The Tynings School

Inspection Report - Amended The Tynings School

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109034 Unique Reference Number South Gloucestershire Local Authority 288261 Inspection number 12 °13 September 2006 Inspection dates Helen Barter Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Eastleigh Close School address Primary Type of school Staple Hill Community School category Bristol BS16 4SG 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01454 866525 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01454 866525 Fax number 200 Number on roll (school) Kevin Vicker Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Donald Sibley Headteacher 27 January 2003 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 288261 12 °13 September 2006 4°11

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Amended Report Addendum

Report updated to resolve formatting inconsistency

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Amended Report Addendum

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Amended Report Addendum

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

In this average-sized primary school nearly all pupils are White British and all are fluent in English. The school population is stable with most pupils joining the school in Reception and leaving at the end of Year 6. Children enter Reception with skills and abilities in line with those expected for their age. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is average. The proportion of those entitled to claim free school meals is lower than average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: The Tynings School, 12 °13 September 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school where pupils enjoy a good all-round education. The school's judgement of its own effectiveness as satisfactory is too cautious. There is clear evidence that the school has raised standards by significantly improving its analysis of pupils' performance and achieving greater consistency in its quality of teaching. Teaching and learning are now good in all classes. As a result, all pupils, including those with learning difficulties, achieve well and reach good standards by the time they leave school at the end of Year 6. The provision for children in Reception is good. Caring and well planned induction procedures ensure that children make a good start to school life and progress well. Pupils' personal development is good. The good curriculum stimulates their interest in learning. They enjoy all the extra activities on offer and are particularly keen on sport and outdoor activities which they know help them to be fit and healthy. Pupils

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Grade: 2

say that the spacious play areas 'are great!' Although pupils admit to sometimes 'falling out' at playtime, inspectors agree with their judgement that behaviour in school is good most of the time. The care, guidance and support given to pupils are satisfactory. Pupils' pastoral care is good and helps them to feel safe and to know who to turn to if there is a problem. However, the guidance given to support their academic progress is inconsistent. Pupils are unsure of how their targets help them to improve their work. Marking does not always help them to develop skills to look at their own work more critically and make improvements as a result. The headteacher, staff and governors are a dedicated team who are working effectively together to help move the school forward. The great majority of parents are supportive of the school and most feel that the school takes account of their suggestions and concerns. School self-evaluation is developing well and has led to improved assessment

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Grade: 2

which has helped to raise standards, particularly in mathematics. Subject leaders are developing their skills in checking the quality of teaching and learning but this is not yet consistent across all subjects. Consequently, they do not yet have a clear enough view of how well pupils achieve in subjects other than English and mathematics. The school has improved well since the last inspection and has good capacity to improve even further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of the process of setting targets and marking so that pupils know what is expected of them and are given guidance on how to achieve it. • Strengthen the capacity of subject leaders to check on and improve the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects. 2 Inspection Report: The Tynings School, 12 °13 September 2006

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Grade: 2

All pupils, including those with learning difficulties, achieve well. Children in Reception make good progress and most meet the goals expected of them. They develop good personal and social skills through well structured play and routines. Children make good progress in learning sounds and letters in preparation for reading. They love sharing books such as 'Elmer the Elephant'. Pupils make good progress across the school and reach above average standards in mathematics and science by the time they leave. Greater emphasis on matching work to pupils' abilities, the provision of 'Challenge Clubs' for more able mathematicians and science workshops at the specialist secondary school help pupils to achieve well and exceed the challenging targets set for them. Standards in English are broadly average and fall only slightly short of the appropriate targets set. The school is aware of the need to improve pupils' writing and is already planning more opportunities for

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Grade: 2

practising writing skills in most subjects. Greater emphasis on role-play and drama is helping pupils to develop their use of language and particularly their speaking and listening skills in preparation for writing.

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Grade: 2

Pupils like school and say it is 'really good.' They enjoy lessons and have sensible attitudes to work. Most pupils are friendly and get on well with each other and adults. They feel safe in school because they say 'bullying hardly ever happens and if it does, staff sort it out'. Year 3 pupils really like having a Year 6 buddy to help them and older pupils think it would be a good idea if all year groups had buddies. Attendance is satisfactory although the school reports an increase in the number of term-time holidays. Pupils contribute well to the school and the wider community. They readily take on responsibility, and the school council has helped with improving playground resources and toilet facilities. Pupils represent the school regularly in the choir and in sporting competitions, which they greatly enjoy. Pupils have a good understanding of how to live healthy lives, and they know that they benefit from good opportunities for exercise.

