Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Paige Neale Principal Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor Haselor Alcester Warwickshire B49 6LU

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Short inspection of Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor

Following my visit to the school on 29 November 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the predecessor school was judged to be good in November 2013.

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Short inspection of Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor

Leaders and managers have improved the culture of learning and increased their expectations of pupils and staff, even though the school has been through a period of staff turbulence and experienced difficulties with the management of pupils’ needs and behaviour. Robust decisions were made by the academy trust board and local governing body to stabilise staffing and improve the educational provision the pupils receive. Areas for improvement identified at the inspection of the predecessor school have been successfully addressed. The school is now firmly heading in the right direction and has the capacity to further improve.

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Short inspection of Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor

Following your appointment in January 2016, parental confidence, teaching and assessment systems have improved. You are well supported by the staff team, including the senior teacher and the Tudor Grange Academies Trust. You work with other headteachers in the trust and in effective collaboration with the primary executive principal from the trust. During the first half of 2016, there was a period of consolidation when further teaching appointments were made and learning and behaviour expectations were increased. An extensive building programme took place over the last summer holidays that has evidently improved the learning environment for all pupils. From September 2015, the age range was extended to include Nursery places and this has helped to increase the number of pupils and improve what the school has to offer parents. Since September 2016, the school has continued to grow in pupil numbers and leadership strength.

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Short inspection of Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor

The school is fully supported by, and works closely with, the Tudor Grange Academies Trust, which is made up of six academies: one all through (age 4–16), two primary and three secondary. The trust provides strategic direction and leadership support, as well as advice to meet the needs of those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, for example. The local governing body, who oversee the operational needs of this academy, have made some effective decisions, such as the appointment of you, the senior teacher and retaining the current level of teaching assistant support despite budget challenges.

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Short inspection of Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor

Safeguarding arrangements are robust. Leaders ensure that all adults in the school are kept up to date with training, including the prevention of extremism in education. There is a good awareness of safeguarding around the school, and staff are fully aware of the latest requirements and know what to do if they have any concerns. Pupils say they feel safe because they have friends around them and staff resolve any concerns they have. Careful record-keeping and close relationships with parents have resulted in a strong culture of safeguarding throughout the school.

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Short inspection of Tudor Grange Primary Academy, Haselor

Pupils’ personal development and welfare are strengths of the school. Parents enjoy the ‘family atmosphere’ at the school and feel that pupils’ behaviour is now managed very well. Pupils eagerly enjoy school and say there are rarely any behaviour problems. Staff manage behaviour well through the spiritual, moral, social and cultural curriculum and by focusing on the trust’s strong ‘Tudor’ values of tolerance, unity, democracy, opportunity and respect.

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Inspection findings

 You have successfully led a number of improvements to the teaching and learning in the school as a result of higher expectations, improved assessment systems and stable staffing. During the period of temporary leaders, some pupils’ behaviour and learning needs were not well managed or supported. As a result, some parents lost confidence in the school and took their children elsewhere. You started in January 2016 with the senior teacher and since then, all but one of the teaching staff have been replaced. Consequently, the staff teamwork is now strong and improvements to the educational provision are clear. Some recent developments, such as the effectiveness of the school’s marking and feedback policy and how support staff are used, still vary slightly from class to class.  Parents now have much greater confidence in the school. They feel that the provision has significantly improved, especially since your appointment. The

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Inspection findings

inspection evidence I gathered from parents was supported by the school’s own recent survey. Parents say that their children thoroughly enjoy going to school, progress well and any concerns they have are quickly addressed. One parent rightly said: ‘Haselor Academy is a happy, welcoming and supportive learning environment. All the staff go above and beyond the call of duty when our children are in their care.’  The overall high standards have been maintained over time, despite past disruptions to the school and some dips in pupils’ progress. As a result of the very small number of pupils in each year group, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard varies from year to year but is typically above the national average in nearly all areas. Assessment information shows that, over time, boys do not always progress as well as girls. However, the school’s most recent assessment information shows that boys’ progress has improved

