Tiverton Primary School

Inspection of Tiverton Primary School Pulford Road, London N15 6SP

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 13 and 14 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at school. They embody the ‘Tiverton Ways’ and are typically respectful and courteous to adults and classmates. Pupils appreciate the help they receive from staff. They feel safe and are kept safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to take on additional responsibilities as members of the school council, or as part of the ‘eco team’. Pupils are proud of these roles and take them seriously. For example, pupils talk positively about how the peer mediators help them in the playground if they feel sad.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils attend additional activities that develop their interests in areas such as handicrafts, film, choir and gymnastics. Pupils enjoy going on visits, particularly their residential. Year 6 pupils are rehearsing for their school production and are looking forward to performing this to their families.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Although leaders are ambitious for pupils, this is not fully realised. The quality of the curriculum design and the precision with which it is implemented, including in early years, is too variable. Pupils do not develop the understanding they should in different subjects. This means they are not as well prepared as they need to be for the next stage of their education.

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better?

Leaders have developed a curriculum that broadly meets the ambitions of what is expected nationally. In some areas, leaders have identified what should be learned and when. This helps teachers to ensure that pupils secure the knowledge they need to learn and remember more. For example, in mathematics, pupils practise measuring with accuracy. Older pupils apply this knowledge successfully to convert different measurements and solve increasingly complex problems. Similarly, in science, pupils learn about the life cycles of humans, animals and plants. Older pupils use this knowledge when classifying living and non-living things.

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better?

However, the quality and depth of the curriculum are variable. In several subjects, little thought has been given to the most important knowledge that pupils need to know and understand over time. The curriculum in these areas often lacks ambition and limits the depth of pupils’ understanding. The same is true in early years. The curriculum here does not sufficiently identify how children’s knowledge and skills develop from nursery through to reception. This limits how well children are prepared for what they will learn in Year 1.

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better?

Teachers typically check that pupils understand what they have learned. This allows teachers to tackle any misconceptions and correct errors. However, the weaknesses in curriculum design mean that teachers do not routinely check that pupils have secured the most important concepts. As a result, pupils, including children in early years, do not secure the understanding they should in different subjects. 13 and 14 June 2023

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Leaders want pupils to enjoy reading. For example, pupils like borrowing books from their class library and they read a broad range of texts. Leaders have put in place a phonics programme, but have provided limited training for staff. This means that there is variability in how well the programme is implemented. For example, staff do not consistently identify and address misconceptions, leading to gaps in pupils’ understanding. Additional intervention for pupils who struggle to read confidently is not provided in a timely way. Interventions are not suitably focused on what pupils need to practise. Because of this, too many pupils are not well supported to read with accuracy, fluency and confidence.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately identified. Leaders have been proactive in securing relevant specialist support and therapies. Pupils’ needs are communicated with teachers. This typically supports staff to make appropriate adaptations so that pupils can access the curriculum. However, adaptations are less effective when the curriculum is not as well defined for teachers.

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Leaders have well-established expectations and routines for managing pupils’ behaviour and attendance. Most pupils come to school regularly and on time. Pupils behave well within a calm and orderly environment. This is because leaders’ expectations are clear and well communicated.

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The curriculum helps pupils to understand and respect diversity, for example by celebrating different religious festivals and through visits from community faith leaders. Pupils are helped to understand personal safety and first aid through attending workshops led by the Metropolitan Police and St. John’s Ambulance.

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Staff appreciate the consideration leaders give to managing workload and well- being. Leaders recognise the work that needs to be done to improve the school. However, those responsible for governance have had insufficient training to perform their roles effectively. This limits how effectively governors have challenged school leaders and held them to account. As a result, they do not have a fully accurate view of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all staff receive appropriate training. Staff understand how to identify and report any concerns that they might have. Records indicate that leaders maintain close oversight of safeguarding cases. Appropriate and timely referrals are made to external agencies when necessary.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide pastoral support for pupils who need it. This includes access to counsellors. The curriculum helps pupils learn to keep safe in school, online and in the wider community. 13 and 14 June 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils, including those that struggle with reading, are not well supported to read with accuracy and fluency. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive appropriate training to deliver the agreed phonics programme with precision. They should also ensure that support provided to weaker readers is timely and focused on what pupils need to practise and secure.  In several subjects, the most important ideas that pupils need to learn have not been identified or sequenced. This means teachers do not routinely ensure that pupils secure their understanding of key concepts. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum in these areas is clarified so that teachers focus on the most important knowledge. This will better support pupils to develop a deep body of knowledge across the curriculum.  Governors do not have a fully accurate understanding and oversight of the school’s effectiveness. This means that they have not identified or sufficiently

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

addressed the weaknesses that exist. Governors need to ensure that they have appropriate training to help them to better hold leaders to account for their work.

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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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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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268190 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 23 and 24 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher joined the school in September 2022.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this graded 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 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other members of staff.  Discussions were held with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. Inspectors also spoke with a representative of the local authority and the school improvement partner. 13 and 14 June 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, geography, mathematics, science and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils and looked at samples of their work.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subject areas.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation and priorities for improvement.  Inspectors reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising records and through discussions with leaders, staff and pupils.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Sophie Healey-Welch, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dawn Titus Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 June 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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