Tipton Green Junior School

Tipton Green Junior School

Address: Manor Road, Tipton, West Midlands, DY4 8PR Unique reference number (URN): 149508

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils benefit from a comprehensive personal development programme that helps them become confident and well-rounded individuals. They speak thoughtfully about tolerance, prejudice and fairness. Pupils understand British values in ways that feel real for them. They refer to school elections for roles such as school councillor or house captain when explaining democracy and decision ‑ making. Pupils show respect for different beliefs and traditions. They draw on examples such as Jesse Owens and Malala Yousafzai to explain discrimination and equality.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pastoral support is well matched to pupils’ needs. Pupils experiencing life-changing circumstances value the guidance they receive to manage their emotions and feel safe. Staff teach pupils how to stay safe online, avoid scammers and understand road safety. As they move through the school, pupils learn to recognise how their behaviour affects others. They develop a detailed and age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. Pupils understand the importance of speaking to a trusted adult if they feel worried or anxious.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leadership roles, such as wellbeing ambassadors, give pupils genuine responsibility and help them contribute to school life. Pupils say that through these roles, they help younger pupils while also improving their own confidence. Pupils gain a secure understanding of citizenship through fundraising events, food collections, safety work with local police officers and recycling projects.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Enrichment opportunities are extensive and shaped by pupils’ interests. Clubs such as animation, cooking, dance, drama, rugby and science are well attended. Pupils enjoy learning to play different instruments and singing. Visits to historical sites and museums broaden pupils’ cultural understanding. Leaders monitor the participation of different groups of pupils in enrichment activities closely. They ensure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, have full access.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders, in partnership with the trust, are tackling a legacy of underachievement with success. In 2025, standards in Year 6 mathematics improved but remained below national figures. Current work shows greater security, with pupils building clear progression in calculations, reasoning and deeper ‑ thinking tasks. Year 6 reading and writing outcomes improved and were in line with national figures, including disadvantaged pupils. Pupils achieved well in the Year 4 multiplication check.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils now achieve securely across the curriculum, despite historic gaps in learning. Targeted interventions and extra support are helping pupils, particularly those in upper key stage 2, to close gaps quickly. In the wider curriculum, pupils gain essential knowledge and skills through purposeful activities and experiences. In subjects such as science, for instance, pupils work practically to investigate ideas and draw conclusions. By the end of Year 6, pupils secure the knowledge needed for learning at secondary school.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils attend school regularly. Leaders share their expectations for attendance through regular communication with families, including newsletters and the school website. The pastoral team checks patterns of attendance closely and uses detailed analysis to spot concerns early. Tailored support, such as breakfast provision, collection from home and targeted help from external professionals, helps to remove barriers that might limit regular attendance. The school’s actions have led to a significant reduction in persistent absence for all groups of pupils, especially those facing additional challenges.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils show positive attitudes to learning and behave well in lessons. Clear routines help them settle and remain attentive. Around corridor areas and in the hall, most pupils move sensibly. They often welcome each other and adults with a warm, polite greeting and a smile. Incidents of bullying are rare. Records show, and pupils confirm, that any concerns are dealt with quickly. When some pupils struggle with their behaviour, staff use agreed de ‑ escalation strategies consistently. Staff successfully help pupils describe their emotions and use calming techniques to make better choices. Designated zones in each classroom give pupils time to reset independently before returning to learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have established a suitably broad and ambitious curriculum that helps pupils build the right knowledge and skills securely over time. Carefully sequenced content gives pupils the chance to practise key ideas. Across the curriculum, vocabulary is taught particularly well. Consequently, pupils explain their ideas confidently when speaking and writing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders check the curriculum and teaching thoroughly. They hold an accurate view of strengths and of where improvements are needed. Leaders make sure staff prioritise securing the basics in reading, writing and mathematics. Additional adults support pupils who need extra help with reading so they catch up quickly. Extra arithmetic sessions build pupils’ number fluency. Pupils enjoy writing and are proud of their work. Educational visits and high-quality texts help pupils craft engaging and generally accurate sentences. Pupils say that these experiences and texts leave images in their minds and this helps them to write.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Knowledgeable staff explain new ideas clearly. They use their understanding of pupils to adapt work and provide effective support. Sometimes the activities for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are too difficult, and at times this slows their learning. Pupils who are ready to move on in their learning explore concepts in greater depth through typically well-planned opportunities, such as further research and investigation.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have created a culture where every pupil matters, and staff share a clear understanding of pupils’ learning and developmental needs. They plan the transition from the infant school with care. This allows staff to put appropriate support in place from the start. As pupils move through the school, leaders gather feedback from staff and parents to check pupils’ learning and wellbeing. They use this information to identify any further needs quickly and provide the right extra help. Leaders review this help regularly and refine it so pupils make secure progress from their different starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Ongoing professional learning gives staff the knowledge they need to make suitable adaptations to the curriculum and increasingly tailor support for pupils with specific needs. Pupils with the most complex needs benefit from programmes in reading, writing and mathematics that help to close identified gaps swiftly. Leaders work closely with a range of professionals to shape additional support. This helps pupils take part in daily school life.