Tardebigge CofE First School

Tardebigge CofE First School

Address: Church Lane, Tardebigge, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 3AH Unique reference number (URN): 116917

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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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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils are very positive about coming to school. Pupils enjoy their learning and love coming to see their friends. Attendance overall is above or in line with the national averages, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and those with other vulnerabilities, and it is improving. Leaders have successfully tackled persistent absence, which is now very low. Leaders check the attendance of individual pupils carefully and if the overall picture of attendance is rising or falling. Leaders then take appropriate actions to encourage pupils into school and also support parents and families, including support from other agencies, where needed.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils behave marvellously at Tardebigge. They are calm, orderly and polite. Pupils listen carefully to their teachers and one another. Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning and understand fully the high expectations that leaders have set. Staff skilfully follow leaders' clear structure for the support of pupils' behaviour. Staff make careful adaptations to support pupils' emotions, which help the school to meet the needs of pupils, including vulnerable pupils. Leaders' monitoring of behaviour incidents shows very few incidents happen and follow up is swift and very effective.

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Early years Expected standard

Children generally make a positive start to their education in the early years. Children benefit from a thought-through curriculum and purposeful activities. Pupils find these activities interesting and focus very well on their learning. Most children progress well through the early years curriculum and are well prepared for Year 1.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff sensitively support children’s social and emotional development, as well as their academic development. Staff benefit from professional learning opportunities that ensure they have a secure understanding of how young children learn. Staff use high-quality interactions to extend children's knowledge and use of important words and their communication skills. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those with other vulnerabilities generally receive the support they need so they can learn happily alongside their classmates.

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Early years Expected standard

The school ensures that phonics is a clear priority in the early years. Leaders make sure that staff teach reading well from the start. Teachers design plenty of opportunities for children to practise their newly learned sounds and words. As a result, children become skilled, confident readers.

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Early years Expected standard

Passionate leaders build effective partnerships with parents and carers so that together they can help children to settle in quickly at school. Staff support children to be inquisitive learners through well-established routines and support.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have put in place a coherent and well-considered programme of personal development for pupils. This is reflected in the school's values, the curriculum and the many wider opportunities available to pupils. The school’s personal development offer provides pupils with the education and opportunities they need to be well prepared for life. Leaders demonstrate a commitment to ensuring that disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils benefit from the wider opportunities available. For instance, leaders check which pupils take part in extra-curricular activities.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders place pupils’ wellbeing at the heart of the school's personal development programme. Pupils learn how to express their emotions. They develop a sense of self-worth and behave well as a result. Pupils learn about and show respect for different cultures and beliefs. Through lessons, pupils develop a solid understanding of tolerance, respect and fundamental British values.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from a wide range of activities and events. They gain many new skills from a variety of sporting clubs that develop their sporting interests and promote physical health. Pupils also enjoy taking part in a range of other clubs, such as gardening club. The school ensures that invitations to be involved in clubs are open to all.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils have a firm foundation for when they leave this first school to understand how different people live in modern Britain. They have an age-appropriate awareness of healthy relationships and know what appropriate behaviour looks like. The relationships and sex education and health education programme ensures that pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. Pupils understand what makes a good friend. Pupils understand online safety and the risks linked to social media. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and know how to stay safe while using the internet.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Parents and carers value the breadth of experiences offered by the school. These shared experiences help pupils to take an active part in their school and local community.

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Achievement Needs attention

Most pupils secure the basics of reading and mathematics well at Tardebigge. Some pupils have gaps in their skills and knowledge in handwriting and spelling, in particular. While leaders are ambitious for pupils to achieve well, some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or other vulnerabilities, do not achieve as highly as they could. This is because some pupils with SEND and some of those who are disadvantaged have gaps in their knowledge and skills. These gaps do not close quickly enough, for example in writing.

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Achievement Needs attention

Outcomes in the national phonics screening check in Year 1 are in line with the national averages for the last 3 years. Generally, pupils meet the age-related expectations at Tardebigge by the time they leave in Year 4. Pupils also achieve in line with the national averages in the multiplication tables check.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils’ books and lessons show that pupils generally understand what they have been taught. They discuss their learning enthusiastically, for example identifying the parts of a plant or discussing how the Bronze Age is different to now.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have established a clear and coherent curriculum across the school. This curriculum is broad, balanced and generally well sequenced, identifying the key knowledge pupils should learn over time. This provides a strong foundation for teaching. Across the school, there is evidence of effective practice. Where this is the case, teachers explain concepts clearly and support pupils to build their understanding. For example, the teaching of early reading is secure, with a consistent approach that helps pupils to develop fluency and confidence. However, the curriculum is not being delivered consistently well in all classrooms. Variability in teachers' expertise means that the delivery of the curriculum is variable. In some lessons, explanations lack precision and key concepts are not always broken down or reinforced effectively. This is particularly evident in the teaching of foundational aspects of writing, where inconsistencies remain in how spelling, transcription

