the school two years ago she has swiftly addressed the issues that were identified during the previous inspection.  Leaders and governors have taken effective steps to eliminate inadequate or weak teaching. Having recognised that not all pupils were making sufficient progress, the headteacher and senior leaders have devised more accurate assessment systems and identified effective ways for teachers to improve their planning and classroom practice. This has led to more consistently good teaching across the school.  Other leaders support the headteacher effectively. Together they have established a culture of high expectations for all members of the school community that is shared and supported by all staff. As a result, pupils are well aware that they are expected to work hard, behave well and show respect to adults and each other. The school is calm and purposeful as leaders and staff successfully promote a very

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

positive climate for learning and socialising.  The deputy headteachers, assistant headteacher, and middle leaders are fully committed to improving teaching and learning and, within their areas of responsibility, take full responsibility for improving pupils’ progress. Newly appointed leaders and teachers have made a good start and recognise that there is still more to be done to improve teaching still further. They recognise in their subject action plans, for example, that some pupils, especially the most able, have the potential to make more rapid progress and reach higher standards.  All leaders are aware of their accountability for improving pupils’ achievement and also rigorously hold teachers to account for delivering the best possible outcomes for pupils. Leaders have accurately identified the most important areas for further improvement in the school development plan. For example, there is an appropriate focus now on making sure that teachers and support staff intervene

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

more during lessons to help pupils overcome misunderstandings or correct errors while they work.  The headteacher, senior leaders and middle leaders make the most of the opportunities for collaboration with other schools that are available within the local authority. This collaborative work allows leaders to develop their skills by sharing effective practice with other school leaders and validate their judgements on the quality of teaching and learning through external moderation of assessments and pupils’ work. This has been particularly effective in improving the early years provision, although there is still potential to improve the children’s independent learning and decision-making skills in the Nursery and Reception classes.  The headteacher and her team have developed a curriculum that meets the needs of the pupils. A wide consultation with the school community, including pupils through the school council, took place in order

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

to ensure that the curriculum is both engaging and relevant. In addition to the lessons that cover the subjects prescribed by the national curriculum, pupils can develop and apply their skills and knowledge through a range of stimulating and varied learning events and activities. For example, pupils develop their knowledge of science in the stimulating wildlife areas around the school or during ‘science week’ in the summer term. Pupils are energised by special events such as workshops with a theatre company, poetry workshops with a visiting poet, a ‘maths wow day’, and access to music tuition for all pupils who want to learn to play an instrument. There are trips, visits, and residential stays to enhance the learning experience of pupils.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively to ensure that disadvantaged pupils can achieve as well as others in the school and are able to participate fully in all aspects of school life. In order to promote the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

progress of pupils supported by the additional funding, the school deploys skilled learning assistants to help them keep up with other pupils in the school. Leaders and governors monitor effectively the impact that any additional provision has on the development and well-being of each individual child on whom the funding is spent.  The primary school physical education and sports premium funding is also used effectively and has increased the range of sporting opportunities available to pupils. After-school clubs, including basketball, hockey and football, are available every week and are very popular with pupils. Pupils are also able to attend lunchtime sports clubs led by professional coaches. Sports coaches provide training to staff and this has resulted in developing teachers’ confidence in teaching physical education. As a result, pupils are developing their physical fitness and there is increasing participation in a range of sports so that the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

school is now considering taking part in more local sporting competitions.  The school supports the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils extremely well. The enrichment activities, the thought-provoking assemblies, the teaching of religious education and the work of the school council, are very effective in providing pupils with knowledge and experiences that prepare them for becoming well rounded individuals and responsible citizens.  The governance of the school Governors are effective in supporting and challenging leaders in order to ensure that the school provides the best possible quality of education for pupils. Since the previous inspection, the governing body has undergone an external review of its effectiveness. Significant changes to its membership and the way it operates have taken place. As a result, governors are now able to evaluate accurately the strengths of the school and the areas where it should improve. Governors have a wide range of skills

