Tavistock Primary & Nursery School

Inspection of Tavistock Primary & Nursery School Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19 8BX

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 12–13 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at school. They are proud of their work and talk enthusiastically about their learning in lots of subjects. Pupils know that teachers and teaching assistants expect them to work hard and do their best. Pupils rise to these expectations because relationships between staff and pupils are strong and supportive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they feel safe and that staff take good care of them. They said that bullying does happen, but that it is rare, and adults sort out issues quickly. Pupils’ behaviour is generally good. A very small number of pupils sometimes struggle to behave well. However, staff understand their needs and help them to improve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many school clubs which help pupils to develop their talents and interests. School trips and visitors to school help them learn about the wider world. Pupils told us that they meet people from many different faiths and countries. Leaders support pupils to be confident learners and positive citizens. Pupils like receiving rewards in assemblies for showing ‘skills for success’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have made improvements to teaching since the last inspection. Pupils told us that teachers make learning clear and interesting.

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better?

The quality of education is improving. The writing curriculum is carefully planned. Pupils use spelling, grammar and punctuation well. They write at length for a range of purposes and improve their writing by editing. Leaders have constructed a strong mathematics curriculum. Teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn by the end of each year. They plan the smaller steps towards these end points. Pupils revisit important knowledge frequently so that it sticks in their memory. Pupils are getting better at solving problems and explaining their answers.

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better?

Leaders and governors have reviewed the curriculum so that pupils can gain the knowledge and skills they need. Subject leaders have developed plans which identify what pupils need to learn each year. This helps teachers to plan lessons which build on what has been learned before. For example, in science teachers use quizzes to help pupils remember what they have learned over time.

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better?

However, some subjects such as history and design and technology are not as well sequenced. Leaders’ plans do not identify precisely enough what pupils need to know and remember. Consequently, in these subjects, teachers sometimes do not plan work which builds on what pupils already know and can do.

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better?

The teaching of early reading is effective. Phonics teaching is effective. Pupils in Reception and Year 1 learn sounds quickly. Those who need it receive well-planned extra help. Pupils in all classes enjoy story sessions. However, the teaching in key 12–13 November 2019

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stage 2 does not build pupils’ understanding of a range of texts well enough. Some pupils in key stage 2 need to catch up with their reading. Although pupils enjoy reading, sometimes the teaching is not precisely tailored to help them catch up and become fluent readers.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive well-planned support. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) supports teachers and teaching assistants to understand pupils’ needs. This helps these pupils to achieve well.

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Leaders have made pupils’ personal development a priority. Pupils learn about the importance of tolerance. For example, they are well informed about the dangers of ‘hate crime’. They enjoy wider opportunities such as public speaking and taking positions of responsibility, such as house captains. The school council makes sure that pupils have a voice. Pupils say that the school rules and rewards they receive for showing good personal qualities help them to behave well. Exclusions have reduced and are used appropriately.

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The youngest children make a good start in the early years. In the Nursery class, staff focus on helping pupils to settle into routines and to make friends. Children enjoy reading stories with adults and joining in with familiar stories and rhymes. In the Reception class, the curriculum helps children practise writing and counting to prepare them for Year 1. Children learn sounds in the Nursery class and learn to read as soon as they enter the Reception class. Staff ask questions which help children to think and talk confidently about what they are learning.

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Governors are very skilled and committed. They support and challenge leaders well. Staff are proud to work at the school and speak highly of how leaders take account of their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff know their responsibilities for keeping pupils safe at school. Staff receive up-to-date training and refresh their knowledge at staff meetings throughout the year. They recognise and report concerns swiftly. Leaders work well with external partners to get pupils and families the help they need. Records are carefully maintained, including vetting checks for adults who work in school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say that school teaches them about healthy and safe relationships and how to stay safe in a range of situations, such as around roads. They are knowledgeable about how to stay safe on the internet. 12–13 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have made a positive start to developing a well-planned and sequenced curriculum which builds pupils’ knowledge and skills successfully over time. In some subjects, the knowledge that leaders expect pupils to gain is not defined precisely enough. Leaders should now improve their curriculum plans by making sure that they all identify what pupils should know each year. Leaders need to make sure that this knowledge is revisited frequently so that pupils know and remember more.  New approaches to teaching reading in key stage 2 ensure that pupils read more challenging texts. However, the reading curriculum in key stage 2 does not build pupils’ knowledge and understanding of a range of text types effectively. Leaders must ensure that pupils in key stage 2 gain the knowledge and skills in reading that they need to prepare them for the next stage in their education.  Teachers need to ensure that they can identify precisely how they will help pupils in

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

key stage 2 who need to catch up, to become fluent readers.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111464 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18–19 July 2017

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Information about this school

 The school’s area resource base for pupils with complex special educational needs closed in July 2019.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders. We met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  We carried out in-depth evaluations of reading, mathematics, science, geography and computing. We spoke with leaders of these areas and visited lessons. We looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked with teachers and pupils about their learning.  We also spoke with leaders of other subject areas and looked at their plans.  We looked at safeguarding records and spoke to leaders with responsibility for safeguarding to look at how pupils are kept safe. We spoke with staff, pupils and governors about safeguarding. 12–13 November 2019

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 We observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at breaktimes and lunchtimes. We spoke with pupils and staff about behaviour. We spoke with pupils about their experiences at school.  We spoke with a range of staff including teachers and support staff. We spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  We visited the school’s breakfast club.  We considered the 110 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and the free-text responses. We considered the 39 responses to the staff questionnaire and 49 responses to the pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Claire Mirams, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Olford Ofsted Inspector 12–13 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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