Tipton St John Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Tipton St John Church of England Primary School Tipton St John, Tipton St John Primary School, Tipton St John, Devon EX10 0AG

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Outcome

Tipton St John Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils at Tipton St John Church of England Primary School. They are ambitious for all learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff use what they know about pupils to help them learn well and succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are nurturing towards pupils and support them to realise the school vision to ‘be the best we can be’. As a result, pupils are kind, polite and respectful. They talk enthusiastically about their learning and feel safe. Pupils know what bullying means and say that this can happen in school. However, they trust adults to support any problems they have and older pupils say that bullying is rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide opportunities to enhance the school curriculum. For example, pupils were visited by an author to learn about how to care for the planet. They also attend sporting events at the local secondary school. Pupils have opportunities to develop responsibilities as sports leaders and members of the ethos team.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, as well as parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, would like further extra-curricular opportunities to be reinstated in the school. They talk very positively about the clubs they attended before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

From the beginning of the early years foundation stage, children learn routines to help them to become independent. Staff support children well to develop their language and communication skills. Children are keen to learn and develop their early reading, writing and mathematics through a well-structured curriculum. As a result, they are very well prepared for the next stage of their education in key stage 1. 5 April 2022

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Leaders ensure that reading is a priority for all pupils. Staff receive regular training so that they can support pupils to learn to read fluently. They read to pupils regularly, helping to broaden their vocabulary. Pupils talk passionately about the books they enjoy reading, and they say that they read often.

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As soon as children start school in the Reception Year, they learn to read. The teaching of phonics is precise and this helps pupils to learn new sounds well. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know because staff check this regularly. This means that pupils get the help that they need to be confident, successful readers. However, leaders have not structured the reading comprehension curriculum as effectively.

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Leaders have considered how the curriculum supports pupils to achieve well, including pupils with SEND. In most subjects, they plan what they want pupils to remember and have organised the curriculum carefully so that pupils build on knowledge they have learned before. For example, older pupils in physical education can compare the skills they need to pass in rugby and know how this is different to American football.

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Staff check what pupils know across most of the curriculum and use this to provide appropriate support. They know pupils with SEND well. Consequently, pupils with SEND talk positively about the extra help they get with their learning which helps them to know and be able to do more. However, leaders do not check what pupils already understand in some subjects well enough. This means that staff do not consistently use what they know about some pupils to help them to learn with confidence and success.

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Leaders use the strong links they have with the church to support pupils’ wider development. Pupils value the opportunities they have to visit and speak with members of the local community. They understand how different people live and many older pupils complete a civic award. Leaders include money and finance within the personal, social, health and economic curriculum. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Pupils talk about the school rules and know how to behave well. The overwhelming majority of pupils meet leaders’ high expectations and, as a result, disruption to lessons is rare. Pupils are kind and considerate towards their peers and play well together.

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Governors visit the school regularly to provide support and challenge to school leaders. Staff are positive about the support they receive from leaders. One staff member, whose view reflected that of many, said, ‘[The school is] the most caring school I have ever known.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is a high priority. Staff use school procedures to identify pupils who are at risk of harm or may need early help. They fully understand safeguarding concerns within the local area that may impact on pupils. Therefore, leaders secure the help that pupils need and work closely with external agencies. 5 April 2022

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Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. Alongside leaders, they make the appropriate checks when new staff join the school.

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Pupils know how to keep safe. This includes when they are online and outside of school. Leaders provide wider opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep safe, including through the mini police and school visitors.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not assured themselves sufficiently that the curriculum is put in place as intended. This means that there is some variability in the quality of teaching in some subjects. Leaders should check that the teaching of the curriculum is consistently of a high quality to support pupils to know and remember more over time.  Leaders have not planned the sequence of learning in reading well enough at key stage two. As a result, some pupils do not know as much about comprehension and inference in reading as they could. Leaders must ensure that the key stage two reading curriculum is well sequenced so that all pupils build on what they already know.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 5 April 2022

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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. 5 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211165 Type of school Primary

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School details

School category Maintained voluntary aided

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Otter Valley Federation.  The school does not use alternative providers.  The school has pre-school provision for three- and four-year-olds.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school, the special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, teaching staff and support staff. 5 April 2022

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 The lead inspector met with representatives from the governing board and the local authority school representative.  The lead inspector spoke with the designated safeguarding leader to discuss the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe. She considered the school’s recruitment procedures, staff induction and training, records of concern and their engagement with external agencies. The inspectors also spoke with staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  The inspectors considered 26 responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. The inspectors also took into consideration responses to the staff’s and pupils’ surveys.

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Inspection team

Donna Briggs, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Matthew Shirley Ofsted Inspector 5 April 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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