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and knowledge that allow them to contribute well to the strategic leadership of the school. Many governors have a background in education which allows them to have a clear understanding of assessment information so they can check how different groups of pupils are progressing. They work well as a group and are keen to develop their skills further through a programme of training that they organise for themselves. Governors ensure that the management of teachers’ performance is thorough and that there are clear and rigorous links between performance and pay progression. They also effectively contribute to the financial management of the school, including monitoring the impact that the spending of the pupil premium and sport premium has on pupils’ outcomes.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and fit for purpose. The school has a thorough approach and rigorous systems in place to make sure that safeguarding and staff vetting procedures are effective.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Policies are in place and are well understood by staff, for whom annual training is also organised. The headteacher and her leadership team share responsibilities for safeguarding and regularly check that the school fulfils its duty to keep pupils safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Work in pupils’ books, assessments of their progress and observations of lessons carried out by leaders and inspectors show that teaching across the school is at least good, with some highly effective practice. The headteacher took strong action to address weak teaching that had a negative effect on pupils’ progress in the past. There is a clear focus now, across the school, on ensuring that what happens in classrooms is consistent with a culture of high expectations that leaders and staff have agreed to promote.  Teachers plan and teach lessons that engage pupils’ interest. As a result, pupils develop their skills and knowledge in a way they enjoy and that successfully develops a positive attitude to learning. For example, in lessons observed during the inspection, teachers used their subject knowledge to create

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

activities that make learning attractive and fun. In a mathematics lesson, pupils were playing a game of dominoes to develop their understanding of fractions. In an English lesson, pupils were working in groups, producing anti-bullying leaflets, using their language skills in speaking and writing to develop effective arguments to influence and convince different audiences.  The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is very effective because teachers are well trained and use a scheme that provides them with a consistent approach the pupils can relate to. As a result, pupils are able to develop their reading skills and, from the early stages of their education, are equipped to make connections between spoken and written language.  The school has introduced a new system to assess pupils’ progress, matched to the expectations of what they should be able to do at different ages, in all subjects. This system provides teachers with accurate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

information on how well pupils are achieving so that they can effectively gauge how much progress they have made and still need to make when they plan their lessons. Throughout the year, teachers meet with their colleagues from other schools to compare the results of their assessments to make sure they are consistent and accurate. Teachers regularly evaluate the progress that pupils in their class have made and report their findings to leaders as part of their accountability.  In their classrooms, teachers create a pleasant and supportive learning environment that promotes and celebrates learning and achievement. Displays on the walls, called ‘working walls’, provide good prompts to help pupils’ learning. These include numeracy and literacy posters with examples of pupils’ successful work. Teachers use computerised teaching boards and computers effectively to deliver their lessons and support pupils’ learning. These provide helpful visual prompts that focus on key points of learning that are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

helpful to pupils.  There is a whole-school marking policy which is usually followed accurately by teachers. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and, in accordance with the policy, highlight errors and write comments to suggest or request improvements. These comments are normally followed by corrections made by pupils, but in a few cases they do not have the required impact.  Teachers generally use questions effectively to evaluate the depth of pupils’ understanding when they are introducing new learning and setting tasks for pupils to do. Pupils’ workbooks show that, most of the time, teachers establish that pupils are clear about the key learning points of the lesson. However, there are occasions when pupils who may only have a partial grasp of a point that was introduced in a lesson are not identified swiftly enough by teachers and are left to continue working on misconceptions that should have been addressed.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers plan and teach activities that are designed to help the learning of pupils who have different abilities. These activities provide different levels of challenge and allow pupils to complete tasks that they can achieve in order to build their confidence, as well as their knowledge, before moving on to the next level of difficulty. However, while the majority of pupils work at levels appropriate for their abilities, the most able pupils are not always given the opportunity to access tasks that would stretch them further and provide them with a higher level of challenge.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The welfare and development of pupils is at the heart of the school’s work. The school has established a strong positive ethos that pupils are proud of and often illustrate through their attitudes in school. The school’s motto, ‘Your future starts here’, clearly resonates in the way leaders and staff value both the educational and personal development of all pupils.  The school does a lot to address the issues that are important to ensure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and become good citizens. A range of activities, such as assemblies, educational visits, or residential stays, give pupils opportunities to reflect on tolerance, the rule of law, and the importance of collaboration and team work.  The high profile of the school council and the way pupils contribute to many key aspects of the school

