Tividale Community Primary School

Inspection of Tividale Community Primary School Dudley Road West, Tividale, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 2HT

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 October 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 Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 11 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 24 and 25 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is made to feel welcome at Tividale Community Primary School. Staff take time to build warm and nurturing relationships with pupils. The school sets high standards for what it wants pupils to achieve. This is underpinned by the ‘Tividale Values’ that play a key role in helping pupils to develop into well-rounded young people.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave extremely well. In lessons, they listen attentively to their teachers and are keen to participate in class discussions and share their ideas. During playtime, pupils enjoy playing different sports or chatting with friends and staff. Pupils feel safe and know where to go if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a range of subjects as part of their curriculum. In reading and mathematics, pupils make good progress and are confident in what they know and understand. Pupils enjoy their learning in other subjects and are keen to share this with visitors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides many ways for pupils to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 enjoy attending residential trips each year to Edgmond and Ingestre Hall. Pupils can also take up roles as part of the school council or become trained as a sports leader through a local football club.

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better?

New leaders have an accurate view of the school. They recognise the school’s many strengths and the areas that need further development. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and the positive role it plays in the local community. This is matched by staff who are highly committed to the school and are proud to work here.

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better?

The school provides pupils with a strong foundation in reading. Right from Nursery and Reception Year, children begin to learn new letters and sounds. All staff have been trained in how to teach phonics, which ensures there is a consistent approach across all groups. Teachers check the sounds that children have been taught regularly. Where gaps start to emerge, adults intervene quickly and provide targeted and specific support. This helps children to catch up. The school provides books to pupils that are well matched to their phase of phonics. This ensures that children learn to read with fluency and make strong progress from their starting points.

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better?

The curriculum in mathematics is organised in a way that helps pupils to build on and revisit their learning over time. Teachers check pupils’ understanding regularly to pinpoint gaps in knowledge and pick up misconceptions. Teachers have strong subject knowledge in this area and use this effectively to help deliver the curriculum. Pupils are confident in what they can remember from prior lessons and how they can apply their mathematical knowledge to new problems. 24 and 25 October 2023

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In many other areas of the curriculum, the school has logically set out what pupils will learn and when. In history, for example, leaders have carefully considered what key concepts pupils need to know and remember over time. These are threaded through each topic so that pupils develop a rich understanding of ideas, such as the class system and civilisation. Pupils in Year 6 talked with enthusiasm about their recent topic on the Titanic and how the class system had an impact on how many people survived. However, this level of knowledge is not the case for all subjects. In some subjects, the curriculum is not always implemented consistently well. In addition, teachers have not received support in all subjects on the most effective ways to deliver new topics. In a few subjects, therefore, pupils’ knowledge is variable.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well. The school accurately identifies pupils’ needs and works closely with parents and external agencies to provide the most effective support. The school’s hubs provide targeted intervention for those with more complex needs. Teachers in lessons adapt tasks effectively when necessary for pupils with SEND to ensure that they can access learning. Pupils with SEND are fully integrated into school life.

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The school has put in place a suitable relationships and health education curriculum. Pupils have a dedicated lesson each week to learn about key topics, including healthy relationships and staying safe online. Pupils in Year 5 recently completed a programme about cyber security. Many enjoyed presenting what they had learned to the rest of key stage 2 through an assembly. Pupils also learn about diversity and tolerance. More recently, pupils have celebrated Black History Month by looking at key local and historical people. Through the religious education curriculum, pupils learn about different religions and celebrate a variety of different festivals throughout the school year.

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Governors are committed to the school and have its best interests at heart. They recognise the school’s strengths and provide effective support and challenge to leaders around the decisions they take.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, teachers’ delivery of the curriculum is not as strong in some subjects as it is in others. This means that pupils can experience variability in how subjects are taught, resulting in their knowledge and understanding of topics not being as secure as they should be. The school should ensure that all subjects are taught well so that pupils are secure in what they know and understand across the curriculum. 24 and 25 October 2023

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 In some subjects, leaders are still helping teachers to develop strong subject and pedagogical knowledge. On occasion, teachers are not always confident in how they present new knowledge or deliver new topics. The school should provide further support to enhance teachers’ subject knowledge and improve their teaching.

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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). 24 and 25 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Samantha Prescott

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School details

Website www.tividale-pri.sandwell.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 and 18 October 2012, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2022. Other members of the school leadership team have been appointed since this time.  A small number of pupils with SEND follow an adapted curriculum as part of the school’s hubs provision.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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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. 24 and 25 October 2023

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 Inspectors met with chair of the governing body and two other governors. Meetings were also held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and pupils. They also talked informally to pupils and staff to gather general information about school life.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, history and French. 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. They also looked at other subjects to check how they are planned and taught.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.

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 Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents. These included information about behaviour, attendance, the school curriculum and improvement planning. The school website was also checked.  Inspectors observed informal times of the day to evaluate safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and free-text comments. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Mark Howes, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen O’Keefe Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 October 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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