Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School North Road, Havering-atte-Bower, Romford, Essex RM4 1PS

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. Inspectors are recommending the next inspection to be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to this caring and welcoming school community. They are safe and feel supported. They comment that adults always look after them and that they are happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and know that staff expect them all to try their best in lessons. They are enthusiastic and keen to learn. Generally, leaders have thought carefully about the subject curriculum. However, in some subjects, leaders have not identified the important knowledge they want pupils to know. This means that pupils do not learn and remember as well as they could in these subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In early years, children learn the routines of the classroom. Pupils learn the importance of kindness. Bullying is rare. When it does occur, staff deal with it swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities in school. They relish the opportunity to engage in roles such as pupil leaders and fundraisers. Leaders encourage pupils to give their opinions and listen to the views of others. Pupils discuss important issues maturely. They enjoy enrichment sessions where they can develop their interest in activities like sport and art.

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Following a period of change in leadership, leaders, supported by the trust and governing body, are developing an ambitious and broad curriculum for all pupils. Recently, leaders have replaced the previous programme for teaching early reading with an alternative one.

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Staff have received subject-specific training, which helps them to present new learning effectively and build on pupils’ prior knowledge. Generally, teachers check what pupils have learned and remember. In subjects where the curriculum is well designed, pupils understand both new and previously taught content. This helps pupils to build their knowledge securely in these subjects.

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In other subjects, curriculum thinking is not as clear. Leaders have not identified the most important content that pupils should learn and the order in which they should learn it. Added to this, some leaders and teachers do not routinely check how well pupils understand and remember their learning in these subjects.

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Leaders have prioritised reading across the school. Children in Reception Year listen and join in with many stories, rhymes and songs. Teachers select texts to build children’s vocabulary and wider understanding. Children start to learn phonics as soon as they arrive in Reception and are taught phonics in a systematic way. Some older pupils at the early stages of reading and who need additional support do not routinely get the help they need. Books are not typically well matched to their phonic knowledge. Some staff have not been trained to deliver the phonics programme with precision. Some older pupils do not read fluently and confidently, which hinders their access to the rest of the curriculum. Limited choices of books to read means that some pupils are not encouraged to develop a love of reading.

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Staff identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. They ensure that pupils with SEND receive the additional help they need. Pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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Leaders and the governing body check that staff apply the new behaviour policy consistently and that staff have equally high expectations of all pupils. The impact is clear to see. Pupils are polite and respectful. They attend school regularly. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. This starts in the early years. Children listen attentively to adults and are keen to join in during discussion times. Across the school, there is rarely any disruption to learning.

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Pupils value the opportunities they have to take on different roles. For example, they are taught how to keep mentally and physically healthy. Pupils are encouraged to respect differences. They are taught about their own and different faiths. Pupils’ development is broadened through enrichment activities, outings and visits.

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The governing body supports and challenges leaders to improve the quality of education. However, the governing body does not make sufficiently robust checks on all areas of the school curriculum. This hinders how effectively governors hold leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive. Staff feel supported and comment that leaders consider their well-being and workload. 31 January 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that all staff receive regular safeguarding training. Staff are vigilant to the risks pupils may face. They report any concerns promptly. Leaders work with other professionals to ensure that pupils and families receive the help they need. Leaders, including the governing body, make sure that the school’s recruitment procedures follow statutory guidance.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum teaches pupils how to stay safe, both in and out of school. Pupils are taught about fire safety and how to stay safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Not all weaker readers receive the support they need to become fluent and confident readers and to develop a love of reading. The books pupils are given to read do not routinely match the sounds they know or their interests. This sometimes hinders how well some pupils can access the key stage 2 curriculum. Leaders and members of the governing body should ensure that older pupils who struggle with reading receive effective and timely support to enable them to build reading fluency and confidence.  In some subjects, leaders have not identified clearly enough the most important content that pupils should learn from the early years to the end of Year 6. This means that some pupils’ learning in these subjects is uneven. Leaders should ensure that curriculum thinking identifies the key concepts teachers need to teach and when to teach them so that pupils build up cumulative knowledge effectively.  Some subject leaders and teachers have not checked how well pupils have followed the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

curriculum, to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge and recall. Leaders should ensure that effective systems are in place so that subject leaders and teachers check how securely pupils are learning.

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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. 31 January 2023

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School, the predecessor school, to be good in October 2016.

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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.

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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. 31 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255432 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority LIFE Education Trust Board

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School details

Headteacher Stella McCarthy (head of school) Alice Larkman (executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school has experienced a period of change in leadership and management at senior level.  The head of school has been in post since June 2022. The executive headteacher has been in post since September 2022. She is seconded from another LIFE Education Trust school. The chair of the local governing body was appointed in September 2022. The school is an academy converter Church of England school in the Diocese of Chelmsford. It joined the Life Education Trust in May 2019.  The school was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act for schools of a religious character in March 2020.  The school does not use alternative providers.

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 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 their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector met 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.  Inspectors listened to some pupils read to an adult.  Inspectors spoke with pupils and subject leaders about the curriculum in other subjects. They also looked at subject documentation and lessons in science.  Inspectors met with school leaders, including the head of school, curriculum leaders, teachers and support staff.  Inspectors reviewed documentation and spoke with leaders, staff and pupils to

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evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding. Inspectors reviewed attendance records and the school’s behaviour and bullying records.  Inspectors met with members of the governing body and a trust representative. The inspectors held a phone call with a representative of the diocese.  The inspectors considered responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also took into account the responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey and staff survey.

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Inspection team

Phil Garnham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Bailey Ofsted Inspector 31 January 2023

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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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