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Inspection findings

especially in writing and mathematics.  Children start in Reception with typical skills and nearly all achieve a good level of development at the end of the year. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected phonics standard by the end of Year 1 increased from just below the national average in 2014 to consistently above in the last two years. The most recent information shows that all pupils achieve the expected phonics standard by the end of Year 2, helping less able readers to catch up. Reading is taught well as nearly all pupils have at least expected reading skills by the end of Year 6. Leaders are aware that a few pupils do not make as much progress in reading as they are capable of in key stage 2. Previously above average standards at the end of Year 2 fell in 2015, but increased again in 2016. Pupils typically progress well in key stage 2 and the proportion who achieve at least expected standards by the end of Year 6 is in line with or above the national

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Inspection findings

average. In addition, pupils have strong skills in grammar, punctuation and spelling by the end of Year 6, helping them to be well prepared for secondary school.  Inspection evidence and school information demonstrate that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving steadily. This is a result of higher expectations of both staff and pupils. Teachers provide well-planned lessons that stimulate pupils’ interest and challenge them to try their best. The proportion of pupils at the school who are disadvantaged (those who qualify for pupil premium funding) is significantly below the national average and therefore too small to make any meaningful comparisons. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities at the school is slightly above the national average. In the past, this group of pupils have not achieved as much as they are capable of due to poor quality support. The

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Inspection findings

provision for these pupils has recently been improved and their progress is starting to improve as a result, especially in writing and mathematics. Leaders agree that a sharper focus on this group, who are mostly boys, is needed to enable them to make the progress they are capable of.  The most able pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils who achieve high standards in these subjects at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are consistently in line with or above the national average. Leaders ensured that recent changes to the national curriculum were fully embedded into the school’s provision, enabling most pupils to make the progress they are capable of. This is particularly the case for the most able pupils who progressed well last year and many achieved the new greater depth standard by the end of the year. Leaders and teachers have broadened the scope and depth of the school’s curriculum by introducing exciting topics and

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Inspection findings

developing long-term planning.  Pupils were observed engaging in purposeful learning activities across the school. In the Nursery and Reception class, small groups of children were being well supported by adults to develop their imaginative, creative and writing skills. Pupils in Year 1 and 2 were consolidating their phonics skills in ability groups. In Year 3 and 4, pupils were concentrating hard on writing an explanatory text. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 were writing letters to persuade Scrooge to appreciate Christmas. They made effective use of their teacher’s comments and listened carefully to each other. Workbooks demonstrate progress in pupils’ skills across classes and different pupil groups. However, some teaching needs to focus further on ensuring progress for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Governors are dedicated to supporting improvements at the school, but do not

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Inspection findings

provide enough effective challenge to hold leaders and teachers firmly to account for pupils’ progress. After recent changes to the governing body, some new governors are in place and there are some very recent vacancies that need to be filled. These changes mean that governors need further direction from the Tudor Grange Academies Trust and external training and support. Governors have a good knowledge of safeguarding, financial matters and the impact of leaders’ work to successfully increase the number of pupils at the school.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 there is a sharper focus on those groups of pupils which need further support to make the progress they are capable of, particularly for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities  the consistency of teaching, learning and assessment across classes is developed to further improve the provision that all pupils receive  governors receive further training to develop the effectiveness of their work and ensure that up-to-date statutory information is published on the school website.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the executive board, the regional schools commissioner and the Director of Children’s Services for Warwickshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection I met with you, the teaching staff, members of the governing body and the primary executive principal from the Tudor Grange Academies Trust. The key lines of enquiry were the progress of groups of pupils across the school and the impact of leaders and managers since the inspection of the predecessor school. Teaching and learning were observed in all classes with you. Work in samples of pupils’ books was checked to establish the progress and quality of pupils’ work over time. Informal discussions were held with pupils and parents to gauge their views on the school. Twenty responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) were considered, along with 18 free-text comments from parents. Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes were observed around the school and at playtime. A wide range of documentation was also scrutinised, including the school’s plans for improvement, external monitoring reports, records relating to attendance and safeguarding,

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Information about the inspection

records of checks made by leaders, and pupils’ most recent outcomes.

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