Tarleton Mere Brow Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Tarleton Mere Brow Church of England Primary School The Gravel, Mere Brow, Preston, Lancashire PR4 6JX

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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 Good 25 and 26 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this small and nurturing school. The school’s motto, ‘Let Your Light Shine’, is brought to life daily. Staff care for pupils and support them to achieve their personal best. Pupils feel valued and accepted.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ learning and achievement, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils try their best. They typically achieve well. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well during lessons and at playtimes. They understand the school’s rules, and they know that these rules are there to help them to stay safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils excel in their various roles. These responsibilities include being head pupils and librarians. Older pupils are proud to be special ‘hedgehog helpers’ for children in the early years. Pupils are eager to make a positive difference to their wider community, for example by raising money for charities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the range of experiences on offer beyond the academic curriculum. The school has identified ‘80 opportunities’ for pupils to have before they leave school in Year 6. This includes visiting the seaside to build a sandcastle, learning to play a musical instrument and singing around a campfire.

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better?

The school has worked effectively to secure improvements to the quality of the curriculum since the last inspection. It is considerate of staff’s workload and well- being, including while making improvements. For example, the school considers how best to implement new initiatives without unduly increasing staff’s workload. Staff told inspectors that they feel valued and supported.

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better?

Improvements to the curriculum have ensured that staff in key stages 1 and 2 have greater clarity about the important learning that they need to focus on with their classes. This is also the case in the early years, where the curriculum, in many areas of learning, outlines the essential knowledge that children should learn in readiness for key stage 1.

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better?

In a small number of subjects, including some areas of learning in the early years, the knowledge that pupils should acquire is not clear. This means that staff do not routinely place the right emphasis on the knowledge that pupils need for future learning. Occasionally, this prevents pupils from making connections with what they have learned before, which hampers their achievement in these areas of the curriculum.

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better?

The school fosters a love of reading. Pupils benefit from reading a wide range of interesting books. Staff receive training that enables them to deliver the phonics 25 and 26 June 2024

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programme effectively. As a result, most children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 gain a secure knowledge of phonics. However, a small number of pupils in key stage 2, who have not benefited from the new approach to teaching early reading, have some gaps in their reading knowledge.

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There are effective processes to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. These pupils are well supported to follow the curriculum alongside their peers. Teachers make appropriate adaptions to their curriculum delivery to ensure that pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. The school’s values, such as love and respect, underpin the positive relationships that pupils have with staff and with each other. Pupils try their best to uphold these values and to follow the school’s rules. They relish the praise that they receive for behaving well.

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The school places great importance on pupils’ levels of attendance. Pupils know that they need to be in school in order to learn. The school provides effective support to families for a small number of pupils who do not attend school as regularly as they should. This is helping to reduce pupils’ absence levels.

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The school supports pupils’ personal development well. Pupils learn about road safety and the differences that exist between people, including religion and the make-up of different families. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe while online and how to keep themselves physically and mentally well. This gives pupils the age- appropriate knowledge that they need to stay healthy and safe. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Governors use their expertise to provide the school with effective support and challenge. They display a strong sense of purpose and commitment to bring about the best possible outcomes for pupils, staff and parents and carers.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, including some areas of learning in the early years, the school has not fully determined the knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should happen. Occasionally, this prevents some pupils from developing a deep and rich body of subject knowledge. The school should refine its curriculum thinking in these subjects so that staff are clear about what pupils should know and remember.  A small number of pupils in key stage 2 are not supported to catch up in reading as well as they could be. This hinders how well some of these pupils develop 25 and 26 June 2024

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reading fluency. The school should support pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge to catch up with their peers as quickly as possible.

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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). 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This Church of England school is within the Diocese of Blackburn. The most recent section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in June 2017. The next section 48 inspection is due before June 2025.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and with other school leaders. 25 and 26 June 2024

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 The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair of governors, and spoke with representatives of the local authority and of the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. They spoke with pupils about their learning in some of these subjects and looked at samples of their work.  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

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culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at lunchtime.  Inspectors spoke with pupils during meetings and around school at lunchtime.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. Inspectors also spoke with some parents during the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Victoria Burnside, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Pamela Potter Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 June 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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