Clore Tikva School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Clore Tikva School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Clore Tikva enjoy coming to school.

They feel safe and well supported. They appreciate the inclusive and welcoming ethos, where interactions between pupils and staff are warm and respectful. Pupils speak about how they feel part of a strong school community, regardless of their background or faith.

They know that if they have any concerns, staff will listen and help them.

The school has high expectations for all pupils' achievement. Pupils are enthusiastic learners, and they achieve well across the curricul...um, particularly in reading and writing.

The school has developed a broad and engaging curriculum, enriched by practical experiences, such as scientific investigations and creative opportunities in art and music. Children in Nursery and Reception classes develop strong foundations in English and mathematics through a well-planned, purposeful curriculum that nurtures curiosity, independence and a love of learning.

Behaviour in the school is calm and orderly.

Pupils understand the school's expectations and generally meet them well. Where pupils need additional support to manage their behaviour, staff intervene and provide pupils with ways to manage their feelings. Pupils say that everyone gets on well and that staff act quickly and effectively to resolve any issues, should they arise.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Clore Tikva provides a broad, well-structured curriculum. This aims to ensure that pupils develop secure knowledge and skills across subjects. The approach to reading is a clear strength of the school.

Pupils receive effective support in phonics and early reading. Staff have received specialist training, which has strengthened their confidence and expertise in delivering the phonics programme. Pupils who need extra support receive targeted teaching to help them keep up.

As a result, pupils develop confidence and fluency in reading, enabling them to access the wider curriculum successfully. The school is committed to fostering a love of reading. Staff read to pupils with enthusiasm, and pupils speak confidently about the books they enjoy.

The school also helps pupils to become enthusiastic writers. For example, it supports them to participate in national and local writing competitions.

Children in the early years get off to a strong start in their learning.

They engage well with activities, working and playing together cooperatively. Staff are attentive to children's individual needs and provide clear guidance to help children learn and practise new knowledge, particularly in early writing and number.

The school is committed to ongoing refinement of its curriculum.

It identifies and acts on aspects that could be stronger. Nevertheless, in a small number of subjects, there are some inconsistencies in how effectively teaching builds on pupils' prior knowledge. As a result, some pupils do not develop knowledge as securely as they could.

To address this, the school is providing targeted training for staff and strengthening approaches to checking what pupils know and remember.

Staff quickly identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and support them well to access the curriculum. The school is proactive in ensuring that these pupils receive the adaptations that they need to access learning successfully.

Teachers make appropriate adjustments to teaching, enabling all pupils to follow the full curriculum.

Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to learning. Staff have high expectations, and pupils understand and follow the school's routines.

The school's nurture provision ensures that pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs are well supported and helped to return to learning alongside their classmates successfully.

The school is proactive in reducing pupils' absence. The school tracks attendance carefully, intervening where needed, including for example, through home visits and discussions with families.

The school has also initiated a strategy to respond to term-time holidays, which continue to pose a challenge to its work on attendance.

The school provides a rich and engaging personal development programme. Pupils benefit from initiatives such as peer mentoring, 'brain buddies' and leadership roles, which help to develop their confidence and resilience.

Computing has a high profile within the school and pupils value the opportunities they have to develop their coding and problem-solving skills. Pupils also learn about different faiths and cultures, and the school ensures that the curriculum promotes mutual respect and understanding.

The school supports its staff well.

It is considerate of teacher workload. For example, the school introduced a new marking policy, which gives teachers more time to focus on classroom activities. Governors provide strong oversight and challenge, ensuring that decisions are made in the best interests of pupils.

The school engages positively with parents and carers and the wider community, strengthening its role as a nurturing and inclusive learning environment.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, there are some variations in how effectively the curriculum is delivered.

Although the school identifies and acts on curriculum areas that need further development, there are instances where the school's checks on pupils' learning are not fully effective. Consequently, gaps in pupils' knowledge or misconceptions still occur. The school should continue to embed and refine curriculum implementation, ensuring that teaching consistently reflects its agreed expectations, and leads to pupils achieving as well as they can.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2020.