Tillington Manor Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and enjoy attending school. Pupils, parents and carers spoke about the school's inclusive nature. Pupils enjoy their learning.

They study a full range of subjects. Leaders have worked hard to improve the curriculum offer. However, this work is not yet complete, and the content in all subjects is not yet well sequenced.

This shortfall stops pupils from building their knowledge securely. Leaders want all pupils to do well, but they know that there is more to do to make sure that every lesson is taught well.

Pupils are enthusiastic about the varied extra-curricular experiences the school offers.

These include the 'Tillington 40', where ...pupils have opportunities to carry out activities like visiting a castle, the fire station, seaside and the zoo. Parents value the additional curriculum enhancement their children experience.

Pupils behave well in lessons.

If pupils are upset or concerned about any bullying, they know staff will resolve it quickly. If there is any low-level disruption, it is dealt with well by teachers. Pupils learn to be responsible citizens by taking on roles such as office assistants and well-being champions.

They use these opportunities to help others, often guiding peers to solve problems.

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

Leaders have set out in the curriculum what knowledge they want pupils to know. There are outlines of how this develops across the school.

However, in some subjects, leaders have not set out with sufficient clarity exactly what pupils are expected to learn. The curriculum is at different stages of development. Assessment of some subjects is still being developed.

Leaders are working to make the curriculum offer stronger in many areas. However, for some subjects, teachers have yet to undertake training to help them deliver the intended plans effectively. Teachers do not have a sufficiently strong grasp of how to convey key subject content to pupils.

They are also not clear about the important knowledge to focus on. This prevents pupils from achieving as well as they could in some subjects.

Trained staff teach phonics well.

They ensure that pupils have lots of opportunities to read daily and put their knowledge and skills into practice. Pupils read books that match the sounds they learn in lessons. Staff identify any pupils who are falling behind and ensure that they receive the help they need to catch up.

There is a strong emphasis on promoting a love of reading. Pupils enjoy story time. Leaders have introduced new books, which has helped pupils to widen their vocabulary and improve their ideas for writing.

In subjects such as art and design, the curriculum is not as well developed. For example, while there is a clearly sequenced set of lessons for these subjects, it is unclear how teachers will assess what pupils have learned. This means that teachers are not always clear about what pupils have learned or where they have gaps in their knowledge.

Staff provide support to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring they can access the same curriculum as others. Leaders also cater well for pupils' social and behavioural needs. Staff identify needs effectively and provide pupils with the extra help they require.

As a result, pupils with SEND are supported well to achieve their individual targets and to learn well across the curriculum.

In the early years, children have access to an engaging environment that encourages learning. Staff are nurturing to children.

Children enjoy regular stories and songs. They learn to share and be kind. Staff encourage children to use ambitious vocabulary and ask them questions to help them practise and use these words.

This is helping children to develop their spoken language skills effectively.

Pupils behave well across the school. This starts in the early years.

Leaders have introduced higher expectations and ensure that systems for rewarding and challenging pupils are consistently used by all staff. Leaders invest time in supporting the mental well-being of pupils. Pupils learn about how to manage their emotions.

Staff provide a much-valued family support service to families and pupils who require it.

Leaders have put in place a well-thought-out programme to support pupils' personal development. A calendar of events, trips, clubs and activities draws pupils in.

Leaders promote pupils' responsibility, resilience and respect for themselves and others. These values are promoted though school assemblies. Pupils learn about different faiths, religions and cultures.

This strengthens their understanding of the differences and similarities of others.

Governors work effectively with leaders to provide support and challenge to improve the school. They have an accurate view of the school's strengths and priorities.

Staff are proud to work here. They appreciate and value that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff receive regular training in safeguarding. They are aware of and fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities. There are effective systems in place to identify, report and record any concerns.

Staff have a good understanding of the risks that pupils face in the local area. Governors and leaders ensure that safer recruitment procedures are followed so that adults are suitable to work with children.

Pupils learn to keep themselves safe.

For example, they learn about stranger danger and how to stay safe when using the internet. Older pupils learn about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is not as well organised and sequenced in some subjects as it is in others.

This hinders pupils' ability to make good progress. Leaders should ensure that curriculum content in all subjects is ordered in such a way that it helps pupils to build on their prior knowledge and make good progress. ? In some subjects, where the curriculum has been newly developed, teachers do not always have the subject-specific knowledge required to deliver the content well.

Where this happens, some subject-specific content can be missed, leading to gaps in pupils' knowledge. Leaders should ensure that staff have the appropriate pedagogical content knowledge to teach these subjects well. ? In the foundation subjects, teachers do not use assessment effectively.

This means that leaders are not clear about what knowledge pupils have and what they need to learn next. Consequently, gaps in learning are not identified and misconceptions persist. Leaders should ensure that all teachers use assessment well to ensure that they identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and adjust their teaching to bridge these gaps.