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Grade: 2

Pupil's spiritual, moral and social development is good, although their awareness of other cultures and faiths is less well developed. Pupils are developing into well-rounded young people and are well prepared for life ahead. 3 Inspection Report: The Tynings School, 12 °13 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Good quality teaching helps all pupils to make good progress. Pupils confidently tackle work because activities are explained clearly to them. Well planned lessons capture pupils' interest in learning. For example, Year 2 pupils delighted in retelling the story of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' and Year 6 pupils created an amusing drama of the same story. Pupils are confident to 'have a go' and ask for help because of positive and confident relationships with adults. Pupils with learning difficulties make good progress towards their targets because they receive effective help and support from teachers and teaching assistants. Assessment procedures are good for children in Reception and for all pupils in English and mathematics. They enable teachers to match work accurately to pupils' needs so that they achieve well. In other subjects, assessment procedures are less rigorous or systematic. This means it is more difficult for teachers to judge pupils' standards and

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Grade: 2

to ensure that they are always given work that matches their ability. The school recognises this weakness and is beginning to review its practice and plan for improvements.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and stimulates pupils' interest in learning a wide range of subjects, including French. Reception age children benefit from a good range of learning activities, including purposeful play. The school is developing its curriculum so that more links are made between subjects to help pupils understand how what they are learning fits together. It fully recognises that more opportunities need to be given for pupils to practise their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well to support learning in other subjects and by teachers to make lessons come to life. There is good emphasis on promoting pupils' personal development, health and safety in all lessons and activities. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the good range of educational outings, such as to the Roman Baths, and the extra-curricular activities on offer after school.

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Grade: 3

Adults provide pupils with good pastoral care and ensure that the school is a safe and secure environment. Pupils are taught about the importance of healthy living and are regularly reminded about the need to take care, for instance when taking part in sport. A small number of parents raised concerns in the questionnaires about anti-social behaviour, but none was observed during the inspection. Further discussions with pupils revealed that they did not consider it to be a significant problem in the school because adults deal with it effectively. 4 Inspection Report: The Tynings School, 12 °13 September 2006 The academic guidance provided for pupils is less secure. Marking, although done regularly, often does not give pupils enough guidance on the next steps to improve their work. Pupils have some targets for improving their work although, in discussion with them, they were unsure about what they are or how they help them to make their

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. All staff are committed to helping pupils achieve as well as they can. Their willingness to accept additional advisory support to improve standards in mathematics and strengthen the role played by leaders and managers in checking the school's effectiveness demonstrates that there is no complacency and staff want the best for pupils. Staff work together with a sense of purpose to achieve this aim and to develop the school even further. The school's self-evaluation processes are cautiously reliable and clearly indicate that the school knows what is effective and what can be improved further. Focused attention on checking, evaluating and reviewing pupils' progress in English and mathematics has successfully raised standards. Leaders of other subjects have undertaken training for their roles, although the school recognises that they do not yet have a secure enough picture of how well pupils are

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Grade: 2

doing in every subject of the curriculum. Parents have good opportunities to contribute to the school's self-evaluation processes through the Family Forum and surveys, and as members of the governing body and the School Change Team. Governors make a strong contribution to the school's success because they have a good understanding of its strengths and are sufficiently well informed to hold it to account for areas which need improvement. 5 Inspection Report: The Tynings School, 12 °13 September 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: The Tynings School, 12 °13 September 2006

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: The Tynings School, 12 °13 September 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: The Tynings School, 12 °13 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making the inspectors feel welcome when we came to visit your school. We enjoyed talking to you in lessons, at playtime and at lunchtime and finding out from you what you think about your school. You told us yours is a good school and we agree with you. All of you are doing well. Your teachers care for you and they really want to help you to succeed. They make sure that you are taught well and learn lots of interesting things. We were impressed with the way that you work hard in lessons, want to do well but also like to have fun. Your Year 6 drama presentation of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' was really good and made everyone laugh, including me! You are well behaved in lessons and around the school. Many of you told us how you can always go to adults for help and that things will be sorted out, especially on the few occasions that you fall out when you are playing together. I am glad that you appreciate how lucky you are

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to have such lovely playing areas and fields. Your teachers and governors are working hard to improve the school even more so that your learning becomes even better than it is now. To help them we have asked them to especially work on these two things: • Give you targets to work towards which mean that you have to think really hard, and then give you lots of help and advice about what you need to do to improve your work. • Check how well you are doing in all subjects, not just English and mathematics, so that teachers can plan work for you that makes sure you are doing well in everything. I know that you will help your teachers by working hard and doing your very best. 9 Inspection Report: The Tynings School, 12 °13 September 2006

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