Tapton School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Tapton is a school where pupils and staff are restless in their pursuit of excellence.

Staff have high expectations for pupils. Pupils excel at Tapton. They are polite, conscientious and achieve highly.

The school's sixth-form students are its most mature and aware members. They are well-read, too. They support, guide and mentor younger pupils in the school.

This makes school better for the younger pupils. It also boosts the sixth-form students' confidence.

The school sets high standards for pupils' behaviour.

The vast majority of pupils hardly ever fail to meet the standards set. Staff and pupils alike show respect, kindness and tolerance. ...The school gives pupils time each day to see their form teacher to check and communicate worries.

The school enriches pupils' lives with many opportunities beyond the curriculum. It offers a wealth of experiences beyond the taught subjects. They include an orchestra, sports fixtures, trips abroad and history clubs.

Visiting academic speakers enhance school life further. Activities are open to all pupils, as the school ensures that nobody misses out.

Pupils join the school from many diverse backgrounds and have different needs.

Support for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), is consistently planned and reviewed.

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

The curriculum is broad, balanced and rich in content. Staff bring the subjects to life.

For example, in music, pupils engage in hands-on tasks with enthusiasm. This gives them the belief that music is for them, regardless of past experiences.

A reading book is never far from the hand of a Tapton pupil.

All through the school, including in the sixth form, pupils read daily. If a pupil struggles to read, then the support is quick and purposeful. Staff provide help to ensure that all pupils can read and access the texts used in lessons.

Teachers' superb subject knowledge helps to ensure consistently high-quality teaching. The school's 'Tapton Seven' values underpin learning across the school. Kindness, hard work and responsibility are examples of these values.

Pupils approach their learning with great enthusiasm. Staff embrace this. They encourage pupils to read the books linked to the subject to satisfy their curiosity.

The school provides effective support to meet the needs of all pupils. They engage with wider external bodies to offer help and support to those pupils who need it. The school does not wait for outside help.

They mobilise support within the school and across the trust to help pupils. Underpinning this is the sharing of important information. Systems in school keep staff well informed about pupils' individual needs.

This enables adaptations to sweep away potential barriers to learning. For example, pupils use physical resources, such as counters in mathematics, to help provide a concrete foundation for pupils' knowledge to build from.

The school maintains a breadth of options for students to study in the sixth form.

Students show enthusiasm and diligence in their studies. They take pride in the work they do in lessons and adopt a professional approach to their learning. The sixth-form students enjoy a wide range of clubs.

These include sports, debating and community work.

The school offers a diverse range of extra-curricular activities. These range from a pupil Pokémon club to a 'Motor Neuron' research project with doctors.

Some pupils serve on the school council. They take pride in advocating for their peers. The school council shapes the school's offerings.

It does this by securing clubs, improving buildings and adding food at breaktime and lunchtime. When the pupils, including those with SEND, leave Tapton, they are ready for their next step in study or work.

Pupils' calm behaviour enhances learning.

In lessons, pupils are respectful and focused. At lunchtime, pupils show respect for each other and the environment. When pupils do not reflect the school's values, the staff support them.

Pupils are reflective. With staff support, they realise that unkind behaviour harms others. This has helped the school to remove disruptions to its learning environment.

Leaders at the school find the time to talk to staff and pupils, and they respect their views. They continue to work with the community. Governors' initiatives, such as parent clinics in the community, are boosting engagement.

Governors at Tapton have a strong understanding of the school. This helps to inform their strategic role and partnership with school and trust leaders.

The staff at the school enjoy talking with the pupils.

Lunchtime supervisors check pupils' well-being and teachers welcome pupils into the classroom with warmth. These interactions help pupils to feel welcomed and part of the Tapton family.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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