Tutshill Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Tutshill Church of England Primary School Coleford Road, Tutshill, Chepstow, Gloucestershire NP16 7BJ

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Outcome

Tutshill Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who attend Tutshill Primary are proud to belong to the community of the school, the local area and the wider world. The school bases its curriculum on developing pupils’ understanding of where they live. Pupils become well-rounded young people, fully aware of the possibilities of the world beyond school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A strong sense of belonging permeates the school. Pupils place a pebble in the bowl as they join the school to represent becoming part of the school community. They take a pebble out as they leave. Pupils explain that this is so that every pupil, and staff member, leave with a little piece of Tutshill.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations are clear and consistent. As a result, pupils achieve well and are ready for their next steps in education. Most pupils behave well. The school works with integrity to ensure that all pupils have the support they need to be successful young learners. Supporting pupils to learn how to learn is a strength here. Pupils develop a clear sense of what it takes to be a confident young learner, able to cope with setbacks.

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

The school is led well. A clear vision of promoting global awareness successfully underpins the school’s work. Leaders at all levels are reflective and honest in their understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. There is an ethos of carefully considering staff well-being. Consequently, staff are happy and proud to work here. Governors are skilled and experienced. They offer high-quality oversight of the school. Most parents and carers are highly supportive of the school and praise the impact of the school’s work on their children.

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

Pupils enjoy school and attend well. They benefit from a wide-ranging, broad curriculum. They take part in a rich variety of clubs, activities and visits outside of school. These help 14 and 15 May 2024

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to deepen pupils’ educational experiences and support their personal development. The school carefully chooses specific activities to promote social skills that involve teamwork. In bushcraft club, for example, pupils learn to work together in a natural environment.

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Pupils have a strong sense of empathy and understanding about how to support others within their school, the wider community and across the world. Pupils learn about local charities and their work to provide help for vulnerable people across the community.

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The curriculum itself has clarity and purpose. Each subject includes a clear progression of knowledge that builds pupils’ learning steadily. Pupils have opportunities to revisit and consolidate their learning. As a result, pupils retain knowledge and learn the curriculum successfully. Pupils who fall behind are quickly identified and additional support helps them to catch up. There are embedded systems to check the quality of the school’s work. Occasionally, however, opportunities to ensure that support for pupils is of the highest quality are missed. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well.

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Children in Reception get off to a flying start. Learning is fun and interesting. Across the school, pupils work hard. Staff help pupils to develop habits that support them to become resilient, confident young learners. Behaviour is good. Staff respond quickly and effectively to any occasional behaviour issues.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in lessons and all other activities. Clearly formulated individual plans identify pupils’ next steps in their learning. Most achieve well.

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Reading is at the heart of learning at Tutshill. Staff read stories and non-fiction texts to pupils with interest and enthusiasm. As a result, pupils develop a strong reading habit and talk with joy about books they like to read.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the teaching and learning systems and strategies in place to secure strong outcomes for pupils are not monitored closely enough. When this happens, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that teaching and learning systems and strategies are rigorously monitored so that they support all pupils to achieve well.

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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 14 and 15 May 2024

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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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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2014.

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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 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). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chairs of governing body Marion Evans and Robin Riordan

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 In June 2022, Tutshill Church of England primary joined a local primary school to form a federation called the Forest Edge Federation. The governing body oversees both schools.  The headteacher is an executive headteacher, working across the two schools.  Tutshill is a Church of England school. The last section 48 inspection took place in March 2023, when it was judged to be excellent.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 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 her evaluation of the school. 14 and 15 May 2024

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 The inspector had several meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders in the school. The inspector also met with members of the governing body and had a telephone discussion with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample if lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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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 The inspector considered the views provided by staff and comments made in the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Tonwen Empson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 May 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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