Tetsworth Primary School

Inspection of Tetsworth Primary School 15 High Street, Tetsworth, Thame, Oxfordshire OX9 7AB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 11 and 12 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value being part of this close and inclusive school community. They appreciate everyone knowing each other well and the warm relationships they have with staff. Pupils feel well supported, especially if they have any worries. They describe the school as being ‘like a family’ where they enjoy lots of shared experiences. These include a range of different themed events and trips. This ethos of togetherness supports pupils in attending well and building self-confidence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The Tetsworth Way values are at the heart of the school community. Pupils learn why these matter. They reflect these in their calm and orderly behaviour across the school. Pupil are encouraged to make individual contributions whenever they can. They frequently help others and willingly volunteer to support whole-school activities such as fundraising or gardening. Diamond Of The Week awards recognise these efforts. Pupils are rightly proud when they receive these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Since the last inspection, the school has made significant changes to the curriculum. These are helping to improve pupils’ achievement across subjects. However, they are not fully embedded. Approaches to teaching and assessment are not developed enough so that all pupils can achieve well across the curriculum.

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better?

The school is rapidly developing the curriculum, which is ambitious for all pupils. Across subjects, curriculum thinking identifies the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. However, in a few subjects, the way some of this knowledge is arranged does not support pupils to build a secure understanding over time. As a result, they can have gaps in their understanding. In most subjects, the important knowledge that pupils learn is not deliberately revisited beyond when they first learn it. Consequently, they struggle to remember important aspects of previous learning.

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better?

Teachers’ subject knowledge varies. It is strongest in core subjects, where new ideas are mostly explained accurately. Similarly, in the early years, staff use their knowledge to develop the language and behaviours of children effectively. As a result, they are well prepared for key stage 1. However, across foundation subjects, teachers’ subject knowledge is insecure. As a result, their explanations do not always help pupils understand complex ideas. In most subjects, assessment does not identify how well pupils understand the important knowledge they are learning. Therefore, teaching moves pupils on to new learning without addressing areas of knowledge they do not fully understand.

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better?

Reading is a high priority. The teaching of early reading has swiftly improved, and it supports children in developing their knowledge of letter sounds and words well. Their progress is closely tracked with prompt, targeted support so pupils who are struggling catch up quickly. Recent changes to the reading curriculum ensure that pupils learn from a diverse range of texts. Reading for pleasure is promoted widely. Pupils enthusiastically share the highlights of books they are currently reading. 11 and 12 June 2024

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in Pupil Profiles. Teaching assistants use these to provide effective support for pupils with more complex SEND. However, most teaching is not being adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND precisely enough. Consequently, these pupils do not always complete learning activities. It is different in the early years, where the needs of all children with SEND are met well.

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Pupils behave well across the school. In the early years, children develop routines which support them to learn with increasing independence. Across lessons, pupils mostly work with focus and willingly participate in activities. Around the school, they show consideration and kindness towards others. At playtime, pupils across year groups happily play together, sharing the equipment. Pupils benefit from strong pastoral support, which helps them learn how to manage their feelings. This approach supports pupils with more complex behaviour needs to learn effectively.

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There is a considered approach to pupils’ wider development. The school prioritises learning about well-being. Pupils talk about ways they can stay safe, including online. They learn ways to look after their mental health and support others. The school promotes the importance of equality and respect. The exploration of diversity supports pupils to embrace and value differences. Opportunities for outdoor learning help them learn how to interact responsibly with the environment.

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The school’s focus is rightly on addressing the areas it accurately identifies as needing improvement. However, it does not ensure that changes are fully embedded and sustained. Consequently, this leads to inconsistencies in approaches across the school. Staff understand the need for further changes and appreciate the school’s efforts to keep their workload manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the order in which knowledge is taught, the absence of deliberately revisiting important knowledge and the use of assessment do not support pupils in developing secure understanding. Consequently, they have gaps in their knowledge and cannot always recall important knowledge. The school needs to ensure the curriculum changes are fully embedded and support pupils in knowing and remembering more across all subjects.  Teachers are still developing the subject knowledge they need to teach across the curriculum well. As a result, some explanations and learning activities do not help pupils to learn well. The school needs to develop teachers’ subject knowledge so that across the curriculum teaching helps pupils know more and remember more. 11 and 12 June 2024

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 There are variations in how well teaching is adapted for pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils do not always complete learning activities, which can hinder their achievement. The school needs to ensure teaching adaptations enable all pupils with SEND to learn effectively.

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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). 11 and 12 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Natalie Henderson and Rachel Caseby (co-chairs) Headteacher Paul Hankey (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a partner school in John Hampden and Tetsworth Schools Federation. The schools share the same governing body.  The school currently uses one unregistered alternative provision.

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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.  The inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders and teachers. The lead inspector also met with representatives from the governing body and spoke to the local authority school improvement adviser. 11 and 12 June 2024

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and religious education. 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.  The lead inspector also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in geography.  The inspectors observed break and lunchtime activities.  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 inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school. They looked at the school improvement

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plan.  The inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. Inspectors also spoke to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Phillip Blagg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mineza Maher Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 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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