Tendring Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Tendring Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embody the school's motto of 'be friendly, be honest, be your best' in all aspects of school life.

They are eager and confident learners, and they have opportunities to extend their experiences, for example by publishing a book and exhibiting at a local farming show.

Pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning. They behave well and attend regularly, eager to win the weekly 'biscuit bear' award.

Pupils enjoy their lessons and most pupils achieve highly. Occasionally, where pupils are not challeng...ed to do their best, they do not achieve as well as they could.

Pupils are safe in school.

They have extremely strong relationships with trusted adults. They rightly know that staff will resolve any concerns. In turn, pupils show this same consideration to their peers.

There are extensive opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils attend clubs such as science, cheerleading and a 'cosy reading club'. Pupils benefit from competing in sports tournaments, as well as performance events.

The school develops pupils' citizenship in various ways, such as by asking pupils to apply for a wide range of leadership roles. These roles include school council representatives, house captains and reading ambassadors. Pupils adopt these roles proudly.

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

The school has developed a curriculum that is broad, ambitious and inclusive. The curriculum embeds the school's vision for all children to become 'passionate, considerate and capable individuals'. The school has ensured that the curriculum builds the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn to meet this vision.

The provision for early reading is a strength. Children start to learn phonics from the moment they begin in Reception. Staff are trained to deliver the phonics programme expertly.

They check pupils' understanding skilfully and quickly identify pupils who need additional help to keep up. This support is provided rapidly, which means that these pupils soon become fluent, confident readers. Older pupils work as reading ambassadors, facilitating 'reading club' for younger children and 'reading cafes' with parents.

As a result of this strong focus on reading, pupils become fluent readers.

Staff are enthusiastic about the curriculum. They have secure subject knowledge.

Teachers capture pupils' interest and encourage them to find out more. However, sometimes, pupils do not have enough opportunity to apply and extend their knowledge. While most pupils achieve well, some do not achieve as well as they could.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive. The identification of each individual pupil's needs is precise, and the implementation of targeted support is rapid and insightful. Skilled staff adapt learning activities appropriately to respond to pupils' needs.

Pupils learn how to support peers with specific needs, such as singing using sign language together.

The school ensures that pupils have the knowledge and skills needed to play a positive role in society. For example, it provides varying curriculum activities, diverse texts and focused assemblies.

Pupils learn about democracy by voting for their school council and house captains. They also debate moral and ethical issues relating to current topics. The school ensures that pupils meet visitors representing different cultures and life experiences.

This includes African drumming, Chinese writing and a visit from a Ukrainian refugee. This helps pupils understand the importance of tolerance and respect for all.

The school's useful engagement with a local university programme enables pupils to learn about potential careers across different industries.

The school's own 'Tendring 100' programme provides key experiences for each pupil. This helps pupils prepare for their future lives.

The school engages extremely well with staff.

The school checks the well-being of staff regularly to ensure that their workload is appropriate, and it can listen to new ideas. This helps to ensure that staff feel supported and valued.

The governing body is proactive in checking for themselves how well the school is performing.

This contributes towards the governors having an accurate oversight of the school's strengths and further areas for development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to improve?

(information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could in some areas of the curriculum.

This is because they do not have enough routine opportunities to extend and consolidate their knowledge and skills. When this is the case, some pupils struggle to access and apply more complex concepts. The school should ensure that pupils have sufficient time and routine opportunities to practise and develop their skills and knowledge in all curriculum areas.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2019.