Talbot Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

Pupils develop positive attitudes to learning and enjoy school. They are proud to be 'Talbot children'. They feel safe and are keen to learn.

All groups of pupils achieve well because : teaching is good and support is effective. Pupils are currently working at levels similar to most pupils in other schools. Some reach much higher levels in writing and mathematics.

English and mathematics are given priority. There is effective teaching across the full range of subjects. Pupils regularly swim in the school pool and enjoy a wide range of art and music.

Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. P...honics teaching (the sounds which letters make) is particularly strong and children show good levels of skill in reading and writing. Almost all pupils behave well.

They get on well together, are polite and quick to do as they are asked. Leaders, including governors, have successfully driven improvements in achievement and maintained a good quality of teaching since the previous inspection. The vast majority of parents and carers are happy with the school and the way their children are developing.

Opportunities for them to be involved in their children's learning are effective. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Marking is occasionally slightly inaccurate, which slows pupils' learning. Pupils are not given enough time to respond to teachers' comments or to learn from their own mistakes.

Pupils' progress slows when activities are sometimes a bit too difficult for some or too easy for others. Pupils eligible for additional funding do not achieve quite as well as other pupils, especially in Years 4 and 6. Leaders have yet to fully formulate and implement plans to address this issue.

Information about this school

This primary school is bigger than most. It has two classes per year group from Reception to Year 6. The number of parents and carers choosing to send their children here is now rising rapidly and a third Reception class is due to open in September 2014.

At over 40%, the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is much higher than the national average. This is additional funding for specific groups of pupils, in this case those who are looked after or who are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils who start at, or leave, the school in years other than the Early Years Foundation Stage or Year 6 is higher than in most other schools.

Most of those coming in mid-year have additional emotional, social or learning needs. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs at the level of school action is higher than in most other schools. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also higher than the national average.

This was particularly true for proportions in Year 6 in 2013. Until July 2013, when schools in the local authority were reorganised, the school also had pupils in Year 7. The school was placed into the category of special measures in 2010.

Achievement, teaching, as well as leadership and management, were all evaluated as inadequate. A monitoring visit in 2011 evaluated that progress since the report was inadequate. In a full inspection, in 2012, the quality of teaching, leadership and management were considered good, but achievement and behaviour required improvement.

The current headteacher started at the school in September 2011. Prior to that there had been many and frequent changes in headship for several years. The school did not meet the government's current floor standards in 2013, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' progress and attainment.