Tiger Primary School

Inspection of Tiger Primary School Boughton Lane, Maidstone, Kent ME15 9QL

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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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 Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Daniel Siggs. This school is part of Future Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Isabelle Linney-Drouet, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Marilyn Hodges. 19–20 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and increasingly successful school. Pupils feel safe, and there are warm and positive relationships evident between staff and pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement and also for their conduct. It has re-established clear behaviour expectations, known as ‘The Tiger Way’. This models how pupils should treat one another with kindness and respect, and this is becoming securely embedded across the school. As a result, most pupils behave consistently well. In classrooms, pupils are attentive and lessons are calm. Pupils are keen to engage in their learning. In transitions around the school site, pupils are keen to demonstrate ‘fantastic walking’, meaning that movement is calm and orderly, including at social times. The small minority of pupils who need greater support to meet the school’s expectations receive tailored interventions to achieve this. Bullying is increasingly rare, and pupils report that this is now dealt with more swiftly. They trust staff to act when they bring them concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to embody the school values of ‘teamwork, independence, going beyond the expected, empathy and resilience’ (TIGER). Pupils are proud to be recognised for demonstrating these values, through rewards systems such as their passports, certificates, badges of recognition, and receiving the Headteacher’s Award.

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better?

The school has designed an effective curriculum across subjects that carefully identifies the knowledge and skills that all pupils need to know. This redeveloped curriculum is reflective of the high ambitions the school has for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Previously, pupils’ attainment in national curriculum tests has been low. Across the majority of the school, current pupils are making good progress through this strengthened curriculum and are prepared well for the next stage of their learning.

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better?

In early years, the provision does not always match the ambitious learning that leaders intend. As a result, there are sometimes missed opportunities to develop key skills such as early number or mark making. Similarly, the school intends the early years environment to be rich in language and talk. However, while story times are animated and interesting, staff do not explore key vocabulary, both through talk and the activities, consistently well.

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better?

In the past, the school has not always taken the steps it needs to ensure that pupils with SEND are supported as well as they need to be or to identify their needs early so that appropriate support can be put in place. This has been addressed and is being refined and embedded across the school. In the majority of lessons, pupils with SEND are supported well, with adaptations to input to ensure they access the same learning as their peers. 19–20 September 2023

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Early reading is generally taught effectively, although the school recognises there are some points where this is not yet as consistent as it could be. Connections with a local hub have provided support and training for staff, and this is increasingly demonstrating positive impact on the practice in phonics sessions. However, the school is rightly continuing this focus to ensure that all opportunities are maximised to help pupils develop the skills to become fluent and confident readers.

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As part of this, reading is prioritised across the school. Key texts underpin the whole school assembly programme and are carefully chosen to allow pupils opportunities to explore different cultures and influences. Pupils are further enthused through prominent displays in classrooms, author visits and the ‘reading vending machine’ in the centre of the school from which pupils can select rewards in the form of books.

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There is a strong offer to support the personal development of pupils. The school has ensured their personal, social, health and economic curriculum supports children in developing an age-appropriate understanding of the world, relationships and how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Here, pupils debate and are encouraged to develop reasoned views about different issues, appreciating different viewpoints to their own.

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Pupils benefit from a growing range of leadership opportunities. They aspire to be members of the pupil leadership team, including being on the school council, house captains, head pupils and anti-bullying ambassadors. Pupils take these responsibilities seriously. As one pupil noted, this means they are ‘role models who the younger pupils look up to’.

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Leaders have worked closely together to identify the areas for improvement and put in place appropriate actions. Trust leaders support and challenge the school well. They have developed effective links with families and the local community, and this work continues.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Learning activities in the early years are not always as effective as they need to be. While leaders have clear plans, these are not carried out in the classroom consistently. This means that children sometimes miss out on opportunities to develop key skills and do not benefit from the intended modelling of communication and talk. The school needs to ensure that all staff are trained to ensure that all activities are implemented in line with their plans so that they have the impact that they intend.  In the past, there has not been rapid enough identification of the needs of pupils 19–20 September 2023

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with SEND. As a result, some pupils with SEND have not been supported well enough in accessing their learning. The school needs to continue to embed the work that has recently been put in place in order to ensure that these improvements are sustained over time.  The teaching of early reading is not as consistently strong as it could be. While early reading is generally taught well, not all pupils benefit from the same systematic approach to reading that they need. The school needs to ensure that all staff fully understand how to make the most of all opportunities to support pupils’ reading.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19–20 September 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has been part of the Future Schools Trust since September 2012.  There have been a number of changes to school staff since the last inspection, including the headteacher.  The school does not currently use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection team held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and pupils. The lead inspector met with the members of the governing body, 19–20 September 2023

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including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also held telephone conversations with a representative from the trust board.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, science and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to adults they knew.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first .  The inspection team took account of a range of other information, including the school’s development plans, school policies and governor and trustee minutes.

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 The team spoke with pupils about their experience of the school. It took account of parent and carer and staff views through conversations and responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Marian Feeley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Liz McIntosh Ofsted Inspector 19–20 September 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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