Tetsworth Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value being part of this close and inclusive school community.

They appreciate everyone knowing each other well and the warm relationships they have with staff. Pupils feel well supported, especially if they have any worries. They describe the school as being 'like a family' where they enjoy lots of shared experiences.

These include a range of different themed events and trips. This ethos of togetherness supports pupils in attending well and building self-confidence.

The Tetsworth Way values are at the heart of the school community.

Pupils learn why these matter. They reflect these in their calm and orderly behaviour across the school. Pupil a...re encouraged to make individual contributions whenever they can.

They frequently help others and willingly volunteer to support whole-school activities such as fundraising or gardening. Diamond Of The Week awards recognise these efforts. Pupils are rightly proud when they receive these.

Since the last inspection, the school has made significant changes to the curriculum. These are helping to improve pupils' achievement across subjects. However, they are not fully embedded.

Approaches to teaching and assessment are not developed enough so that all pupils can achieve well across the curriculum.

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

The school is rapidly developing the curriculum, which is ambitious for all pupils. Across subjects, curriculum thinking identifies the important knowledge that pupils need to learn.

However, in a few subjects, the way some of this knowledge is arranged does not support pupils to build a secure understanding over time. As a result, they can have gaps in their understanding. In most subjects, the important knowledge that pupils learn is not deliberately revisited beyond when they first learn it.

Consequently, they struggle to remember important aspects of previous learning.

Teachers' subject knowledge varies. It is strongest in core subjects, where new ideas are mostly explained accurately.

Similarly, in the early years, staff use their knowledge to develop the language and behaviours of children effectively. As a result, they are well prepared for key stage 1. However, across foundation subjects, teachers' subject knowledge is insecure.

As a result, their explanations do not always help pupils understand complex ideas. In most subjects, assessment does not identify how well pupils understand the important knowledge they are learning. Therefore, teaching moves pupils on to new learning without addressing areas of knowledge they do not fully understand.

Reading is a high priority. The teaching of early reading has swiftly improved, and it supports children in developing their knowledge of letter sounds and words well. Their progress is closely tracked with prompt, targeted support so pupils who are struggling catch up quickly.

Recent changes to the reading curriculum ensure that pupils learn from a diverse range of texts. Reading for pleasure is promoted widely. Pupils enthusiastically share the highlights of books they are currently reading.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in Pupil Profiles. Teaching assistants use these to provide effective support for pupils with more complex SEND. However, most teaching is not being adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND precisely enough.

Consequently, these pupils do not always complete learning activities. It is different in the early years, where the needs of all children with SEND are met well.

Pupils behave well across the school.

In the early years, children develop routines which support them to learn with increasing independence. Across lessons, pupils mostly work with focus and willingly participate in activities. Around the school, they show consideration and kindness towards others.

At playtime, pupils across year groups happily play together, sharing the equipment. Pupils benefit from strong pastoral support, which helps them learn how to manage their feelings. This approach supports pupils with more complex behaviour needs to learn effectively.

There is a considered approach to pupils' wider development. The school prioritises learning about well-being. Pupils talk about ways they can stay safe, including online.

They learn ways to look after their mental health and support others. The school promotes the importance of equality and respect. The exploration of diversity supports pupils to embrace and value differences.

Opportunities for outdoor learning help them learn how to interact responsibly with the environment.

The school's focus is rightly on addressing the areas it accurately identifies as needing improvement. However, it does not ensure that changes are fully embedded and sustained.

Consequently, this leads to inconsistencies in approaches across the school. Staff understand the need for further changes and appreciate the school's efforts to keep their workload manageable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the order in which knowledge is taught, the absence of deliberately revisiting important knowledge and the use of assessment do not support pupils in developing secure understanding. Consequently, they have gaps in their knowledge and cannot always recall important knowledge. The school needs to ensure the curriculum changes are fully embedded and support pupils in knowing and remembering more across all subjects.

• Teachers are still developing the subject knowledge they need to teach across the curriculum well. As a result, some explanations and learning activities do not help pupils to learn well. The school needs to develop teachers' subject knowledge so that across the curriculum teaching helps pupils know more and remember more.

There are variations in how well teaching is adapted for pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils do not always complete learning activities, which can hinder their achievement. The school needs to ensure teaching adaptations enable all pupils with SEND to learn effectively.

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