Tannery Drift School

Inspection of a good school: Tannery Drift School Tannery Drift, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 5DE

p.1

Outcome

Tannery Drift School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Tannery Drift School is a learning community full of joy. Pupils enjoy coming to school and take pride in all they do. Adults have high expectations of what pupils can do. Leaders make sure that pupils are at the heart of all curriculum decisions. As a result, everyone feels valued and cared for. Pupils behave well. There is an ethos of consideration and respect in the school. This makes the school a calm but exciting place to learn. Pupils show care and responsibility for others. Pupils say that they are ‘good friends with each other’. Playtimes are active and happy.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of extra expertise that leaders bring into the school. Artists, musicians, coaches, governors and staff from other schools help to enhance learning. This inspiration from a range of people results in pupils’ enthusiasm for trying new things and increased confidence in discussing their learning.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are supportive of the school and praise the openness of leaders. Parents also value the exciting curriculum and the time that staff take to get to know children. ‘I could not ask for a better school for my child’ is one of the very many positive comments that parents made.

p.1

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

School leaders, governors and staff share a strong vision. They promote positive relationships and mutual respect. They ensure that pupils’ wider development is a priority. Pupils have a range of opportunities to learn about and practise healthy lifestyles. The enrichment curriculum supports pupils in working together with others. This includes taking part in the daily mile and community art projects. Pupils develop positive attitudes to learning.

p.1

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders have strengthened the leadership structure. They are developing further the knowledge and skills of subject leaders. All areas of the curriculum are well led and the aims of the curriculum are clear. Leaders have developed 12–13 February 2020

p.1

2

effective systems for managing staff workload and staff feel that their well-being is considered by leaders in decision-making.

p.2

2

The pupil premium leader and the special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) leader work well together to ensure that pupils are supported. Teachers are held to account for progress through robust systems of regular meetings with the SEND leader and headteacher. As a result, pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged achieve well.

p.2

2

Pupils read well and often. Reading is the cornerstone of the curriculum. Teachers and pupils talk about stories enthusiastically. The school has developed enticing reading corners in all classrooms. Staff and pupils highly value the library. Phonics is taught effectively. Most pupils have learned to read by the end of key stage 1. The small number of pupils who need extra support in key stage 2 have books which are well matched to their phonics skills.

p.2

2

Children in the early years foundation stage learn the basic skills of reading and mathematics as soon as they start at Tannery Drift. Teachers prioritise the importance of listening skills. As a result, very young children listen to extended stories well. This is because teachers know the curriculum and are skilled at engaging children with props and their ‘story voices’. Because of this well-planned and well-sequenced curriculum, children are prepared and ready to learn to read.

p.2

2

Leaders have begun to apply the same level of rigour and sequencing to other curriculum subjects. In these subjects, it is clear that pupils are beginning to build on their learning over time.

p.2

2

In art, pupils have gained a range of skills and knowledge in painting, printing, sculpture and drawing. This results in good-quality work. In lessons, pupils work well together and reflect and review what they have achieved. They are also encouraged to use others’ ideas to improve their work.

p.2

2

In history lessons, pupils can identify how the modern world has been changed by developments made thousands of years ago. Younger pupils talk about significant people from history and why they are so important. They remember main facts from the current sequences of teaching and develop vocabulary related to the past.

p.2

2

Staff use each other’s skills and knowledge to develop their own subject knowledge and expertise. Leaders made it a priority to ensure that gaps in understanding in subjects such as history are filled. They have reorganised the curriculum so that this can happen. In some curriculum areas, this is in the early stages of development and there are gaps in pupils’ understanding, for example when pupils need knowledge of geography in history lessons but are unsure of the names of different continents and countries. 12–13 February 2020

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

The very positive relationships in the school ensure that pupils behave well and are safe. Parents say that their children feel safe and ‘bullying is practically unheard of’. Leaders carry out the required employment checks on all adults who work with children at the school.

p.3

Safeguarding

Adults know pupils and their families well and work effectively with other agencies. Records of concerns show actions are taken to address issues quickly. Staff are very clear about how to report concerns. Governors check safeguarding processes routinely and support leaders in taking additional steps to improve systems.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some curriculum subjects, pupils’ understanding is not as secure as it is in others. This makes it harder for them to link new learning to what has come before. Leaders need to ensure that teachers check that pupils are secure in their knowledge, skills and understanding before new content is introduced.

p.3

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

p.3

Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 7 February 2011.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 12–13 February 2020

p.3

4

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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 February 2020

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10121448 Type of school First

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

Information about this school

 The school has expanded in the last few years and pupil numbers have increased.  The school has a nursery for three-year-olds.  The proportion of pupils known to be disadvantaged is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 During this inspection, I met with the headteacher, the senior leadership team, the SEND lead, teachers, governors and pupils.  I considered reading, phonics, history and art in depth as part of the inspection. I spoke to leaders of these subjects. I visited lessons, spoke with pupils and teachers, listened to pupils read and looked at pupils’ work and documentation to understand the quality of education in these subjects.  I considered the 116 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire, Parent View, and 83 responses to Ofsted’s free-text facility. I spoke with staff and pupils to gain their 12–13 February 2020

p.5

6

views of the school. I also spoke with parents on the playground at the beginning of the day.  I examined the single central record and conducted interviews with leaders, pupils and staff on behaviour and safeguarding.

p.6

Inspection team

Debbie Rogan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12–13 February 2020

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

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 .

p.7

7

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

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7