Tansley Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Tansley Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of this friendly and welcoming school. They say they have lots of friends.

Pupils know that adults in the school care about them and look after them. This helps pupils to feel safe and valued.

Teachers work hard to engage and challenge their pupils.

In this small school community, they focus very much on the individual child. Leaders have high expectations for pupils' achievement. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils behave very well in class. At breaktimes, th...ey play happily together. Pupils understand the importance of treating everyone with respect, regardless of any differences.

Pupils believe that staff treat them fairly. They say that bullying hardly ever happens. They are confident that teachers would soon sort out any problem if it were to occur.

Pupils appreciate the opportunities that they have to take on additional roles. These include being school councillors, lunchtime helpers and buddy readers. Pupils value being able to suggest ideas to help the school improve.

Pupils enjoy the various clubs they have access to, as well as their outdoor learning during 'Welly Wednesdays'. They appreciate the trips organised by their teachers.

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

In some subjects, including mathematics and science, leaders have organised the curriculum so that pupils' learning builds on what they already know.

Leaders have successfully designed and adapted the curriculum to ensure that it suits the school's mixed-age classes.

Teachers are clear about what they want pupils, including children in the Reception Year, to know and remember. This means that pupils retain more knowledge in these subjects.

In some other subjects, leaders have not yet sufficiently identified the precise knowledge they want pupils to learn. Teachers are not as clear about what they want pupils to know. That said, teachers have strong subject knowledge and are adept in how they deliver the learning to pupils.

Leaders place a high priority on pupils learning to read and developing a love of reading. Pupils enjoy reading. They participate well in the daily phonics sessions.

Leaders have ensured that the books pupils read help them to understand themes such as diversity and gender stereotyping. Children in the Reception Year start to learn phonics as soon as they begin school. Staff identify those pupils who fall behind and provide support to help them catch up.

Recently, leaders have ensured that pupils read from books that match their phonics knowledge. Leaders have also introduced a new systematic approach to the teaching of phonics. The aim of the new approach is to ensure that more pupils become fluent readers more quickly.

However, some staff have not yet received training to deliver this consistently. Leaders have training planned for all staff over the coming weeks.

Pupils with SEND are supported well by staff.

Leaders are quick to identify pupils' individual needs. Staff are clear about how to provide appropriate support for these pupils. They use a range of effective strategies to helps pupils with SEND to learn well alongside their classmates.

By investing in specialist staff training, leaders have improved the support that they offer to pupils who need help with their emotional well-being. This helps them to become more confident and resilient learners. Pupils value their time in the nurture group.

They spoke with excitement about their forthcoming visit to the farm.

In line with the school values, pupils respect each other by behaving well in lessons. In the Reception Year, staff quickly establish high expectations for children's behaviour, and they soon learn the school's values.

Children settle well into their daily routines. They are respectful of each other.

Pupils have many opportunities to learn about the wider world.

Pupils demonstrate respect when talking about differences and diversity. Leaders celebrate diversity through using texts such as 'The Rainbow Fish'. When discussing their understanding of this, one pupil told an inspector: 'We are all different, but in this school we all swim together.'

Leaders promote the fundamental British values through displays and in assemblies. However, pupils do not have a secure knowledge of these. Leaders are reviewing their plans to ensure pupils develop a deeper understanding of this aspect of the curriculum.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when they are using the internet.

Staff are positive about the support they receive from leaders and governors. Staff appreciate the regard that leaders and governors have for their well-being.

Members of the governing body have a wide range of skills. They use these to hold leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that there are robust procedures in place to help keep pupils safe from harm. All staff receive appropriate safeguarding training. They are vigilant to the signs of abuse and know what to do should they have any concerns.

When appropriate, leaders work with external agencies to support vulnerable pupils and their families.

Leaders ensure that background checks of adults are undertaken to determine if they are suitable to work with children.

In their lessons and assemblies, pupils learn about the risks they may face.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when learning online and using social media.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's curriculum is not yet sufficiently well planned and sequenced in some subjects. In these subjects, pupils are not achieving as well as they could.

However, it is clear from leaders' actions that they are in the process of bringing this about. Leaders need to complete the process of reviewing their curriculum in all subjects within their identified timescale. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

• Pupils do not have a fully developed understanding of fundamental British values and other faiths and cultures. Leaders should ensure that pupils develop a deeper understanding of these aspects of the curriculum.Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2012.