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Personal development and welfare

life, including curriculum choices, illustrate the importance that the school places on making pupils feel responsible for themselves and their school community. Pupils’ efforts are valued, which is why they are very proud of their school.  Pupils have a strong awareness of how to keep safe in a range of situations, both at school and in their daily life outside school. They are well informed on the potential dangers they are exposed to when they use the internet or social media and the school provides them with comprehensive information and training on how to avoid unnecessary risks. The school also provides training on the safe use of the internet to parents through ‘e-learning’ workshops.  The large majority of parents who responded to Parent View, the online Ofsted survey, and those who were spoken to during the inspection, were very appreciative of the work that the school does to keep their children happy and safe. Most are pleased with the level of care that the school provides. A small

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Personal development and welfare

number of parents expressed concerns about bullying and behaviour, but discussions with pupils and evidence gathered during the inspection showed that such incidents and concerns are managed very effectively by the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Leaders have made a concerted effort to ensure that standards of behaviour are high and that they are maintained through clear policies and a consistent approach to behaviour management.  Expectations of how everyone in school should behave are made clear and are understood by pupils. They understand what constitutes unacceptable behaviour and that there are consequences for not respecting the school’s rules. They also appreciate the rewards they get for good behaviour.  Pupils respect their teachers and other adults in the school. They trust them to intervene when people misbehave or try to bully others. Pupils have a clear understanding of different types of bullying, including homophobic bullying, and why any kind of attitude that causes distress to others is unacceptable.  Pupils display positive attitudes to learning, are attentive in lessons and listen when other pupils or

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Behaviour

teachers are talking. They work well together and are keen to do well in lessons.  Attendance is above the national average and the school has in place robust procedures to ensure that all groups of pupils continue to maintain a high rate of attendance.  The behaviour of pupils in lessons and around the school during breaks and lunchtime is very positive. There are very few occasions when pupils do not pay as much attention as they should in lessons. This tends to happen when their interest in the activities is not sustained and teachers are usually quick to re- engage them in their lesson.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 As a result of the work done by the school’s leaders to improve teaching, learning and assessment, outcomes for pupils are improving and this is being sustained in all year groups. At the previous inspection, pupils’ progress was judged to be inconsistent in key stages 1 and 2 because of variations in the quality of teaching. All groups of pupils now make good progress in all key stages and standards of attainment are rising.  At key stage 1, pupils continue to make very good progress in phonics. Attainment in phonics was already a strength of the school and it has been maintained this year, with pupils achieving standards that are well above the national average for both Year 1 and Year 2 in the end-of-year tests. The end-of-year assessments show that pupils are also making very good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The percentage of pupils reaching or exceeding age-related expectations is much higher than previous

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Outcomes for pupils are good

years, so that attainment is at least in line with what is expected for their age nationally.  Pupils also make very good progress at key stage 2 from their respective starting points. End-of-year assessments show that pupils currently achieve standards which are in line with, or above, national expectations in writing and mathematics. There has also been a marked improvement in the standard of attainment in reading since last year. As a result, pupils in Year 6 are well prepared for the next stage of their education at secondary school.  Current school information and evidence gathered during the inspection, including lesson observations and work in pupils’ books, indicate that all groups of pupils are making good progress from their respective starting points.  Disadvantaged pupils achieve at least as well as other pupils in the school. In reading, they are making slightly better progress on average than other pupils. The school monitors closely the progress of

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Outcomes for pupils are good

different groups of pupils and ensures that resources for disadvantaged pupils have a positive impact on outcomes.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities also make good progress from their starting points. Evidence from current school information, end-of-year assessments, work in pupils’ books and the lessons observed during the inspection, show that the actions taken by the school to support pupils with additional learning needs are having a positive impact.  Although the proportion of pupils attending the school whose first language is not English is relatively small, there are support structures in place for these pupils to ensure that they make good progress. Current assessment information shows that their progress is at least in line with the progress of other pupils in the school.  From their starting points, the most able pupils make similar progress to other pupils in the school. The

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Outcomes for pupils are good

end-of-year assessments confirm that pupils in this group broadly reach the standards they are expected to reach by the end of each key stage. However, there is still potential to increase the proportion of pupils reaching higher standards. Some of the work that the most able pupils do does not extend or challenge them enough to enable them all to reach the highest possible standards.

