Tavistock Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Tavistock Infant School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

As one parent commented, echoing the views of many, 'The overwhelming feel you get from Tavistock is a warm and nurturing environment where the children really matter as individuals.' This is evident from the start of the school day.

Teachers greet pupils by name and with a welcoming smile at the classroom door, checking in with parents and carers to see how their child is. Pupils are pleased to see staff and their friends, anticipating an enjoyable day ahead. Reception Year children eagerly explore the range of early morning act...ivities.

Older pupils settle quickly to tasks designed to reinforce learning or practise skills.

These well-established routines set the scene for positive attitudes and kind behaviour, inside and outside the classroom, throughout the day. Expectations are high, making for calm and purposeful classrooms.

Pupils understand that they have both the right to learn undisturbed and the responsibility to make sure others can get on with their work. Pupils are taught good learning habits. They are willing to have a go and keep trying, knowing that it is okay not to get something right first time.

Pupils relish their learning across the range of subjects, soaking up new knowledge and remembering important information.

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

The Tavistock motto, 'Achieving happily together', is, as one parent captured perfectly, 'lived throughout the school'. The school nurtures pupils' happiness and self-respect so that they are ready to get the most out of school.

From the Reception Year upwards, specific praise for, and celebration of, their achievements develop pupils' pride in themselves. They are taught to recognise different feelings and how to calm themselves. Pupils understand the importance of getting along with others, are welcoming to new classmates and accept difference as the norm.

They realise that if they do fall out they can try to talk things through and say sorry. At the same time, pupils, rightly, trust staff to look after them and sort any worries or problems. The slightest hint of harmful language or unkind behaviour is dealt with quickly and firmly.

Pupils' academic learning is equally well thought through. The early years curriculum has been completely overhauled. There is a clear focus on what children need to know and be able to do by key points in the Reception Year.

At the same time, work to refine the curriculum in key stage 1 has ensured that it builds on teaching in the Reception Year and again from Year 1 into Year 2. Checkpoints set out what pupils need to remember from topic to topic and year to year, and the vocabulary they need to understand and explain their learning. A range of extra activities during the school day adds an extra dimension to pupils' experience.

Swimming lessons start in the Reception Year. Over their time at Tavistock, pupils are introduced to learning a musical instrument and another language. Food and nutrition and well-being sessions are popular and start to equip them with important life skills.

Typically, teaching is engaging and precise and pupils learn well. Guidance about what to teach and when is used to good effect to emphasise the most important content and expand pupils' language. Activities are purposeful and links between subjects and topics make learning meaningful.

Checks on learning are often skilful, watching and listening to pupils carefully and encouraging them to think back to previous lessons. Deliberately concentrating on pupils' speaking and listening skills from the word go pays off. Over time, it becomes second nature to them to talk in full sentences in order to explain their thinking.

Generally, pupils develop the ability to tune in to the sounds that letters make. Phonics is taught well, with careful checks on progress and extra support for those who need it, so most pupils get off to a great start when learning to read. Current work to enhance pupils' writing skills is already having a notable impact.

This is a school that knows itself well, is justifiably proud of its successes and knows what could be even better. The member of staff who said that they 'are a true team and have a great commitment to our little people' was spot on. Care is taken to continually update staff's knowledge and avoid unnecessary demands on them so that they have the skills and time to support pupils and teach effectively.

Training is equipping staff with a greater understanding of, and strategies to identify and meet, pupils' additional needs in their classrooms. There is, however, more to do to make sure that disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn as well as they can.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The specific focus on improving the learning of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding and those with SEND is fairly recent. These pupils have not, in recent years, typically achieved as well as their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. The school should ensure that it implements its plans to enhance provision for these pupils, keeping a close eye on the impact on their progress and making adjustments as needed.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2015.

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