Townley Primary School

Inspection of Townley Primary School Crown Road, Christchurch, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE14 9NA

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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 Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 29 and 30 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Townley enjoy coming to school and do not want to leave at the end of Year 6. They trust in the adults around them. This helps pupils to learn well. Pupils are well prepared for their future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are respectful and caring towards their friends. Everyone’s differences are celebrated and valued. Pupils learn about the different needs of others and show empathy from these experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and on the playground. If there are instances when pupils need reminding about their behaviour, they quickly settle back to their work or harmonious play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they feel safe in school. Pupils say that bullying used to happen a long time ago but not now. Pupils know who they can talk to if they need help or have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are particularly complimentary about the way staff support them in their role as parents. For example, staff supported them during the pandemic and the period of home learning and when settling pupils back into school. The nurturing ethos is the reason why many parents choose to travel to take their child to Townley School.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum in most subjects is broken down into small steps that help pupils use and apply new knowledge and skills. This results in pupils being ready for their next stage of learning. However, in a few subjects this is not the case. For example, in modern foreign languages lessons are not suitably ambitious. This is limiting what pupils are able to know and remember.

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better?

Children in the early years have strong relationships with the adults who care for them. Their social and emotional needs are well met through a wide range of engaging experiences, right from when children start in the nursery class. In the most part, the curriculum is delivered well by skilled staff. On occasion, it is less clear what children are being taught or need to know. This is particularly the case in knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, when learning about the past. Some staff are less aware of the specific vocabulary and concepts that children need to know, and how best to teach these.

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better?

Reading is taught well. Children learn letter names and sounds from the start of the Reception Year. They quickly learn to read books that are well matched to their phonics knowledge. Where pupils have extra daily sessions to help them to catch up, these are working well to ensure that pupils can access the curriculum in key stage 2. Pupils enjoy being read to by their teachers. The introduction and clear 29 and 30 March 2022

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explanation of new vocabulary is emphasised by staff. Pupils are then able to use these new words in their learning.

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Leaders ensure that the plans for pupils with SEND are appropriate and delivered well by highly trained staff. Pupils are taught using a variety of methods that give them confidence to share their new learning. For example, pre-teaching, the use of resources and visual prompts helps pupils to explain their answers. Pupils with SEND access the leaders’ intended curriculum and, with effective, appropriately planned guidance and support, achieve well.

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Behaviour at Townley School is good. Pupils pay close attention in lessons and move around the school calmly. Pupils are trained to be peer mediators and then support their classmates as needed. Staff use their training and their knowledge of pupils to support pupils whose behaviour could be more challenging. This ensures that learning is not interrupted and any disruption is minimal.

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Leaders are ambitious for the personal development of their pupils. Pupils talk confidently about their future career aspirations. They have benefited from residential trips, visits to churches and museums. Pupils enjoy remembering these experiences and linking them to their current learning. For example, one pupil imagined what it was like for an ancient Roman to handle artefacts the pupil had seen in a museum.

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Members of the governing body each carry out their monitoring roles effectively. They check that policies and procedures relating to the curriculum, finance and safeguarding are being followed. They are supportive of leaders and staff but equally hold leaders to account. Governors have worked successfully with the school’s local authority adviser on the priority areas from the previous inspection. Governors have been checking to ensure that the quality of education improves.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that all staff know and understand how to use the safeguarding procedures in school. Staff show a clarity in how to report any concerns and receive information as needed where further actions have been necessary.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know who to talk to if they have any worries. They understand about online safety. The personal, social, health and education (PSHE) curriculum provides opportunities to discuss age-appropriate information about keeping safe and healthy relationships.

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 There are a few areas of the curriculum which are not as ambitious as other aspects which are better developed. Where this is the case, pupils are not achieving as well as in the rest of the curriculum. Leaders must ensure that this is addressed and that staff understand the expectations and leaders’ curriculum ambition. Leaders should then ensure that staff can deliver these areas of the curriculum to the standard and quality leaders intend.  Overall, the curriculum in the early years is clearly sequenced and delivered well to prepare children for key stage 1. However, there are occasions when new knowledge is not as strong across all areas of learning. Leaders need to ensure that all staff are clear about the specific vocabulary and concepts that children need to know, and how best to teach these so children are well prepared for the next stages of their education.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 are the school and you are 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. 29 and 30 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10207064 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 13 and 14 March 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There has been a significant change in staffing since the previous inspection in March 2018.  The members of the governing body have all joined the school since the previous inspection.  The school admits two-year-old children.  The school operates a breakfast club for pupils at the school. The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 29 and 30 March 2022

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, the senior leaders, the school’s improvement partner and four members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  Inspectors looked at curriculum plans and spoke with leaders about history and geography, PSHE, relationships and sex education, and the provision for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors spoke to parents during the school drop off. Inspectors also spoke to pupils during lunchtimes and breaktimes.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors checked the school’s single central record of pre-appointment checks, considered its safeguarding policy, looked at pupils’

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safeguarding files and spoke with the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors also spoke with pupils, staff and members of the governing body about safety and safeguarding arrangements at the school.  A wide range of school information, including documents on the school’s website, minutes of governing body meetings, leaders’ improvement plans, their self- evaluation of the school and improvement partner reports, was reviewed.  Inspectors considered 13 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. Inspectors also took into account the 45 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the 45 free-text responses submitted during the inspection. Inspectors looked at the 67 responses to the pupil online survey. They also received one letter from the chair of governors.

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Inspection team

Isabel Davis, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Tessa Holledge Her Majesty's Inspector 29 and 30 March 2022

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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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