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Early years provision is good

 A significant proportion of children start the Nursery and Reception Years with skills that are below those typical for their age, particularly in language and communication. Thanks to a much improved learning environment, both indoors and outdoors, and positive developments in teaching, children are now making good progress from their respective staring points.  Routines, both in the Nursery and the Reception classes, are well established and children respond well to adults’ instructions. When they are involved in activities, children show their ability to wait for their turn to access toys or materials and they collaborate well with each other. They use the equipment in the various areas of the classrooms and outdoor areas appropriately and engage willingly in activities that are laid out for them by teachers.  The classrooms and outdoor areas have been much improved since the last inspection and now offer a

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Early years provision is good

bright and well-equipped environment for the children to develop their learning and social skills.  As a result of the improvements to teaching and learning and in the environment provided for children, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development has increased significantly this year and is now broadly in line with what is expected nationally.  As in the other parts of the school, the teaching of phonics is effective. Children are also well supported to develop their writing skills and use their knowledge of phonics to make accurate attempts at writing words. For example, children in the Nursery class can write and read their own name.  In the absence of a leader for the early years this academic year, the headteacher took responsibility for the leadership of this area of the school. She can be credited for leading the improvement of all the aspects of the provision that have enhanced the experience of children and promoted better teaching and

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Early years provision is good

learning. The new leader, who will take up the post in September, will have a strong starting point to continue to make this part of the school successful.  Teachers and other adults ensure that safeguarding and the welfare needs of children are fully met. This allows for children to progress happily through their first experience of school and be well prepared for the next stage of their education in Year 1. Early literacy and mathematics is taught well and provides strong foundation for learning in key stage 1.  While teachers and other adults prepare activities that children can either do under their supervision or access by themselves, they do not always allow enough time for children to choose the activities they want to do and to develop their learning skills independently. As a result, the most able children in particular sometimes miss out on opportunities to develop their natural curiosity or ask questions that

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Early years provision is good

teachers could use to develop the children’s understanding further.  The school is currently developing strategies to improve the level of parental involvement in order to ensure that appropriate support is provided to the more vulnerable children and their families. The school is employing a family support worker to ensure that support is accurately targeted and sustained.

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School details

Unique reference number 103960 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 10009246

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 475 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Myk Wagstaff Headteacher Geraldine Pugliese Telephone number 01384 254865 Website tividalehall.sandwell.sch.uk Email address headteacher@tividalehall.sandwell.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 March 2014

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Information about this school

 Tividale Hall Primary School is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The early years provision comprises a Nursery class for three-year-old children, who all attend part time in the mornings or afternoons, and four-year-olds who attend one of two Reception classes full time.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, supported by the pupil premium funding, is below average. The pupil premium provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The proportion of pupils for whom English is an additional language is well below average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is also below average.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils in Year 6.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The headteacher has been in post at the school since April 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 20 lessons. They also made a number of short visits to lessons. A number of lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  The inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read. They met two groups of pupils to gain their views of the school. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime, and at the start and end of the school day, as well as in lessons.  The inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the following: assessments and records of pupils’ progress; the school’s checks and records related to safeguarding, child protection and attendance; records of how teaching is managed and the school’s improvement plans.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers, the special educational needs leader, and five middle leaders. The lead inspector met with the chair and vice chair of the governing

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Information about this inspection

body and three other governors. There was also a meeting with a local authority adviser who had worked with the school.  The inspectors took account of the 91 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, and talked to parents at the start and the end of the school day. They also took account of responses to the online staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Patrick Amieli, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector John Demmerling Ofsted Inspector Rebecca Nash 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

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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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