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Additional funding is used efficiently. Extra help from adults and nurture provision help pupils engage well in lessons, access a range of enrichment activities and achieve secure learning outcomes over time.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school and trust have established greater stability following recent changes in staffing and leadership. The Tipton Green Junior team has high expectations of pupils. Staff work together well to ensure pupils have a positive school experience. Leaders, governors and the trust understand clearly where the school had previously fallen short and what is now working well. Many parents speak with growing confidence about the school, often praising the care their children receive and the improvements they have seen.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders act in pupils’ best interests and set a clear direction that staff understand well. They check the curriculum and quality of teaching regularly, using what they find to improve learning for pupils. This sharp focus on learning has strengthened teaching across the school and helped pupils make greater gains in reading, writing and now mathematics. Leaders’ work on attendance has also had a positive impact, with more pupils attending regularly and fewer missing significant time from school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors and trustees meet their responsibilities with care and rigour. They visit the school regularly, talk to leaders and check information on safeguarding, attendance and pupils’ learning for themselves. They ask questions that keep leaders focused on what matters most for pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff benefit from well ‑ planned training, including opportunities to work with colleagues in other trust schools. They appreciate the strategies in place to support their workload and wellbeing. Staff speak positively about the supportive culture that leaders have built.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy coming to school because they feel welcomed and included. This sense of belonging helps pupils feel safe, secure and ready to learn each day. The school's values of ‘being ready, respectful and safe’ shape pupils’ conduct and support the positive relationships seen across the school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Improvements to the curriculum and teaching mean pupils typically achieve well from one year to the next and are ready to move to secondary school. Teaching helps pupils build knowledge in sensible steps. Pupils speak with enthusiasm about their lessons and the activities that make learning fun. Writing linked to the Grinch story, for example, captured pupils’ interest and encouraged thoughtful pieces about how small acts of kindness could help the Grinch’s heart grow. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive help that makes a difference. Staff are becoming better at tailoring tasks so that pupils with additional needs can participate fully in lessons. Leaders make sure that targeted support closes gaps in pupils’ knowledge swiftly.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils behave sensibly in lessons. Conduct around school is generally orderly. In the playground, pupils enjoy spending time in the reading and writing nooks. Each week, pupils look forward to earning a ticket for the school’s secret garden, where they spend time exploring nature. Bullying is rare, and pupils trust staff to deal with concerns quickly. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online, how to manage friendships and when to speak to a trusted adult. Attendance has improved because leaders’ work has helped more pupils attend regularly.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils build a clear sense of belonging and responsibility within the school and community. They contribute positively through roles such as reading ambassadors and sports leaders. Pupils’ interests are broadened through activities such as wool craft and cricket, while visits enrich pupils’ learning.

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Next steps

Leaders, in collaboration with the trust, should continue to strengthen consistency in the curriculum and teaching so that improvements in pupils’ achievement are sustained over time and secure higher standards. Leaders should further support staff to adapt learning activities that are even more closely matched to the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Elston Hall Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Gavin Hawkins, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gillian Bladon.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Team inspectors:

Gill Turner, Ofsted Inspector Claire McKeown, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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What does this mean?

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other leaders. They met with the CEO and other representatives from the trust. They also met with representatives from the advisory school committee and the board of trustees. Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, held discussions with pupils and reviewed samples of their work.

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What does this mean?

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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What does this mean?

The school joined Elston Hall Learning Trust in 2023. The current headteacher started working at the school in March 2024. The current deputy headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator both joined the school in September 2024. The CEO took up his role in 2025. Since the previous inspection in December 2021, there has been a change in staffing, with most teachers having joined the school since that time.

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What does this mean?

The school does not use alternative provision.

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What does this mean?

Headteacher: Sunita Richards The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 57% 62% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 73% 75% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 78% 72% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 51% 47% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 69% 63% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 60% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 69% 59% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 56% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 57% 61% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (2 term) 5.9% 5.2% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (2 term) 14.2% 13.3% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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