Tushingham With Grindley CofE Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Tushingham With Grindley C of E Primary School Tushingham, Whitchurch, Cheshire SY13 4QS

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding 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. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Tushingham With Grindley Primary School are polite and articulate. They enjoy learning and attending school. Pupils described their school as a place where everyone is ‘friendly’ and ‘kind’. They are happy in school. Pupils who join the school later settle in quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow the ‘Tushingham Way’ by living out the school’s values of respect, generosity, compassion, perseverance and forgiveness. These values help to shape pupils’ interactions with each other and with staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for what all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can achieve. Pupils develop an awareness of the wider world and their part in it. They achieve well in most subjects. However, in a small number of subjects where the school is reviewing the important knowledge that pupils should learn, pupils’ recall of some learning is not secure.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are eager to take on roles of responsibility in school. Some pupils act as junior safety officers while others help staff to monitor behaviour at playtime. Pupils enjoy presenting their knowledge to others. For example, members of the school council relished delivering a recent assembly where they shared what they know about influential Black women as part of Black History Month.

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

The school has carefully organised the curriculum from the Nursery class to the end of Year 6. Learning in the early years prepares children well for key stage 1. The school has 7 November 2023

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identified the essential knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should be taught.

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Staff are knowledgeable about the subjects that they teach. Training and resources provided by the school help staff to deliver the curriculum effectively, including in the mixed-age classes. Teachers regularly check that pupils remember what they have learned from previous lessons. This helps pupils to recall their recent learning well. However, in a minority of subjects, some pupils are less confident and secure about their learning from previous topics and curriculum content.

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Reading for pleasure is an intrinsic part of the school’s curriculum. Pupils experience a wide range of high-quality texts. Most pupils enjoy reading. They eagerly recount the plots and characters in books and stories that they have enjoyed. Carefully chosen texts in the early years help children to consolidate and reinforce their learning.

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The school implemented a new phonics programme at the start of the last academic year. Staff are well trained to deliver this programme. They use assessment adeptly to ensure that pupils are keeping up with their peers. Pupils who are less confident in reading receive additional help. However, this support is not as effective as it could be. This hinders pupils’ fluency in their reading and how well they access other areas of the curriculum.

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The school is quick to identify the additional needs that some pupils have. Teachers skilfully adapt their delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of these pupils. Pupils with SEND access the same aspirational curriculum as their peers.

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The school provides a wide range of opportunities to enhance pupils’ wider development. For instance, pupils enjoy visits to cathedrals and museums. They are proud to represent the school in sports competitions. Pupils learn to respect and embrace differences between themselves and others. Regular opportunities to learn outdoors help to develop pupils’ awareness of the environment. For example, pupils in key stage 2 benefit from residential trips. Some pupils take part in an award that enriches their leadership skills.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. They said that leaders at all levels recognise the workload challenges that accompany working in a small primary school. To this end, the school engages effectively with staff to reduce workload, for example by changing the assessment policy. Staff described the school as like a ‘family’. They feel well supported and valued.

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Governors provide the school with an appropriate level of support. They recognise the efforts of staff in developing the curriculum across all subjects. Governors have made recent changes to how their meetings are recorded. This is to reflect accurately how they challenge the quality of education that the school provides for all pupils.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of subjects, teachers do not ensure that pupils remember what they have been taught over time. As a result, some pupils cannot confidently recall or build on their previous learning as well as they might. The school should ensure that the curriculum is having the intended impact so that pupils can learn equally well across all subjects.  The additional support for some pupils at the early stages of reading is not having the intended impact. As a result, these pupils do not read with the fluency that they could. The school should review the support that these pupils receive so that pupils keep up with their peers.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in December 2017.

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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’ 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 7 November 2023

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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). 7 November 2023

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 December 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative education providers.  This Church of England school is part of the Diocese of Chester. The last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in May 2016. The school has received confirmation from the diocese that its next section 48 inspection will take place during this academic year.  The executive headteacher also has responsibility for one other school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgment 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 lead inspector met with the executive headteacher. She also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with representatives of the diocese and of the local authority. 7 November 2023

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to some pupils about their learning.  The lead inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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 lead inspector observed pupils in key stages 1 and 2 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors spoke to pupils about their views on the school, behaviour and bullying.  Inspectors reviewed documents relating to behaviour and attendance, minutes of

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governing body meetings, the school’s self-evaluation and the school development plan.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Niamh Howlett, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ian Shackleton Ofsted Inspector 7 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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