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Assessment for learning approaches are developing but are not yet consistently embedded. While some teachers check learning and adapt their teaching effectively, this practice is not routine across the school. As a result, teaching does not always build securely on what pupils already know. Adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and those who are vulnerable are variable. These pupils do not always receive the precise support they need to fully access the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have prioritised professional learning for staff. They have worked effectively with external experts to strengthen teaching. Staff value this support and are positive about the training they receive. This work is helping to develop teachers’ subject knowledge and classroom practice over time.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Sometimes, teachers’ adaptations to their support for pupils do not closely match the needs of pupils, such as those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. As a result, some of these pupils do not overcome barriers to their learning as well as they need and they do not progress through the curriculum as well as they could. In particular, some of these pupils’ essential knowledge in spelling and handwriting is not well supported.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders have set out suitable plans and targets for each pupil with SEND, but sometimes this information is not updated in a timely fashion. Leaders have recently improved the way that they check and review pupils' progress, but the school does not review these pupils' specific targets with sufficient rigour. Gaps in pupils' learning remain and do not close quickly enough. In spite of this, the quality of the school's work to meet the needs of pupils who face challenges in their lives is improving. Staff benefit from helpful professional learning on how to support pupils. For example, staff provide effective support for pupils with social, emotional or mental health needs across the school. Pupils are well supported to understand and control their own emotions.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders work with external agencies to help teachers to identify and support the needs of pupils with SEND. The school engages well with families to support pupils’ wellbeing and mental health. Generally, the school uses its extra funding effectively to support the learning and wider development of disadvantaged pupils.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders aim for this to be a loving school where pupils will flourish. However, leaders' decisions and actions have not led to swift enough improvements over time in some areas of the school's work such as inclusion and teaching. Leaders' impact on pupils is sufficient, particularly in improving the adaptions made for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and pupils with disadvantage. But the use of additional funding needs sharper oversight. In addition to this, leaders’ monitoring and evaluation of the school is not precise enough in some key areas. This means, for example, that leaders do not assess how pupils with SEND are progressing accurately enough. Nevertheless, well intentioned leaders and governors are acting in the best interests of the pupils. Parents and carers speak highly positively about the school and parents who responded to the Ofsted online survey would unanimously recommend the school to another parent.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governors broadly understand the school and help to set a clear vision and priority areas. Governors’ oversight of the school and assurance has improved. They prioritise the wellbeing and workload of staff and take steps to ensure staff are cared for.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders provide a range of suitable access to training and support. Staff report they engage with support and improve as a result. All staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders have actively engaged with external agencies and local leadership networks to gain skills and knowledge.

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

Pupils say that they feel safe and are very happy. There is a tangible family feel. The local community feels involved and welcomed at school activities and events. Pupils' understanding of the values of justice and fairness shine through, and they see taking care of each other as a high priority. The positive ethos of the school impacts on all aspects of school life. Pupils behave very well. Attendance is high and pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged, enjoy coming to school.

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

Pupils know that bullying is rare here. They are confident that if it did happen, then leaders and staff would act quickly. Pupils trust the adults around them, and are confident to speak up about their ideas, opinions and worries. Pupils benefit from the range of clubs and visits on offer. For instance, they take part in sporting activities and gardening club. They understand the role they play to look after the plants and animals around them, and they care about nature.

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

Pupils enjoy their lessons and most pupils engage well in learning activities. Most pupils reach age-appropriate standards by the time they leave the school. However, some teaching does not check pupils' understanding effectively enough to spot their errors or misunderstanding. Some pupils’ essential writing skills such as spelling and handwriting need improvement. As a result, some pupils do not gain all the basic knowledge and skills that they need.

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

Some pupils that need additional help to learn well, such as some of those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, do not receive effective support. This is because, sometimes, the adaptations that teachers make to lessons and learning are not accurate. Leaders are broadly aware of what needs to be done to improve the school, but some of their actions lack precision to bring about improvements in key areas quickly enough.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment and questioning consistently and effectively to address pupils’ errors. Leaders should further develop how effectively adaptations during lessons are used by staff to meet the needs of all learners effectively and consistently. Leaders should build on their current work to ensure that foundational skills in spelling and handwriting improve for all learners. Leaders should more closely monitor and then analyse the performance of different groups of pupils, so they can ensure the school continues to improve.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Ali Quinn.

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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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About this inspection

Following our updated 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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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with school leaders during the inspection. They held meetings with the headteacher, school leaders, teachers and pupils.

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About this inspection

Inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 28 April 2026

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What does this mean?

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?

National average: 300 Headteacher: Joe Hartshorn

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 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 needs support 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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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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Persistent absence

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

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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

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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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