Tudor Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Tudor Primary School Redwood Drive, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP3 9ER

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Outcome

Tudor Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of team Tudor. They love coming to school and are enthusiastic about learning. They say, without hesitation, that they feel safe at school because the adults are there to look after them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a culture of aspiration in the school. Adults set high expectations and pupils try hard to meet them. A Year 6 pupil said, ‘You always want to be at your highest level.’ Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. At breaktimes, they play happily together, supervised by adults who lead or join in with games. Any pupils who struggle to behave well are supported by positive behaviour management techniques.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school does not tolerate bullying or any form of discrimination. This happens rarely and is dealt with quickly when it arises. Pupils show tolerance and understanding of difference. In assemblies, they learn about values, such as thoughtfulness. They are keen to demonstrate these and say you should treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive school where everyone is valued. All pupils, including the most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have access to a wide range of exciting experiences.

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

Leaders have a shared, ambitious vision for the curriculum. They want it to inspire pupils and enable them to achieve well. The curriculum starts in early years, so the youngest pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Subject leaders are confident and knowledgeable. They have designed a bespoke curriculum for each subject. It breaks complex ideas down into manageable chunks. Pupils follow a sequence of learning that helps them know more and remember more.

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

Children learn early reading skills as soon as they start school. Teachers deliver the 6 and 7 December 2022

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school’s chosen phonics programme with consistency. Pupils learn new sounds well and practise with books that match their phonics level. Those who need extra help with reading get carefully targeted support.

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The school promotes a love of reading. Pupils read widely and often. Year 2 parents enjoy a weekly early-morning reading session with their children in school. Older pupils talk enthusiastically about their favourite books and authors.

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Leaders make regular checks on the delivery of the curriculum and pupils’ learning. They deliver training in staff meetings to support teachers. One or two curriculum areas have been recently reviewed. Leaders of those subjects are not yet certain their plans are working as well as possible.

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Teachers introduce subject-specific vocabulary in every lesson, and pupils routinely use this. In a Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils were well versed in the language of fractions. Teachers plan lessons carefully to make learning memorable and purposeful. In a music lesson, Year 3 pupils composed a piece of jazz music to celebrate Victory in Europe Day using untuned instruments and musical notation.

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Teachers check pupils’ understanding often during lessons. This helps them decide what to teach next. If they spot gaps, they respond quickly. They use interventions on the same day to help pupils who are finding things tricky. They challenge others through higher-level questions.

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Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are excellent. There are few disruptions to lessons and when these happen, adults deal with them well. Pupils and adults have strong relationships, rooted in mutual respect.

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Provision for pupils with SEND is high quality. Leaders work hard to identify these pupils’ needs and to ensure the right support is in place so they can access the full curriculum. Leaders are tenacious in their drive to ensure disadvantaged pupils achieve well. All pupils enjoy a range of enriching trips and visits. Many take part in extra-curricular activities, including basketball, drama and woodland club.

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The school has a partnership with a school for pupils with learning difficulties and complex needs. Year 5 pupils relish the regular visits there, which they find character- building. Visitors to school teach pupils about world religions and living with a disability. Pupils learn to respect the beliefs and opinions of others. They understand and celebrate difference. An active school council gives them a taste of democracy.

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Parents comment positively about the school. One describes it as ‘fantastically warm and welcoming’. Leaders foster positive relationships with parents and staff. Staff feel valued. They say leaders are conscious of their workload and support their well-being. Governors are committed to the school’s success. They carry out their role effectively, overseeing the headteachers’ plans for continuous improvement. They are very supportive of the leadership team and have confidence in its capacity to realise its vision. 6 and 7 December 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders responsible for safeguarding are meticulous in their record-keeping. They have established a culture of vigilance around safeguarding, and all staff know what to do if they are concerned about a pupil. Staff know pupils well and are alert to any signs they might be at risk of harm. The systems in place for checking adults who come to work at the school are rigorous.

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Safeguarding

Pupils speak confidently about ways of keeping themselves safe. They learn about these in assembly, computing and personal, social and health education lessons. They know what to do if they are worried about something.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the implementation of curriculum plans is still to be refined and embedded securely throughout the school. In these subjects, pupils’ work and understanding do not yet fully reflect the ambitious intent of the curriculum. Leaders should continue their programme of curriculum development to ensure pupils achieve highly in all subjects.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2017.

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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. 6 and 7 December 2022

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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. 6 and 7 December 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 February and 1 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school’s nursery is open 15 hours a week, mornings only. Some nursery pupils attend registered provider, Little Fawns Pre-School and Forest School, on the school site in the afternoon.  The school has its own breakfast club, run by school staff. An after-school club is run on the school site by a registered provider, EnergyKidz.  At the time of the inspection, no pupils were attending alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher, six members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority (LA).  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, she discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, 6 and 7 December 2022

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visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. The inspector also listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult. She also looked at samples of pupils’ writing in their English books.  The inspector met the inclusion manager to discuss provision for pupils with SEND and pupils’ wider development. She met the deputy headteacher to discuss behaviour.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and deputy DSL. She scrutinised the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. The inspector also spoke to governors, staff and pupils to evaluate safeguarding.  The inspector reviewed a range of other school documentation and policies, including the school development plan, reports on visits made by the LA and minutes of governors’ meetings.  To gather pupils’ views, the inspector spent time observing and speaking to pupils.

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There were 43 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.  To gather parents’ views, the inspector reviewed the 93 responses and 64 free-text responses submitted to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector gathered staff members’ views by speaking to several of them and reviewing the 32 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Caroline Crozier, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 6 and 7 December 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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