Tarleton Mere Brow Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this small and nurturing school. The school's motto, 'Let Your Light Shine', is brought to life daily.

Staff care for pupils and support them to achieve their personal best. Pupils feel valued and accepted.

The school has high expectations for pupils' learning and achievement, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils try their best. They typically achieve well. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education.

Pupils behave well during lessons and at playtimes. They understand the school's rules, and they know that these rules are there to help them to stay safe.

Pupi...ls excel in their various roles.

These responsibilities include being head pupils and librarians. Older pupils are proud to be special 'hedgehog helpers' for children in the early years. Pupils are eager to make a positive difference to their wider community, for example by raising money for charities.

Pupils appreciate the range of experiences on offer beyond the academic curriculum. The school has identified '80 opportunities' for pupils to have before they leave school in Year 6. This includes visiting the seaside to build a sandcastle, learning to play a musical instrument and singing around a campfire.

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

The school has worked effectively to secure improvements to the quality of the curriculum since the last inspection. It is considerate of staff's workload and well-being, including while making improvements. For example, the school considers how best to implement new initiatives without unduly increasing staff's workload.

Staff told inspectors that they feel valued and supported.

Improvements to the curriculum have ensured that staff in key stages 1 and 2 have greater clarity about the important learning that they need to focus on with their classes. This is also the case in the early years, where the curriculum, in many areas of learning, outlines the essential knowledge that children should learn in readiness for key stage 1.

In a small number of subjects, including some areas of learning in the early years, the knowledge that pupils should acquire is not clear. This means that staff do not routinely place the right emphasis on the knowledge that pupils need for future learning. Occasionally, this prevents pupils from making connections with what they have learned before, which hampers their achievement in these areas of the curriculum.

The school fosters a love of reading. Pupils benefit from reading a wide range of interesting books. Staff receive training that enables them to deliver the phonics programme effectively.

As a result, most children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 gain a secure knowledge of phonics. However, a small number of pupils in key stage 2, who have not benefited from the new approach to teaching early reading, have some gaps in their reading knowledge.

There are effective processes to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND.

These pupils are well supported to follow the curriculum alongside their peers. Teachers make appropriate adaptions to their curriculum delivery to ensure that pupils with SEND achieve well.

The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

The school's values, such as love and respect, underpin the positive relationships that pupils have with staff and with each other. Pupils try their best to uphold these values and to follow the school's rules. They relish the praise that they receive for behaving well.

The school places great importance on pupils' levels of attendance. Pupils know that they need to be in school in order to learn. The school provides effective support to families for a small number of pupils who do not attend school as regularly as they should.

This is helping to reduce pupils' absence levels.

The school supports pupils' personal development well. Pupils learn about road safety and the differences that exist between people, including religion and the make-up of different families.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe while online and how to keep themselves physically and mentally well. This gives pupils the age-appropriate knowledge that they need to stay healthy and safe. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Governors use their expertise to provide the school with effective support and challenge. They display a strong sense of purpose and commitment to bring about the best possible outcomes for pupils, staff and parents and carers.

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, including some areas of learning in the early years, the school has not fully determined the knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should happen. Occasionally, this prevents some pupils from developing a deep and rich body of subject knowledge. The school should refine its curriculum thinking in these subjects so that staff are clear about what pupils should know and remember.

• A small number of pupils in key stage 2 are not supported to catch up in reading as well as they could be. This hinders how well some of these pupils develop reading fluency. The school should support pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge to catch up with their peers as quickly as possible.