Tarleton Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Tarleton Community Primary School Hesketh Lane, Tarleton, Preston, Lancashire PR4 6AT

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Inspection dates: 31 October and 1 November 2023

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Outcome

Tarleton Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this school. They said that they learn to treat everybody equally and with respect. Pupils are determined to make sure that everyone feels like they belong. For example, they are proud of the sign that welcomes visitors in many different languages. Parents and carers appreciate the way that the values of acceptance and tolerance are threaded throughout school life. For example, pupils learn about a diverse range of inspirational figures.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school. They are kind to each other and show consideration for other people’s needs. Older pupils support their younger peers, for example sport leaders organise games for younger pupils at breaktimes. This helps to foster positive relationships between pupils of all ages.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning. They strive to meet the ‘green goals’ which exemplify excellent behaviour. The school rewards pupils’ positive behaviour with gold coins. The pupils belonging to the house with the most gold coins at the end of each week receive a reward. This motivates them to behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have recently strengthened the curriculum. Pupils achieve increasingly well.

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

The school provides an ambitious and engaging curriculum. This is enhanced through a range of trips and visits. Pupils spoke with great enthusiasm about these experiences, such as a recent trip to France and Belgium.

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

Across all subjects, learning is carefully mapped out to ensure that it builds logically over time. In most subjects, the school has precisely identified the essential knowledge that pupils need to remember from the Nursery class to Year 6. Teachers frequently check that 31 October and 1 November 2023

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pupils remember this important learning and they use this information to adapt their teaching. In these subjects, pupils achieve highly and children in the early years are well prepared for their learning in key stage 1.

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In a few other subjects, the school is still in the process of refining the most important information that pupils need to remember. This includes some areas of learning for children in the early years. In these subjects, teachers are not clear about the information that they should emphasise when revisiting and checking pupils’ learning. This means that some pupils do not develop secure bodies of knowledge over time.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use this to clearly explain new concepts to pupils. Where misconceptions are identified, teachers address them swiftly.

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The school understands the important role that reading plays in helping pupils to access the curriculum. From the moment that they join the Nursery class, children are encouraged to love books. For example, they have ‘reading buddies’ in the form of cuddly toys to whom they retell their favourite stories. Some older pupils act as reading ambassadors. They take responsibility for the ‘reading barn’, where pupils can enjoy books during breaktimes.

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Children begin to learn the phonics programme from the start of the Reception Year. Staff deliver phonics consistently well. They are quick to spot any pupils who are struggling with their reading knowledge. These pupils benefit from strong support to help them to catch up with their peers. Pupils learn to read confidently and fluently.

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The school has appropriate systems in place to ensure that pupils with SEND are identified quickly. Staff understand how to adapt their delivery of the curriculum so that these pupils learn well alongside their peers.

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The school engages parents in supporting their children’s education. For example, staff send out information about what their class will be learning each week. Staff in the Nursery class send links to the songs that children have learned so that they can practise them at home.

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There is a calm atmosphere in the school. Pupils behave sensibly and respectfully. Starting in the early years, pupils form positive relationships with staff. They quickly learn to follow routines that promote effective learning.

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Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. For example, they can develop new interests including learning British Sign Language or sewing. All pupils engage in outdoor learning to develop their understanding of nature. They spoke with great enthusiasm about activities such as pond dipping.

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Governors are very well informed about the quality of education that the school provides. They share leaders’ ambitious vision for the school and support them to deliver it well. Staff value the way in which the school takes their workload into consideration, for example they are allocated time to work on curriculum design. Staff are incredibly proud and happy to work at this school. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, curriculum thinking is still being finalised. In these subjects, the school has not fully defined the most important knowledge that it wants pupils, including children in the early years, to know and remember over time. This makes it difficult for teachers in these subjects to help pupils to remember their learning in the long term. The school should provide clarity around the exact knowledge that pupils need to acquire in each subject so that pupils’ learning builds securely over time.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2013.

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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. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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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). 31 October and 1 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.tarletoncommunityprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of a charitable trust called the Axia Learning Alliance. The school is state-funded through the local authority. The governing body retains autonomy over the school.  The school offers a breakfast and after-school club for pupils.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and staff.  The inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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 The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority and a consultant who works with the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. She met with subject leaders, visited lessons, reviewed some samples of pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils. The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar member of staff. She spoke with some pupils about their reading.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation documents and records relating to behaviour and attendance.  The inspector met with pupils to ask about their experience of school. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspector met with groups of staff. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s

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survey for staff.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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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Inspection team

Sally Rix, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 31 October and 1 November 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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