Tilney St Lawrence Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate being part of a small village school where everyone is known and cared for.

Recent changes to the way behaviour is managed are working well.

Pupils show each other kindness and respect. They are polite and courteous. In lessons, pupils are calm and follow instructions.

Pupils appreciate the points they receive for positive behaviour as part of the 'rainbow reward system'.

Pupils benefit from the pastoral support offered. Trusted adults help pupils to feel happy, secure and ready to learn.

Pupils know they will be listened to and supported if they have any problems.

Opportunities for pupils to broaden their horizons... beyond the local community are in place. Pupils' aspirations are encouraged through, for example, the annual careers fair.

Pupils experience different cultures through trips to France and revel in the chance to sing at national concerts.

The quality of education pupils receive is not helping pupils do as well as they could. Expectations of how well pupils achieve are not high enough.

Pupils' learning is not checked regularly enough to ensure pupils build on what they have learned before.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has not maintained a good quality of education for pupils. This is due mostly to significant challenges in terms of leadership.

During this unsettled period, the school's curriculum has not improved. This has hindered how well pupils achieve throughout the curriculum.

However, the necessary changes are being made.

The new leadership team is taking action, for example a new positive behaviour policy is working well. This ensures learning now proceeds without disruption. Pupils are ready and able to learn.

While this is the case, leaders are only now setting about the task of refining and developing the curriculum. The implementation and delivery of the curriculum are not consistently effective in all subject areas.Children settle in well to early years.

They quickly learn the routines and collaborate happily. However, the early years curriculum is not clearly planned across all areas. In reading and mathematics, children receive planned teaching sessions and, as a result, achieve well.

Other parts of the curriculum are less precise. Children's steps in learning are not clear. The activities provided do not ensure children achieve well in their learning.

As a result, children in early years do not learn key knowledge securely. They are not fully prepared for Year 1.

Pupils enjoy reading.

They value the books they read and those read to them. There is an established early reading programme in place. Trained staff consistently deliver the lessons as described.

As a result, most pupils learn to read fluently. However, some pupils fall behind as the teaching of reading does not always meet pupils' needs. Pupils who find reading difficult are not supported as quickly as they should be.

They do not catch up in a timely manner.

Across the school, the curriculum is not consistently taught well. When delivered well, teachers teach the planned knowledge clearly and pupils achieve well.

They learn and remember the key knowledge as intended. On other occasions, staff lack the necessary subject knowledge to move learning on effectively. They have not been trained to teach the curriculum as intended.

Pupils do not learn the planned curriculum well. This means pupils' learning is not secure. Consequently, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge.

Recent improvements in the identification of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have been positive. Staff identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Tasks in class are adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

Pupils typically access the curriculum in line with their peers.

Pupils benefit from a well-structured personal, social and health education curriculum. The planned programme enriches their understanding of faith and the wider world.

They have a strong understanding of differences and the importance of equality. Pupils enjoy a range of leadership opportunities. They are proud of these roles, such as head boy/girl, school councillors and reading mentors.

Pupils said they have a voice in the school and their voice matters.

Teachers value the consideration of their well-being taken by school leaders. They feel well supported in terms of their workload and the different aspects of their role.

During the unsettled period in the school, governors have not held school leaders fully to account for the quality of education provided. They have not challenged school leaders with enough rigour to ensure the school makes the necessary improvements for pupils at this school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders at all levels, including governors, have not held people to account with enough rigour over a period of time. This means the school has not performed as well as it should have. Leaders need to monitor and challenge more robustly to ensure the school is making the necessary improvements to secure a better quality of education for all pupils.

Leaders have not provided the necessary support and training to staff to ensure they have the necessary subject knowledge and expertise to teach the planned curriculum well. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders, including governors, must prioritise subject-specific training for staff to ensure the curriculum is delivered well across the school.

• The early years curriculum lacks the necessary precision and clarity to ensure children secure key foundational knowledge. This means they often lack the knowledge to be successful in their learning both in early years and as they move into Year 1. The school must consider the early years curriculum carefully to ensure it clearly identifies the steps in learning pupils make through this part of the school.

• The school does not provide the necessary support for pupils who fall behind in their early reading in a timely manner. This means pupils who need help to catch up are not supported quickly to become fluent readers. The school must prioritise support for those pupils not reading at an age-appropriate level so they can catch up with their peers as quickly as possible.